Joe Cooks Vintage Recipes

Exploring American food from the end of World War II through the 1970s

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The full New Year’s Eve spread (2016).

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Smoked Salmon Spread, also from the Sunset Hors D'oeuvres book.

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Happy Hour Mushrooms from the Sunset Hors D'oeuvres cookbook (1976).

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Green Goddess Sauce from Good Housekeeping’s Appetizer Book (1958).

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Manhattan

2 oz Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye

1 oz Gallo Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes Fee Brothers Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters

Lemon peel garnish

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Beef Rolls (Marhahus Tekercs) from The Hungarian Cookbook (1954). This is one of a series of small paperback cookbooks published by the Culinary Arts Institute.

The Spatzle recipe comes from the same book. This recipe is not as nice as the one in The Joy of Cooking, though.

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“Beet Salad with Caraway French Dressing” from Betty Crocker’s Outdoor Cook Book

“Salads, of course, are a welcome addition to outdoor eating. What better complement for a sizzling steak than a tangy tossed green salad!”

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“Lima Bean Pot Paesano” from The Spice Islands Cook Book (1961).

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Another selection from the Better Homes and Gardens Vegetable Cook Book (1965). On the history of broccoli:

“Although Thomas Jefferson succeeded in growing broccoli from seed in the late 1700s, the crop remained relatively unknown in American until 1920. At this time, some trial fields were planted in California. The cool months provided an excellent climate and this lush vegetable was soon savor end from coast to coast.”

This would also be really good with chicken.

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"Pop-Eye Noodle Casserole" from Macaroni Magic (1945). 

This is a publication of the Macaroni Service Bureau, located in Chicago. Some reasons why macaroni products are awesome: 

“They are quicker to cook than are potatoes and require no messy peeling (when you are trying to keep your hands young and glamorous!)” 

“Because of their bland flavor, macaroni products can be combined with any food...”. 

“Macaroni products furnish volume and chewiness...”.

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"Blue Cheese Toss" from Better Homes and Gardens: Cooking for Two (1968).

"When you want to make cooking for two rewarding. When you want to make that just-right impression or have reason to celebrate, turn here for foods with emphasis on the extra-special. It's those extra touches - special sauces, savory stuffings, inviting appetizer, pretty garnishes - that make a meal an occasion."

 Dinner for two featuring special sauces and savory stuffings. Yep.

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Another cocktail courtesy of Trader Vic: a Planter's Punch.

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"Laulaus Mainland Style" from Ladies' Home Journal Adventures in Cooking (1968). In line with Trader Vic, some vintage commentary about the exotic South Pacific.  This does not translate well to 2016: 

“The setting is out of doors. Broad green leaves are spread on the ground for the tablecloth or on long low tables, with nuts, fruits, and flowers down the center. Individual wooden bowls or firm ti leaves are used for service, never china and glass. Cutlery is not used, as food is strictly to be eaten with fingers. Sometimes steaming perfumed towels are supplied at end of feast, more welcome that finger bowls. Entertainment and dancing carry on long after the feast is over.” 

Despite the problematic cultural perspective, this was delicious. I modified the recipe slightly by marinating the pork loan cubes in pineapple juice and olive oil with a garlic and a few secret spices for about an hour.

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Almond chicken.

When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, almond chicken was the go to dish when we ordered Chinese food. It would come in a little foil tray, with slices of fried boneless chicken breast covered in green onions and sliced almonds on a bed of shredded lettuce. On the side would be white rice and a gravy made with bamboo, water chestnuts, and mushrooms.

Once I moved out of Michigan in the mid-1990s, this dish disappeared - in Chinese restaurants all over Pennsylvania and New York, I could not find a comparable dish. There’s a reason for that… It turns out that this dish is not Chinese at all, but unique to southeastern Michigan. You can read more (and find a very good recipe from 1979 - just about perfect to what I remember) here: http://www.americanfoodroots.com/50-states/abcs-michigan-almond-boneless-chicken/

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Tonight's big meal, enhanced by a couple of Trader Vic's “Havana Beach” cocktails.  First up, a nice London Broil courtesy of the Spice Islands Cookbook (1961). 

Unfortunately, the Spice Islands "Bouquet Garni" mix is no longer available, but I was able to track down a close approximation consisting of two parts each of oregano, savory, and marjoram, and one part each of rosemary, basil, sage, thyme, dill weed, and tarragon. 

There's also a London Broil recipe in Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink -- basically a short marinade in soy sauce and garlic -- which I kind of wish that I'd tried instead. Either way, this first day of nice spring weather called out for a char-grilled hunk of meat. 

To ward off the colon cancer/sudden-death-from-meat-induced-cardiovascular-troubles demons, I also whipped up the "Luxe Peas and Celery" recipes from the Better Homes and Gardens Vegetable Cook Book (1965). Throughout these recipes, I'm substituting fresh (or at worst, flash frozen) produce for the suggested canned vegetables, so this version was definitely different from what appears in the cookbook. This was really a nice recipe, by the way.

So, is it “cookbook” or “cook book”?

Also a tomato salad with a blue cheese vinaigrette dressing.  And another cocktail.

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This is a "Havana Beach" from my 1981 reprint copy of Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink (1946). A great drink for relaxing on the first really nice day of spring.  This is what Trader Vic has to say about rum:  

“The mental picture created by the mere mention of rum seems to be a guy in need of a shave, lounging in a rattan chair with his bare feet hanging out and clad only in dirty white ducks and an undershirt.  In one hand he waves a palm-leaf fan while in the other he holds a tall cold drink emblazoned in neon lighting ‘Rum’.”

So much classier than blowing out a flip flop looking for that lost shaker of salt.

Note to self:  Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink does not include his recipe for Mai Tais.  That’s ok, though.  I have that written down somewhere else.

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Vintage Dinners Day One: 

Swiss steak from Dishes Men Like, a 1952 cookbook published by the Lea and Perrins Company. From the introduction:


“If you have a husband who likes to cook, pamper him. Encourage him! You are lucky indeed, even though you find yourself only a fetch-and-carry handmaiden while his genius glows. But men are wise, not one in a thousand really wants to take over the job. They usually have a few specialities to produce on occasion and leave the rest of the cooking to us.” 

Side dishes: German Spaetzle from The Joy of Cooking and fresh peas.