Anyone who has been in our home knows we have a lot of cookbooks. The best cookbooks have stories and histories, e.g The Junior's Cookbook, which tells the history of Junior's Restaurant and Brooklyn. They must also be beautifully illustrated to create a mood even in the book. This actually has a term- food porn.
One beloved cookbook is a thin paperback, all of 72 pages. It is called "From Our Family to Yours: Sixty Years of Kosher Quality and Commitment, published in 1998 by Empire Kosher. It is organized by decade, from the 30-40's on.
It begins in 1938. "Chickens were sold frozen in barrels, unplucked and uneviscerated." That recipe is for Stuffed Helzel (chicken neck skin). Page 5 reads, "(1939-1945) Out of respect for the victims of this dark time, no recipes have been included for these years." You feel as if you are reading a bit of family history of the Jewish community.
I was reading this cookbook today, looking for inspiration. I rarely follow recipes now, but often read to see what spices strike my fancy. When I reached 1951, I found Empire Poultry Supreme. The ingredients call for "1 Empire chicken, 3-3 1/2 lbs, deboned, wings removed, 1 Empire duckling, about 5 lbs, deboned, wings removed, 1 Empire turkey, about 14 lbs, carefully deboned from the back, keeping wings and drumsticks intact, kishke, ground turkey, challah stuffing, and more." As I read, I thought, "Oh MY GOD! It's a turducken!"
BTW, multi-bird dishes definitely have been around for about 200 years, although there are claims they date to the Romans. but had a revival of popularity in the late 80's/early 90's when John Madden carved one during an NFL broadcast. However, it seems Jews have been making turducken since 1951.
"Slow cook at 250 for 12 hours. Carve at the table using a very sharp knife. Serve with a green vegetable and cranberry sauce. No other side dishes are necessary! Easily serves 20."
Bon appetit.
No comments:
Post a Comment