I recently found this 1954 cookbook at the Pratt Library, “Secrets of Southern Maryland Cooking,” with the somewhat creepy subtitle “(How to Keep Daddy Home).” It’s 132 pages are filled with interesting illustrations and handwritten recipes – including stuffed ham, a gravy-less Maryland Fried Chicken, and some more unusual items such as advocaat.
The handwriting and illustrations are done by several people – and some recipes are practically illegible. Rather than St. Mary’s or Calvert, this book actually hails from the somewhat under-represented (on my website) Charles County.
The book benefitted the Charles County Children’s Aid Society, whose mission is to “improve the quality of life for struggling Charles County families with children under age 18 by providing them with the basic necessities of life including, but not limited to, clothing, food, educational classes, recreational activities and holiday assistance.” The organization was founded in 1934 by a group of women hoping to help struggling families affected by the Great Depression. At the time, the organization facilitated services that would become the purview of Charles County Social Services, including foster care and adoption services.
The wild rice recipe comes care of an Anne Hamilton. A little bit of census research leads me to believe that she may have been Anne Offutt Hamilton (b. 1912) from Montgomery County. She married a Charles County man, Francis Patrick Hamilton, and she passed away in 1988. A WWII veteran, Francis may have descended from Captain James Neale, one of the early English settlers of Southern Maryland.
That’s a lot of maybes. Tasty rice dish from a neat cookbook. Copies of the book can be found in the Enoch Pratt, Frederick, and Southern Maryland libraries.
Recipe:
2 Cups wild rice
3 Tablespoons salt
.75 to 1 Cup butter
1 Cup chopped celery
1 Cup mushroom
.75 Cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
Cook rice per package instructions. Sauté in ¾ to 1 cup butter:1 cup chopped celery1 cup mushrooms1/2 to ¾ cup chopped onion1 clove garlicAdd to rice when it is tender and has absorbed the water. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to serve.
Stations of the Cross at Mount Carmel illustration in cookbook