Here are some old and mostly forgotten meals that still linger on my taste buds and I, once again, long to dig into the good ol’ days with some of these home-cooked meals.
Barbecued wieners
INGREDIENTS
8 wieners, slit lengthwise
Cheese, sliced (enough to fill slits)
(Sauce)
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. butter
1 onion, diced
4 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika
½ cup chili sauce (or ketchup)
METHOD
Fill slit wieners with cheese and arrange in baking dish.
Mix sauce ingredients and spread over wieners and bake in moderate oven, 20 to 30 minutes.
Cabbage rolls
INGREDIENTS
1 large cabbage
1 lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground pork
1 small white onion, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large can tomato juice
METHOD
Separate cabbage leaves and pour hot water over them so they are partly wilted. Boil until tender.
Combine beef, pork, onion and salt and pepper.Spoon some meat mixture onto each cabbage leaf. Roll and secure with a toothpick, then place in casserole dish. Cover cabbage rolls with tomato juice. Bake slowly until done.
Yummy yorkshire pudding
INGREDIENTS
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
Beef drippings
METHOD
Sift flour and salt together. Beat eggs and milk with a fork, then pour into flour and beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Spoon beef drippings (¼-inch deep) into 8 muffin tins, heat in 450 F oven for a few minutes. Remove from oven and fill cups ⅔ full and return to 450 F oven for 20 minutes.
(My favourite of all times) Spaghetti and meatballs
INGREDIENTS
(Sauce)
¾ cup white onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 (1 lb.) cans of tomatoes
½ tsp. pepper
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1 ½ tsp. crushed oregano
(Meatballs)
4 slices dry bread
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. crushed oregano
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
½ cup Romano cheese, grated
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Dash of pepper
1 tbsp. oil
METHOD
(sauce)
Cook onions and garlic in hot oil until tender but not brown. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
(Meatballs)
Soak bread in some water for 2 to 3 minutes, then squeeze out moisture. Combine bread with remaining ingredients, except oil, and mix well. Form into small balls and brown in hot oil. Add to spaghetti sauce and cook for 30 minutes longer. Serve over hot spaghetti.
Forgotten minute steaks
It seems that minute steaks are a forgotten table dish, so here is an oldie to bring the minute steak back to the table.
INGREDIENTS
2 white onions, finely sliced
Butter, for frying
2 cups breadcrumbs
Water, to moisten
Celery, finely sliced
Parsley, finely chopped
6 minute steaks
1 can tomato soup (or mushroom)
METHOD
To make the dressing for the steaks, fry onions in butter until golden brown, then add 2 cups of breadcrumbs, celery and parsley (moisten with water). Cover each steak with dressing, then roll and secure each with a toothpick. Fry until browned, then place in roasting pan and cover with tomato soup (or mushroom soup). Bake until well done, in slow oven, at 350 F.
Creamed chicken (from the 1940s)
INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
1 ½ cups milk
Dash of salt and pepper
2 cups chicken, cubed
½ cup canned peas
½ cup mushrooms
1 egg yolk
METHOD
In a double boiler, make a white sauce with butter, flour, milk and salt and pepper, stirring with a fork until the sauce is smooth. Add the chicken, peas and mushrooms. Beat egg yolk in 2 tbsp. milk and pour into sauce. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve on toast or patty shells, or serve just as is.
Pork pies
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. hamburger
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. ground pork
Poultry dressing spice (or sage)
1 small white onion
Flour (to thicken)
Pie pastry
METHOD
Mix ingredients together and just cover with water. Simmer for an hour, then thicken the mixture with a little flour. Prepare pie pastry, line muffin tin with pastry and fill with mixture. Bake in hot oven until golden brown.
