March 2019 - OLD LINE PLATE

Maryland cooking (like that of many places that were/are dining destinations), has two sides to it. Front and center we have the legacy represented by the hotels and caterers – the terrapin, the deviled crab, the fine wines from around the world straight from the Port of Baltimore. On the back end are the legions of home cooks who worked with limited resources but far more flexibility to put white potato pies, stuffed ham, and scrapple on the tables of their family and friends – plus a given assortment of heritage foods.

The blurred lines and exchanges between the two are too complex to get into, but one thing is certain: we are blessed with pretty good documentation of the recipes and preferences of the home cooks.

Interestingly, it is the historically limited roles of women that we have to thank for this. Since the end of the 19th century, when women wanted to raise money for a cause, the most popular course of action was to produce a community cookbook. As times changed, so did the cookbooks – incorporating more business and design resources, and recipes from all kinds of cooks.

I don’t have a point of comparison, but either way, Marylanders (mostly women) have produced an astounding number of impressive cookbooks. To stand out among them is a bit of a feat.

*Denton Schoolhouse, Maryland Historical Trust*

I must admit I was pretty surprised to learn that Beef Stroganoff is actually Russian. I first met the creamy, comforting dish through our old pal Hamburger Helper. In community cookbooks, I’ve come across many recipes, most of which list a series of canned ingredients. I would’ve assumed Beef Stroganoff was some classic American ‘corporate shenanigans’, but I would be wrong!

The earliest recipe appears in an 1871 Russian cookbook, “The Gift to Young Housewives.” The decades encompassing the world wars enabled Beef Stroganoff to travel all around the globe, where it took on countless regional variations. In Nordic countries it’s made with sausage. In Japan it is served over white rice. In Brazil, it’s sometimes made with shrimp.

After WWII, when soldiers returned to the U.S. with a fondness for beef Stroganoff, the shortcuts like canned cream-of-mushroom soup made their way into the dish. Hamburger Helper introduced their version in 1971 – everything but the meat included in the box.

While most versions in the U.S. are generally made with a mushroom and sour cream sauce, my boyfriend grew up eating a version with tomatoes. I’ve come across a few tomato-containing Stroganoff recipes in community cookbooks and decided to give one a try.

Month: March 2019

Corn Pone from “The Chesapeake Collection”

Beef Stroganoff, Martha Ann Talbot

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