Stroganoff 57, Cathy Ruello
The Heinz company once manufactured more than sixty products, from the pickles that started it all, to the famous ketchup, plus baked beans and soups. The product offerings far outstripped the mythical “57 Varieties.”
Legend has it that H.J. Heinz simply liked the number 57, and coined the brand slogan after being inspired by a shoe store selling 21 styles of shoe.
The whimsical choice of lucky numbers offers an interesting detail in the life of a man otherwise known mainly as a hard worker and food-purity enthusiast.
According to “Who Was H.J. Heinz?,” a children’s book written by Michael Burgan, Henry John Heinz “seemed to work almost nonstop,” transitioning from his German-born father’s brick business into the food world, first selling vegetables as a child and later horseradish and pickles as a teenager.
He was born in 1844 to a German family in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, but moved to Pittsburgh as a young adult. There he became known as “the pickle man.”
Heinz’s convenient products may not have changed the way people ate, but they changed kitchen management. At a time when vinegar was sold out of huge barrels, Heinz pioneered the idea of selling it pre-bottled. As old recipes attest, much of “kitchen management” entailed making the sauces and preserves required to keep food delicious year-round. Heinz’s products removed the entire process, leaving people (women, mostly) more time to cook with ingredients on hand.
“Who Was H.J. Heinz?” is not an unbiased book, but it is undeniable that the Heinz model of business was unique. After a visit to a chocolate factory in Germany, H.J. Heinz was inspired to provide health care, recreation and schooling to his employees, including English classes for his many immigrant workers.
Most notably and famous was Heinz’ role in the pure food movement. By making a big show of selling uncontaminated products, the Heinz company created a model that proved to other industry leaders that they could cooperate with new safety laws and still reap large profits.
H.J. Heinz died in 1919, leaving his company to his son.
Heinz 57 Sauce is, despite the name and branding, clearly not Heinz’s flagship product. The Heinz factory in Pittsburg features a huge neon sign of a bottle of ketchup. While 57 sauce could be used as a barbecue sauce, it’s more tangy than many in that category. Unlike Chili Sauce, it’s a little too overbearing for seafood. And it’s certainly got a lot more going on that ketchup.
When I chose this recipe from the 1977 “Favorite Canaltown Recipes” book from Chesapeake City, I thought it might be the invention of the recipe author, Cathy Ruello. I later found Stroganoff 57 published in newspapers and in ads for the sauce. Of course, the Heinz company was compelled to shoehorn the sauce into some recipes, such as this one where the sauce provides a kick of complexity.
Cathy Ruello was born Catherine Marie Park and married Nicholas Ruello in 1972. Ruello’s grandfather had immigrated from Sicily and started Ruello Mushroom Farm in Rising Sun. Cathy remarried in 1985, becoming Catherine Wevodau.
Stroganoff 57 is a great dinner if one can easily obtain the key ingredient. I had to order a bottle online. I’ve been enjoying Heinz 57 sauce mixed with mayonnaise as a dipping sauce. It’s a welcome change from the Queen of Oude sauce I have been working my way through. I ended up with such a large quantity of that sauce that it became my house sauce for burgers. Many of us can scarcely imagine a time when cupboards were stocked with a limited amount of flavors. The phrase “Variety is the very spice of life” was coined in 1785. It would be nearly a hundred years before that adage could be lived out so easily on our plates.
Recipe:
- 1 Lb ground beef ground
- 1 slightly beaten egg
- 2 Teaspoons salt
- 1 dash black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons shortening
- 4 oz canned mushroom
- .333 Cup chopped onion
- 1 Cup water
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- .25 Cup Heinz 57 Sauce
- .25 Cup parsley
- .333 Cup sour cream
- hot, buttered noodles
Lightly combine first 4 ingredients: form into 16 meatballs. In large skillet partially brown in shortening. Drain excess fat. Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid. Stir mushrooms and onions into skillet, saute until onion is tender. Stir in flour, then reserved liquid, water, 57 sauce and parsley. Cover, simmer 25 minutes. Slowly stir in sour cream. Do not boil. Serve over noodles.
Recipe from “Favorite Canaltown Recipes,” Building Fund Committee St. Rose of Lima Church. 1977.
