Civil War recipes
Entrees
Sausage & Apples
Ingredients:
1 pound of sausage meat½ C brown sugar
buttertablespoon of cinnamon
3 apples
This old Virginia dish is easy and delicious. Start with about a pound of sausage meat. Form into patties and fry lightly in a pan until just browned. Remove the sausage, pour out the fat (not in the fire) and melt some butter in the pan, enough to barely cover the bottom. Core and slice three apples to a thickness of about 1/4 inch and place in pan setting it over a low heat. When apples have softened slightly add a half cup of brown sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon. As soon as the sugar has mixed with the butter and formed a thick syrup add back the sausage and cook for another ten minutes or so.
Civil War Recipes - Navy Bean Soup
Soak the beans overnight or for at least 8-12 hours before beginning the recipe. Cook in cast iron for better flavor and an authentic re-enactment.
Ingredients:
1 cup (8 oz) dried navy beans1 large onion or ¾ C chopped
5 cups water1 large potato, unpeeled, cut into ½ inch pieces
1/2 pound salt pork or slab bacon1 tsp salt
2 large carrots or 1 cup chopped½ tsp pepper
Wash the beans in a colander and pick out and discard any discolored ones or pieces of dirt.Place the beans in a large stock pot or Dutch oven covered with water at least 2 inches above the beans and allow to soak overnight. Drain the beans. Add 5 cups water, salt pork, carrots and onions to the beans.
Stir the mixture. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the beans at least 45 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the chopped potatoes salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook about 15 more minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Beef-Steak Pie
Ingredients:
Leftover roast beef (eye round roast would be perfect)Fresh mushrooms (optional)
Leftover boiled potatoes, cooledFresh oysters (optional)
Salt and pepperMinced onion (optional)
ButterNutmeg (optional)
Top and bottom pie crusts
Butter a deep dish, and spread a sheet of paste [pie crust] all over the bottom, sides, and edge. Cut away from your beef-steak all the bone, fat, gristle and skin. Cut the lean in small thin pieces, about as large, generally, as the palm of your hand. Beat the meat well with the rolling-pin, to make it juicy and tender. If you put in the fat, it will make the gravy too greasy and strong, as it cannot be skimmed. Put a layer of meat over the bottom-crust of your dish, and season it to your taste, with pepper, salt, and, if you choose, a little nutmeg. A small quantity of mushroom ketchup is an improvement; so also is a little minced onion. Have ready some cold boiled potatoes sliced thin. Spread over the meat, a layer of potatoes, and a small piece of butter, then another layer of meat, seasoned, and then a layer of potatoes, and so on till the dish is full and heaped up in the middle, having a layer of meat on the top. Pour in a little water. Cover the pie with a sheet of paste, and trim the edges. Notch it handsomely with a knife.
Sausage Cakes
Ingredients:
1 lb. pork½ tablespoon coriander seed
1/2 tsp. pepper4 tablespoon cold water
1/2 tbs. cloves
Note: The modern cook might want to reduce the amount of coriander somewhat and substitute a teaspoon or so of sage, and possibly some salt. Up to you, of course.
Chop a pound of good pork, fine. Add half a teaspoon of pepper, half a spoonful of cloves, half a spoonful of coriander seed, and four tablespoons of cold water. Mix all well together, form them into small cakes, and fry in a hot pan.
Sausage Gravy
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. sausage (links, patties, loose, whatever you got)1 cup milk
1/3 cup flour1 cup cream
1 cup watersalt and pepper
Fry up sausage until browned, being careful not to burn them this time. Take sausage out of skillet and set aside to keep warm. Pour off and save for later all but about 1/3 cup of grease from sausage. Sprinkle flour over fat and stir up good, breaking up any lumps in flour. Start pouring in water slowly while stirring to beat the band. When done with water, repeat procedure with milk and then the cream. Mix in salt and pepper and keep on stirring. Pretty soon it will bubble up and start to thicken. Serve right away, preferably over top of biscuits.
Carbohydrates (breads)
Confederate Shortbread
Wheat flour was quite scarce in the South during the Civil War so soldiers baked bread from available ingredients such as white cornmeal. Try to find white cornmeal to make this a bit more authentically Confederate. Although this recipe uses baking powder to make the cornbread fluffier, Confederate soldiers did not have baking powder.
Ingredients:
- 1 TB butter
- 2 cups white cornmeal (not self-rising)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup oil
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease the 9" square baking pan with the butter. Combine the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl whip the eggs with a fork and combine with the milk and oil. Stirring only until all the dry ingredients are wet, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and then pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.
Hardtack
Though they’re called different things in different cultures, this basic recipe has been a staple for militaries around the world for centuries. Made of flour and water, and sometimes a bit of salt or sugar, they are sturdy, filling and will last a long time if kept dry. Indeed, some soldiers kept a few as souvenirs after the war, and they are commonly on display in Civil War museums over 150 years later.
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of Crisco or vegetable fat
6 pinches of salt
Mix the ingredients together into a stiff batter, knead several times, and spread the dough out flat to a thickness of 1/2 inch on a non-greased cookie sheet. Bake for one-half an hour at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, cut dough into 3-inch squares, and punch four rows of holes, four holes per row into the dough. Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another one-half hour. Turn oven off and leave the door closed. Leave the hardtack in the oven until cool. Remove and enjoy! (And make sure your parents try some!)
Johnnie Cake
Does your taste lean more to the southern side? Then try a "johnnie cake" that the Confederate soldiers enjoyed with their meals. The recipe is also very simple:
2 cups of cornmeal
2/3 cup of milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Mix ingredients into a stiff batter and form eight biscuit-sized "dodgers". Bake on a lightly greased sheet at 350 degrees for twenty to twenty five minutes or until brown. Or spoon the batter into hot cooking oil in a frying pan over a low flame. Remove the corn dodgers and let cool on a paper towel, spread with a little butter or molasses, and you have a real southern treat!
DESSERTS
Washington Pie
Two layers of fluffy butter cake with a layer of jam in-between and coated with powdered sugar.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- raspberry or apricot jam
- powdered sugar
First cream butter until light. Then beat in sugar gradually. Add eggs, well beaten. Combine sifted cake flour with baking powder and salt, and sift again. Combine vanilla and milk. Adddry ingredients and milk to first mixture alternately. Turn into two 8-inch greased layer-cake tins and bake in moderately hot oven (375 degrees F.) about twenty-five minutes. When cold put together with jam and dust with powdered sugar.
And notice this smart trick: Lay your wire cake-cooling rack lightly on the top before giving the heavy sifting of powdered sugar. When you lift the rack off, the cake surface is marked into powdered sugar squares, with the golden crust of cake showing between.
Ginger Bread
Gift boxes sent to Union soldiers from home might contain the traditional gingerbread along with items such as socks, soap, and other foods.
Ingredients:
- 1 TB butter
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cups molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. allspice
- 1 cup very hot water
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9" square baking pan with the butter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, soda and spices, and cut in softened butter to the flour mixture with a fork. Combine molasses, egg and water in a small mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well. Pour the batter into a baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 9 servings.
Fried Apples
Tart apples cooked with butter and sugar make a wonderful side dish or dessert.
Ingredients:
- 5 tart cooking apples such as Granny Smith, MacIntosh, Golden Delicious, or other
- 4 TB or more butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Wash, core and slice the apples into 12-16 narrow wedges, do not peel. Melt the butter in a skillet or cast iron pan and add the apples. Cover the skillet and cook the apples 5 minutes over medium low heat. Stirring continuously, add the brown sugar and the nutmeg. Stir well. Continue cooking the apples covered for 10-12 minutes or until the apples are tender, check every few minutes while cooking. Add additional butter or water if needed to prevent the apples from sticking.
Tea Cake Cookies
Ingredients:
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
Heat the oven to 375 F. Grease the cookie sheets with butter. Combine flour, soda, and nutmeg together in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 Cup milk, 2 eggs, and sugar. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir well.
Wash hands and lightly coat your fingertips with butter. Shape the dough into 1 inch round bowls. Place the balls on baking sheets. Dip a fork in flour and use it to flatten the balls in a criss-cross pattern like you might do for peanut butter cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 5 dozen.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. shortening
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. applesauce
6 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add applesauce and mix well. Add sifted dry ingredients and blend well. Drop by heaping tablespoon on greased cookie sheets. Flatten and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. They Do Not Brown!
Vegetables
Browned Tomatoes
Tomatoes
Butter or lard for frying
Salt and pepper
Flour
Take large round tomatoes and halve them; place them, the skin side down, in a frying-pan in which a very small quantity of butter or lard has been previously melted; sprinkle them with salt and pepper and dredge them well with flour, and let them brown thoroughly; then stir them and let them brown again, and so on until they are quite done. They lose their acidity, and the flavor is superior to stewed tomatoes.
Dressed Cucumbers
1 or 2 cucumbers
Salt and pepper
3 tbs. salad oil
4 tbs. vinegar
Pare one or two cucumbers, cut it equally into very thin slices, and commence cutting from the thick end; if commenced at the stalk, the cucumber will most likely have an exceedingly bitter taste, far from agreeable. Put the slices into a dish, sprinkle over salt and pepper, and pour over 3 tablespoons of salad oil, and 4 of vinegar, in these proportions; turn [stir] the cucumber about, and it is ready to serve. This is a favorite accompaniment to boiled salmon, and makes a pretty garnish to lobster salad.
Potato Chips
Potatoes
Butter
Salt
Wash and peel some potatoes, then pare them, ribbon-like, into long lengths. Put them into cold water to remove the strong potato flavor; drain them, and throw them into a pan with a little butter, and fry them a light brown. Take them out of the pan, and place them close to the fire on a sieve lined with clean writing paper to dry, before they are served up. A little salt may be sprinkled over them.
Cold Slaw
1 head cabbage1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. vinegarpepper
1 tsp. sugar
Cut the cabbage very fine, dissolve in a cup of vinegar a teaspoonful of sugar, the same of salt, add a little pepper; pour it over the cabbage, and add another half cup of vinegar.
Peas Steamed
1 qt. peas
2 tbs. butter
Put the peas in a tin pail, or some other article with a tight cover, without water. To every quart put a piece of butter as large as a quarter of a common-sized hen's egg. Set it in boiling water until the peas are cooked tender. Never put pepper in peas, it is easily added at table, if desired.
Mashed Potatoes
4-5 Potatoes Piece of butter half the size of an egg
Boiling water½ C sweet milk
SaltPepper
Peel the potatoes and cut them in quarters. Throw into a kettle of boiling water with a spoonful of salt. Let them cook, not too fast but evenly. When tender, drain off all the water, and let them steam, that all the extra moisture my pass off. Mash them in the kettle, working them into a light paste without a lump. More depends on this than is supposed in giving mashed potatoes the superior flavor they should possess to be prime. After they are worked into a paste, which must be done QUICKLY, set the kettle on the stove, working them all the time to prevent burning. Put into a common covered vegetable-dish a piece of butter half as large as an egg, work it in well, then add a half-cup of sweet milk well worked in; taste,and if not sufficiently salted, add more. If you have cream a teacupful will do instead of butter and milk; indeed, it is better. Dish [put] the potatoes in a covered dish, smooth them nicely with a knife dipped in butter, and shake a trifle of pepper over the top. Serve with fowls or roast.
Hashed Potatoes
1 quart potatoes½ tsp salt
Piece of butter half the size of an eggDust of pepper
1/2 teacup water (about 1/4 c.)Sweet cream (optional)
Peel and hash fine uncooked potatoes. To each quart allow a piece of butter, half as large as a common-sized egg; a half teacup of water, a half teaspoon of salt, a dust of pepper only, if any; it can be added much easier than taken out. Put water, butter, salt and pepper in the spider [frying pan] until it becomes hot; then stir in the potatoes, let them cook slowly so as not to burn. Stir often but do not mash them. Sweet cream can be added, if desired, when taken from the fire. This is nice for breakfast.