This recipe appeared in “Maryland’s Way,” care of Mrs. Carroll Rede Harding’s “Glebe Kitchen.” Researching The Glebe I learned that a glebe is actually like a church’s home and lands where the priest lives. I always thought it was a person’s name because there’s so many “Glebe” this-or-thats around.
Although Mr. Carroll Rede Harding was in fact the son of a Reverend, the “Glebe” in question is a “typical late 19th century farmhouse” in Talbot County.
Harding mostly grew up in Baltimore, where he delivered hats for a milliner, worked as a copy boy for the Associated Press, and attended
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. After graduating from Cornell, Mr. Harding worked in railroad industries most of his life, finally serving as the president of the Pullman Company from 1947 through 1958, at which point he retired to the Glebe. He passed away in 1963.
From here, an interesting course of events befalls the Glebe.
The Glebe, Maryland Historical Trust
The estate came into possession of conservative politician Robert Bauman, member of the House of Representatives who lived at The Glebe with his wife Carol and four children.
His career and marriage came to an end following a scandal in 1980 when Bauman was caught soliciting a 16 year old male prostitute. Bauman penned an autobiography in 1986 entitled “The Gentleman from Maryland: The Conscience of a Gay Conservative.”
The Glebe, setting for this turmoil, stands today as part of a million-dollar estate.
But back to the mushroom pie. Although people have been eating mushrooms for ages, its hard for me to pinpoint the 18th and 19th century sources of mushrooms in Maryland. It is doubtful that people were growing them, for the most part. Newspaper searches indicate a fairly-frequent occurrence of foraging gone wrong, if you know what I mean. But then, there would not be much reason to mention successful mushroom hunting.
A lot of mushrooms probably reached Maryland kitchens dried, powdered, or in the form of mushroom ketchup.
Personally, I don’t have the greatest of luck with foraging. I’m not talking unfortunate soul meeting my doom through bad judgement, but rather that I’m usually coming home empty-handed. I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about this so excuse me if I indulge in some food-blogger style rambling.
I’ve just had this lifelong neurotic superstition that maybe I wanted it too bad, or I didn’t give off the right vibes to the universe. Meanwhile my family members were always and still are being rewarded with decent mushroom hauls, or at the very least one gigantic morel the size of a human head. Its an uncanny gift that skipped over me.
An ancestor of mine once found this record-breaking puffball:
This year has been no different. Aside from one blessed morel, I’ve left the woods empty handed.
The woods gods threw me a bone the other day when I found this Sulphur Shelf aka “Chicken Mushroom.” I know this thing doesn’t look edible but do some searching, there’s no mistaking this one. I know because I checked and checked again. A Sulphur Shelf is no spectacular find by most metrics but they grow to a nice size for something requiring a lot of mushrooms, such as mushroom ketchup or this mushroom pie.
Mrs. Carroll Rede Harding’s recipe is open to an array of seasonings, so I copied the flavors of some ravioli I once had and used rosemary and some parmesan cheese. So what if it’s wood pulp or whatever?
I made some quick puff pastry for the top. It may not be picturesque but the pie was delicious. Mrs. Harding suggested serving with roast beef so I did just that, along with some Currant Jelly. I will definitely make this again, woods gods permitting. I pick up litter to win their favor.
Recipe:
- 2-3 Lb mushrooms
- 1 large or 2 small chopped onions
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 Cup strong stock
- .5 Cup Madeira
- salt
- celery salt or seasonings of choice
- freshly ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper
- butter – 2 tb plus more for sautéing
- pastry
Sauté onions in butter until golden, add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Place mushrooms and onions in pie dish. Brown flour in 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Slowly add stock and Madeira wine, stirring or whisking until thickened and smooth. Season to taste. Pour sauce over mushrooms and cover with a rich pastry crust. Bake in a 375° oven for ½ hour*.
“Excellent accompaniment for Roast Beef.” – Mrs. Carroll R. Harding
* If using pastry, follow instructions for baking pastry before reducing heat
Recipe adapted from “Maryland’s Way: The Hammond-Harwood House Cookbook”
