ISSUE 44, À LA CRÉOLE, Part 4: Vegetables
The Canon of Classic Gulf Coast Creole cuisine was defined for the most part by three works published between the years 1885 and 1900—La Cuisine Creole, The Creole Cookery Book, and the Times Picayune Cookbook. Yet an enormous number of important recipes were published during those same 15 years in other sources—recipes that increase the body of attested Creole Dishes by nearly 100 percent over those contained the in the trinity of founding texts. I will spend this issue of Foodlore and More (the next six sessions) reprinting many of these neglected recipes. Todaywe will survey the vegetables that distinguished Creole kitchen craft.
Vegetables
Aubergine à la Créole – 1 young and tender egg-plant, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, pepper, 2 onions, grated, Butter, Bread-crumbs, Salt. Peel the egg-plant and cut it into inch dice. Put it into a saucepan with about 1 gill of boiling water. Simmer very gently until tender, but not entirely done, 10 to 15 minutes. Then throw it into a colander and drain as dry as possible, squeezing out the water with a saucer. Meanwhile, fy the onions in butter; when the egg-plant is thoroughly drained, remove the saucepan and onions from the fire, and stir in the egg-plant, parsley, pepper, salt, and vinegar, and as much butter as you can spare, about 2 heaping tablespoonfuls. If the egg-plant has been properly dried, it will absorb the butter entirely. Put into a baking-dish; cover the top with browned bread-crumbs and dots of butter, and bake 20 to 25 minutes in a good oven. There should be nearly 1 quart of the stewed egg-plant for the aboe proportions; therefore, if you have not 1 large egg-plant, use 2 or more smaller ones. Delicious. [VanBuren-GL-1890-298]
Ratatouille à la Créole – 3 pounds of lean veal, ½ pound ham, cut in 1 inch dice, Spring of thyme, 1 can of tomatoes, or 6 or 8 fresh, 1 can of okra, or 50 fresh, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 onions, sliced, Veal bones for gravy, 4 or 6 sweet potatoes, Salt, pepper, and cayenne. First of all make your gravy as follows: Brown the bones and trimmings of the veal, and any chicken bones which you may have, in butter in a frying-pan; or you may roast them till brown in the over. When well browned, put them in a saucepan on the fire with the garlic, thyme, tomatoes, and a little dash of boiling water (according to the amount of liquor there is on the tomatoes). As you will require about 1 quart of gravy, it is best to begin with 3 pints of liquid. Fry the onions brown in butter, and add them to the saucepan. Cover. Let the whole stew very gently on the side of the range for 2 hours, or longer, until the gravy is tasty and strong. Then strain it and return it to the saucepan. Have your veal cut in pieces about the length of 1 finger and breadth of 2. Fry the pieces in butter until nicely browned, turning often to avoid toughening; put these in the saucepan; add the dice of ham, the sweet potatoes cut in cubes of about 1 ½ inches, salt, and pepper. Add also, if available, half a sweet-pepper without seeds. Stew all together gently until the veal is thoroughly tender and the sweet potatoes are on the point of melting away, which will be from 1 ½ to 2 hours. Ten minutes before this point is reached, add the can of okra. If you use fresh okras, select small ones, tip and tail them, and add to the stew 30 minutes before removing from the fire. When it is all done, dish the meat in the centre of a platter, the sweet potatoes around the edge, the okra over the meat. Let the gravy boil down rapidly for a few minutes; add salt and cayenne to taste; if not thick enough, stir in 1 teaspoonful of corn-starch dissolved in a little cold water. Boil 3 minutes and pour over the stew. This is a delicious dish, and perfectly eash to make, although it may appear complicated. [VanBuren-GL-1890-142]
Stuffed Eggplants à la Créole — Parboil the egg-plants; cut them in halves; scoop out the inside, being careful not to break the outside skin, which you refill later with the following stuffing: Mix up the inside of the egg-plant with a slice of boiled ham chopped very fine, bread crumbs, butter, salt, and pepper — shrimps, if you have them, make a delicious addition ; bind this stuffing with the yolk of an egg and fill your egg-plant skins; sprinkle with powdered bread crumbs, put a small lump of butter on each piece, and bake. (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 184)
Stewed Egg-Plant, Creole Method —Stewed egg-plants is a delightful summer dish. Make a roux, browning one onion in a spoonful of lard; cut up the egg-plants and a tomato, and put in the roux, adding a little water to keep from burning, then stew slowly, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Mix together, mashing the eggplant thoroughly, and serve. (Maude C. Cook, Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper, 253.)
Stuffed Cabbage à la Créole — Choose for this purpose a large firm cabbage; take oflE the onter leaves, and lay in boiling water ten minutes, then in very cold; do this several hours before you are ready to stuff it; when perfectly cold, bind a broad tape about it, or a strip of muslin, that it may not fall apart when the stalk is taken out; remove this with a thin, sharp knife, leaving a hole about as deep as your middle finger; without widening the mouth of the aperture, excavate the centre until you have room for four or five tablespoonfuls of the forcemeat — more, if the head be large; chop the bits you take oiit very small; mix with same minced cold boiled pork or ham, or cooked sausage-meat, a very little onion, pepper, salt, a pinch of thyme, and some bread crumbs; fill the cavity with this, bind a wide strip of muslin over the hole in the top, and lay the cabbage in a large saucepan with a pint of " pot-liquor" from boiled beef or ham; stew gently until very tender; take out the cabbage, unbind carefully, and lay in a dish; keep hot while you add to the gravy, when you have strained it, pepper, a piece of butter rolled in flour, and two or three tablespoonfuls of rich milk or cream; boil up, and pour over the cabbage. (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 192)
Cauliflower au Gratin — Boil a cauliflower in salted water till tender; then put into a dish, cut it up neatly, arranging the pieces of stalk so as to form a foundation; sprinkle these with grated and browned bread crumbs and grated cheese, and a little white pepper ; then upon thin foundation arrange the flowery part of the cauliflower, sprinkling them thickly with grated {not browned) bread crumbs, grated cheese, and a little white pepper ; stick bits of butter over the top, then set in the oven until brown; serve in same dish.
(The Unrivalled Cook Book, 188)
Collards, or ‘Cabbage Sprouts’ – Pick over carefully; lay in cold water, slightly salted, half an hour; shake in a colander to drain, and put into boiling water, keeping at a fast boil until tender. A piece of pork seasons them pleasantly. In this case put the meat on first, adding the greens when it is parboiled, and cooking them together. Boil in an uncovered vessel. Drain, chop, and heap them in a dish, laying the meat on top. (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 184)
Sweet Corn as Prepared by the Indians — Boil as many ears as you require of the sweet corn, such as is used for the table, and of the same degree of ripeness. It should not be boiled quite as long as for present use. Cut the grains from the cob, and spread them on large cloths in the sun and dry thoroughly; keep in a dry room; when wanted throw a few handfuls into a pot of boiling water, and boil till soft. This, in midwinter, will give a dish of corn as fine as if plucked from the field. (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 191)
Cucumber Jelly (Olympe Boudinot) —This is especially nice to serve with any fish, or it makes a good salad course served with lettuce leaves, which have French dressing upon them. Pare four large cucumbers, not too ripe. Cut up and stew in one quart of water with a small onion, full teaspoon salt, one-half teaspoon white pepper. Soak meanwhile half box gelatine in teacup cold water. When cucumbers are perfectly soft stir in the gelatine until it is fully dissolved. Then strain so as to avoid the seeds. When almost cold peel and slice very thin one cucumber; line the mold, which has been wet with cold water, with it; pour in the liquid jelly; allow to "set" very firmly. If served on platter upon lettuce leaves pour the French dressing over the mold as well as leaves. French dressing is made in proportion of two tablespoons of salad oil to one of vinegar, with half-teaspoon salt. (Chicago Daily News Cook Book, 414-15]
Mushroom Loaf — Carefully wash the mushrooms, wiping them dry and white with a flannel cloth; put into a porcelain saucepan, together with a sliced onion and a little pepper and salt ; cover with cold broth, and stew very gently for fifteen minutes; then add a tablespoonful of butter, divided into bits and rolled in browned flour; boil three or four minutes; then add three tablespoonfuls of white wine beaten up with egg, and stir two minutes more ; have ready a baker's well-baked, stale loaf, from the inside of which all the crumb has been removed. This must be done in the following manner: Make around hole in the bottom of the loaf and carefully dig out as much of the crumb as possible, while keeping the shape of the loaf; now stuff the hollowed loaf with the mushrooms, lidding, also, the bread crumbs, moistened with the sauce in which the mushrooms were cooked ; when the loaf is filled, stop up the hole with a piece of bread, and put the loaf in a casserole, the bottom of which must be covered with slices of ham ; add all the mushroom sauce and bread crumb which remain, and, after basting the loaf carefully with melted butter, cook it with fire below and above, and until it is thoroughly heated through and finely browned; baste once again with butter, and serve in a very hot dish. (Delicious.) (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 197-98)
Stuffed Green Peppers, Creole Style (Mrs. Eugene Palmer, N.O.) – Cut a slice off the stem end of sweet green peppers. Remove seed and membranes. Make a stuffing of shrimp or crab, or fish, with a very little bread crumbs, butter, pepper and salt moistened with white sauce. Set in over a few moments and bake. If sweet peppers are not obtainable the ordinary green peppers may be used, but must be simmered in salt and water, and then thrown in cold water, always removing seed and membrane. Any kind of cold meat makes an appetizing stuffing. Baste well with melted butter while baking. Famous Old Receipts, 155.)
Pommes de Terre à la Créole – Pare and cut raw potatoes into ¾-inch dice. Throw them into ice-water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain very dry. Have ready a kettle of deep lard. When you are sure it is really boiling, drop in the potatoes and fry golden brown 4 to 5 minutes. Lift them out; drain; dry on brown paper in the mouth of the oven. Sprinkle with salt, and serve. A ¼ onion fried first in the lard gives a very pleasant flavor. [Van Burn-Good Living, 270]
Desiree’s Potatoes (Creole method of making poor potatoes palatable) — Wash the potatoes, wipe them dry, peel, and carefully cut out all the bad parts; boil them according to the receipt for treating watery potatoes, and drain, salt, and dry ; shake them carefully until they are a mealy, dry mass; then take a clean, coarse, dry pudding-cloth, and, putting a double-handful of potatoes in it, wring the cloth until the potato is quite dry; place on a hot dish, and proceed in this way until the potatoes are thus formed into a pile of apparently large, fine, whole, mealy potatoes. (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 204)
Potatoes à la Maitre d’Hôtel — Cut cold boiled potatoes into small round pieces, and stew as above, omitting the cream and flour, and using a larger piece of butter; use also black pepper instead of white; just before removing the stewpan from the Are sprinkle; some. parsley over the potatoes; boil up once, and serve on a very hot dish; squeeze the juice of a lemon over the potatoes before sending them to table. (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 204-05)
Sweet Potatoes à la Créole (Olympe Boudinot) —Scrape six large sweet potatoes; cut in halves the long way. Put in deep baking dish, cover with milk, add half-teaspoon salt and tablespoon butter. Wet half teacup of bread crumbs with one egg lightly beaten; cover the potatoes with these and bake in moderate oven about an hour. [Chicago Daily News Cook Book, 415]
Ochra and Tomatoes — Stew for an hour a can of tomatoes, adding pepper and salt; wash a quarter of a peck of young and tender ochra, cut off the stems, throw them into the stewpan with the tomatoes ; and let them all stew gently until the ochra begins to open; then stir them well; add a little onion to the tomatoes ; when first put on season with pepper (red) and salt, stir in two lumps of loaf sugar, and serve very hot. (The Unrivalled Cook Book, 212)
To Cook Rice – Wash through two waters and then just cover with cold water, add a little salt and let it boil fast, but not furiously, until it swells and the water is boiled off. It can be turned into a mould and set into a hot place to dry, or the lid closed tightly and the vessel set back on the strove, watching that it does not burn. Rice swells so that a small cupful will be found to make a large dish when cooked. In serving gumbo put a spoonful of rice in each soup plate and the gumbo over it. Irene H., “Creole Cooker: Gumbo Soup as a standby for warm weather,” St. Louis Republic (July 6, 1890).
Callas, A Creole Cake eaten Hot with Coffee – One teacup of rice well boiled and mashed, one small coffee cup of sugar, two tablespoons yeast, three ggs and flour sufficient to make a thick batter; beat the whole well together and fry in hot lard. Be careful not to have the batter too thin, or it will not fry well. (From Mrs. Belle H. Perkins, of Louisiana). (Carrie V. Shuman, Favorite Dishes, 100.)
Tomatoes à la Créole – Use either fresh or canned tomatoes. If the former, peel and cut in large pieces before stewing. Put the tomatoes in a large china-lined stew pan (shallow), with a lump of butter and half an onion chopped fine. Two cans of tomatoes will be required to make a dish for 6 or 8 persons. Let them stew uncovered over a smart fire for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, and being careful not to allow them to scorch. By this time the greater part of the juice should have evaporated. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and a good pinch of sugar, and put them in an earthenware bake-dish. Cover the top with bread-crumbs and dots of butter, and put in the over for an hour or more, until well browned. Should any liquid remain, it would be well to let the dish stand longer in the over with the door open. They should, when successful, be like a rich paste. The heat of the over must govern the length of time required to finish them properly. [Van Buren, Good Living, 552]
Snap Beans – Snap off the ends and carefully remove every vestige of fibre, and strings from a quart of fresh, tender snap beans; put nearly a gallon of water in a sauce pan, and when it boils put in the beans with a teaspoonful of salt; boil until soft, then drain thoroughly; melt a tablespoonful of butter in a frying pan and when quite hot put in the beans and fry for ten minutes stirring and adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a little chopped parsley and a teaspoonful of lemon juice sprinkled over them. [Irene H., “Creole Cookery: The Economic and Nutritive Qualities of Well-Made Soups,” St. Louis Republic (August 3, 1890)]
Creole Sweet Tomatoes – All over the South stewed tomatoes, instead of being seasoned with salt and pepper, are made Sweet with sugar, and when boiled down to what is in effect a tomato preserve, it is called Creole Sauce. Sweetened tomatoes and sweetened sweet potatoes are Southern specialties, whether of Creole origin or not, which Northerners first endure, then admire, then embrace. [Whitehead, Hotel Meat Cooking, ]
Tomato Butter — Ten pounds of tomatoes, pared and cut up; four pounds of brown sugar; one quart of vinegar. Put the tomatoes into a preserving-kettle, add the sugar and the vinegar, stir all together until they become as thick as apple butter, stirring often to prevent burning. [Unrivalled Cook Book, 439]