The pepper and egg sandwich was created by Italians who immigrated to Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The owner of Fiore’s Delicatessen in the West Town/Ukrainian Village neighborhood claims that his establishment was the first to start selling the pepper and egg sandwich over 40 years ago.
The sandwich was created out of the need for meat-free alternatives to Chicago standards like hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Chicago’s Italian-American community is largely Catholic, and since 1965 practicing Roman Catholics are required to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter. (Before 1965, Catholics were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays all year.)
Even if you are a Chicago native, you may not realize that Chicago has its own version of Giardiniera. The traditional style of Giardiniera is full of cauliflower and sweet peppers meant to be served as an antipasto, which is delicious, but not like the fiery Chicago-style Giardiniera.
Chicago-style Giardiniera is used as a condiment and is so ingrained in the culture you will find it everywhere, such as Potbelly's Sandwich Shop, Vienna Beef, and the famous Portillo's. Most of the Chicago population doesn't think twice about loading their Italian Beef, their beloved Chicago dog, or the celebrated Maxwell Street Polish with one of the spiciest concoctions you will ever taste!
Chicago Giardiniera is mostly serrano peppers and should be the main ingredient. The flavor, however, is not just hot peppers. It is rich with oil and olives, a slight hint of sweetness from the red bell peppers and carrots, some brightness from the vinegar, and a touch of garlic and oregano. It is so much more than just spicy!
This is a large recipe and can easily be cut in half. You can make this any time of the year, as all the ingredients are available at the grocery store.
DAY 1
2 pounds serrano peppers, rinsed, then sliced in about quarter-inch thick circles. (WARNING: Wear gloves!)
1 pound red bell peppers, seeded and diced small
1/2 pound white onion, peeled and diced small
3/4 pound carrots, peeled and diced small
1/2 pound celery, diced small
1 cup of salt (do not skimp on the salt the first time you make this recipe.)
Put all of the above ingredients in a stainless steel or glass bowl, toss with salt, cover and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. This salting removes some of the liquid from the vegetables, intensifying the flavors and tempers them.
DAY 2
Wash 10 - pint canning jars and lids. You can use smaller jars if you prefer. Place the jars on a sheet pan lined with a dishtowel and into a 200° F. oven until you are ready for them.
Fill your stockpot or canning pot 3/4 of the way up with water and heat the water over high heat.
Take the pepper mixture from the refrigerator, drain well and discard the excess liquid.
Prepare the next round of ingredients:
12 ounces pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced 1/4" thick. Reserve the olive liquid.
1 cup olive liquid from the jarred olives
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
3 Tablespoons dried oregano
5 cups white wine vinegar
3 1/2 cups grapeseed oil
Combine all of these ingredients with the pepper mixture from the day before.
When the water is boiling, remove the jars from the oven and fill the jars to just below the threads for the lid. Run a knife around the inside of the jar a couple of times to remove any air bubbles. Do this gently to avoid creating more air bubbles! Put the lid on the jars and place them in the boiling water for 20 minutes.
Remove the jars from the boiling water, place them onto the dishtowel-lined sheet pan, and set them aside to cool. You should hear popping after some time; that is the sound of the jars sealing. After all the jars are thoroughly cooled, check to ensure they are all sealed. You will know they are sealed when you push down on the lid, and it doesn't bounce back. If some jars don't seal, just put them in the fridge and use them first. They are okay to use after letting the jars sit for one week, but three weeks will give you exactly the taste you're looking for.
The rest can go on the shelf for up to a year. Label the jared date.
Giardiniera is excellent on any sandwich but especially on rich sandwiches like tuna or egg salad and grilled cheese especially loves the spice and tang of Giardiniera. It is perfect on pasta salads, smoked or grilled meats or sausages, and incredible on eggs or in an omelet.
Gail Borden's story begins in Norwich, New York, where he was born in 1801.
Gail Borden, Jr. 1801-1874
After a few years, the family moved to Kentucky and then to Indiana. In his early 20s, Gail followed his brothers south, eventually working as a surveyor in Mississippi. By 1835, Borden—now married—had settled in Texas, working first as a surveyor and then as a newspaper editor, which is interesting since his only formal education took place during his two years in Indiana, learning to be a surveyor.
"Telegraph and Texas Planter" Newspaper (1835-1837)
In February 1835, Gail and his brother John Borden partnered with Joseph Baker to publish one of the first newspapers in Texas. Although none of the three had any previous printing experience, Baker was considered "one of the best-informed men in the Texian colony on the Texas-Mexican situation." The men based their newspaper in San Felipe de Austin, centrally located among the colonies in eastern Texas. They ran the first issue under the "Telegraph and Texas Planter" banner on October 10, 1835, days after the Texas Revolution began. However, the later issues bore the name Telegraph and Texas Register. As the editor, Gail Borden worked to be objective.
Soon after the newspaper began publishing, his brother John Borden left to join the Texian Army, and their brother Thomas took his place as Borden's partner. Historian Eugene C. Barker describes the Borden newspaper as "an invaluable repository of public documents during this critical period of the state's history." The early format of the paper was three columns to a page with a total of eight pages. The Telegraph printed official documents and announcements, editorials, local news, reprints of articles from other newspapers, poetry, and advertisements.
As the Mexican Army moved east into the Texian colonies, the Telegraph was soon the only newspaper in Texas still operating. Their 21st issue was published on March 24. This contained the first Texans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. On March 27, the Texas Army reached San Felipe, carrying word that the Mexican advance guard was approaching. A later editorial in the Telegraph said the publishers were "the last to consent to move." The Bordens dismantled the printing press and brought it with them as they evacuated with the rear guard on March 30. The Bordens retreated to Harrisburg. On April 14, as they were in the process of printing a new issue, Mexican soldiers arrived and seized the press. The soldiers threw the type and press into Buffalo Bayou and arrested the Bordens. The Texas Revolution ended days later.
Lacking funds to replace his equipment, Borden mortgaged his land to buy a new printing press in Cincinnati. The 23rd issue of the Telegraph was published in Columbia on August 2, 1836. Although many had expected Columbia to be the new capital, the First Texas Congress chose the new city of Houston instead. Borden relocated to Houston and published the first Houston issue of his paper on May 2, 1837.
The newspaper was financially unstable, as the Bordens rarely paid their bills. In March, Thomas Borden sold his interest in the enterprise to Francis W. Moore Jr., who took over as chief editor. Three months later, Gail Borden transferred his shares to Jacob W. Cruger.
Borden was an inventor, although only sometimes successful. In the early 1840s, he experimented with disease cures and mechanics. His wife, Penelope, died of yellow fever on September 5, 1844. Frequent epidemics swept through the nation, and the disease had a high rate of fatalities during the 19th century. Borden began experimenting with finding a cure for the disease via refrigeration, and no one understood how it was transmitted.
The "Terraqueous Machine"
One of his inventions was the Terraqueous Machine (of land and water). Accounts of his first—and only—journey are not kind.
In the late 1840s, a crowd of curious onlookers and a few hardy volunteers gathered on a Galveston, Texas, beach to meet Gail Borden and witness the unveiling of hisnew amphibious machine.
The machine was rigged with a mast, a square sail, a rudder, and a steering device for the front wheels. This sail-powered wagon was designed to travel over land and sea but was designed more specifically for the western prairies. Borden enlisted some friends to ride with him on the machine's maiden voyage, but whether those people remained friends after the demonstration is still being determined. The machine's sail caught the wind and zipped along at a clip fast enough to terrify his fellow passengers. They panicked when Borden steered into the waves, and the Terraqueous Machine tumped over, spilling its inventor and his passengers into the surf. Anxious moments passed until some drenched and unlucky passengers emerged from the waves onto the shore. When asked where Borden was, one of the disillusioned riders said, "I sincerely hope he has drowned." Borden didn't drown. The Terraqueous Machine was his first invention, and though it never caught on, the idea lingered.
Meat Biscuit aka Soup-Bread
In 1849, Borden turned his attention to inventing a stable meat biscuit for travelers and folks in rural America. Specifically, he created a Meat Biscuit or "Portable Desiccated (having had all moisture removed) Soup-Bread," similar to Native American pemmican. The meat biscuits were immensely popular during the California Gold Rush because the 49ers needed compact, lightweight, non-perishable supplies, and Borden's meat biscuits fit the bill. The idea was to preserve the concentrated nutritional properties of flesh meat, combine it with flour, and bake it into biscuits. One pound of this bread contains the extract of more than five pounds of the best meat, and one ounce of it will make a pint of rich soup. The idea was to preserve the concentrated nutritional properties of flesh meat, combine it with flour, and bake it into biscuits. One pound of this bread contains the extract of more than five pounds of the best meat, and one ounce of it will make a pint of rich soup. Biscuits were made from beef, veal, fowl flesh, oysters, etc., and were not intended to be eaten.
In 1851, Borden traveled to the 1851 London World's Fair. The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition, was an international exhibition in Hyde Park, London, from May 1 to October 15, 1851. His biscuits were well-received, winning a Gold Medal at the Great Council Exhibit. He also experimented with coffee, tea, and cocoa. Borden was able to make concentrates from apples, currants, and grapes.
Meat Biscuit aka Soup-Bread. The recipe is at the end of this article.
In a letter dated March 23, 1850, to Dr. Ashbel Smith, Borden relates the way he made this discovery and describes how to prepare the Soup-Bread and how it tastes:
"I was endeavoring to make some portable meat glue (the common kind known) for some friends who were going to California—I had set up a large kettle and evaporating pan, and after two days labor I reduced one hundred and twenty pounds of veal to ten pounds of extract, a consistency like melted glue and molasses; the weather was warm and rainy, it being the middle of July. I could not dry it either in or out of the house and unwilling to lose my labor, it occured to me, after various expedients, to mix the article with good flour and bake it. To my great satisfaction, the bread was found to contain all the primary principles of meat, and with a better flavor than simple veal soup, thickened with flour in the ordinary method.
The nutritive portions of beef or other meat, immediately on its being slaughtered, are, by long boiling, separated from the bones and fibrous and cartilaginous matters: the water holding the nutritious matters in solution, is evaporated to a considerable degree of spissitude—this is then made into a dough with firm wheaten flour, the dough rolled and cut into a form of biscuits, is then desiccated, or baked in an oven at a moderate heat. The cooking, both of the flour and the animal food is thus complete. The meat biscuits were prepared to have the appearance and firmness of the nicest crackers or navy bread, being as dry, and breaking or pulverizing as readily as the most carefully made table crackers. It is preserved in the form of biscuit or reduced to coarse flour or meal. It is best kept in tin cases hermetically soldered up; the exclusion of air is not important, humidity alone is to be guarded against.
For making soup from a meat biscuit, a batter is first made of the pulverized biscuit and cold water—this is stirred into boiling water—the boiling is continued some ten or twenty minutes—salt, pepper, and other condiments are added to suit the taste, and the soup is ready for the table.
I have eaten the soup several times,—it has the fresh, lively, clean, and thoroughly done or cooked flavor that used to form the charm of the soups of the Rocher de Cancale. It is perfectly free from that vapid unctuous stale taste that characterizes all prepared soups I have heretofore tried at sea and elsewhere. Those chemical changes in food which, in common language, we denominate cooking, have been perfectly affected in Mr. Borden’s biscuit by the long-continued boiling at first, and the subsequent baking or roasting. The soup prepared of it is thus ready to be absorbed into the system without loss, and without tedious digestion in the alimentary canal, and is in the highest degree nutritious and invigorating."
The recipe for these biscuits is at the end of the article.
Sailing back from London's World Fair, The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851, Borden was horrified seeing several children and two cows die from drinking contaminated milk; the milk wasn't fresh... but had not soured yet. He wondered if there was a way to preserve milk indefinitely and found inspiration from the Shakers with whom he had spent some time, possibly in Kentucky. He recalled that the Shakers had developed a process of evaporating fruit juice by vacuum and making it "shelf-stable," in today's terms.
The invention of canned milk can be attributed to Gail Borden in the early 1850s. He is credited with inventing condensed milk, which has had some of the water removed, making it thicker and more shelf-stable. Borden was motivated by the need to find a way to preserve milk, as it spoiled quickly at the time and was often contaminated. Condensed milk was initially sweetened with sugar and marketed as a healthy and convenient food for infants and children. Borden's method involved heating milk to remove a significant portion of its water content, then sealing it in airtight cans. This process killed harmful bacteria and extended the shelf life of the milk to several years. Initially known as "Eagle Brand," his invention was initially met with skepticism, but it soon gained popularity and became widely used by soldiers during the American Civil War. In short order, he founded the New York Condensed Milk Company. Borden's invention of condensed milk was a major breakthrough in food preservation. It made it possible to transport and store milk safely, improving millions of lives.
Borden opened factories across New York State, including Craryville, Copake, and Ancram.
Borden's Country Bottled Milk Station No. 20, Ancram, New York, Plant.
Borden was enshrined in the "Inventors Hall of Fame" in 2008 for inventing condensed milk, U.S. Patent No. 15,553, on August 19, 1856.
By 1858, Eagle Brand Condensed Milk was a trusted brand selling briskly. The Union Army supplied the troops with Eagle Brand during the Civil War, an enormous windfall for Borden.
Advertisement for Gail Borden's Eagle Brand Condensed Milk from an 1898 guidebook for travelers in the Klondike Gold Rush.
In later years, Borden returned to Texas, where he supported the poor, minorities, and teachers. He became a well-known philanthropist, and he helped organize a school for negroes. Borden also helped build six new churches. He died in Borden, Texas, 1874 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York.
An amber Signature Quality Borden's Dairy Farm Milk Bottle with Gail Borden's signature (bottle age unknown).
Borden's was once the largest U.S. producer of dairy and pasta products. He also sold snacks, processed cheese, jams, jellies, and ice cream. Borden's consumer products division sold wallpaper, adhesives, plastics, and resins. The company sold Elmer's Glue and Krazy Glue. The Borden Brand eventually became the Eagle Brand and sold such labels as Mott's and Cremora. Smucker's acquired Eagle Brands in 2007.
Gail Borden invented a lot of useful products. Throughout his life, he always respected science. He was a very reputable man.
The New York Condensed Milk Company lived on, and in 1899, the company renamed itself Borden Milk Company in his honor.
Elsie the Cow
Elsie, the Cow, was the first Mascot of Borden Dairy Company, appearing in 1936 to symbolize the "perfect dairy product." Since the demise of Borden in the mid-1990s, the character has continued to be used in the same capacity for the company's partial successors, Eagle Family Foods (owned by J.M. Smucker) and Borden Dairy.
Elsie the Cow in a 1948 ad.
Elsie's real name was "You'll Do Lobelia." At seven years old, she was beautiful, photogenic, good-natured (and a bit of a ham); she was christened Elsie and became a star. Long before, there was Adele, Beyoncé, Brandy, Britney, Cher, Elvis, Fergie,
Halsey, Kesha, Kylie, Madonna, Pink, Prince, Rihanna, Selena, Shakira,
Tiffany, and Usher, there was Elsie.♫♪♪♫♪♪♫♫♪♪♫
The first Elsie was a registered Jersey heifer selected while participating in Borden's 1939 New York World's Fair "Rotolactor" exhibit (a cow 'merry-go-round' that could milk cows much faster and more efficiently).
The "Rotolactor" was displayed in the Futuristic Farming exhibit at the 1939 New York "World of Tomorrow" World's Fair.
When the other cows were not being milked, Elsie would ride the Rotolactor alone, wearing her trademark chain of daisies around her neck and a blanket with her name on her back—waving her tail to the crowd.
Elsie was a smash, and the Borden display was a big success. Elsie gave a "Bovine Ball" for the press at the season's end, which proved so popular that other appearances followed.
At the height of her career, Elsie was noted as the most famous icon in America, not an easy feat when you are up against such formidable competitors as The Campbell Soup Kids, the Marlboro Man, and The Jolly Green Giant.
According to Ad Age magazine, Elsie became one of the top 10 advertising symbols of the twentieth century.
Borden's "None Such Mince Meat" (1940-41)
Sniff the spicy fragrance when it comes out of the oven! Roll the hearty, country-kitchen flavor over your tongue! A-s-h! It's Borden's None Such Mince Meat Pie!
Borden's None Such Mince Meat is made of 20 choice ingredients—hand-picked apples, sun-wrinkled raisins, tart citrus peel, and spices from the far corners of the earth—aged and blended in a New England recipe 56 years old (from 1884). It's spicier, fruitier than "ordinary" mince meat—yet costs but a few cents more!
So demand genuine Borden's None Such Mince Meat. Look for the None Such Girl on the bright Red package!
Here's HEMO—made for every man, woman, and child who needs more vitamins and minerals to get a new kick out of life!
Hemo has a deep, rich, malty flavor. Tastes like the slickest malted milk you ever drank—only better!
But HEMO is more—far more—than just a grand-tasting drink! HEMO is crammed with vitamins and minerals—enough to really do some good! One glass of Hemo daily—yes, just one—gives you one-half the total daily adult requirements of Vitamins A, B1, D, and G, plus iron! And extra needed calcium and phosphorus, too!
Added to a usual diet, that makes up almost any shortage of all these vital food elements! Enough HEMO to make one drink costs only 2½¢!
Start drinking HEMO today. Lean back and enjoy every sip. See if you don't start feeling better, looking better, and tackling each day with more pep! Get HEMO now! 24 delicious drinks at your grocer or druggists for 59¢.
Elsie had a fictional cartoon mate, Elmer the Bull, whose drawing is on every bottle of Elmer's Glue-All. Elmer was created in 1940 and lent to Borden's then-chemical division as the mascot for Elmer's Products.
Elmer the Bull, circa 1941.
The pair were given offspring Beulah and Beauregard in 1948 and twins Larabee and Lobelia in 1957.
"Don't women handle money better than men do?" Asked Elsie, The Borden Cow.
Elsie has been bestowed honorary university degrees as "Doctor of Bovinity," "Doctor of Human Kindness," and "Doctor of Ecownomics." In Wisconsin, home of the Dairy Princess, Elsie was named "Queen of Dairyland."
sidebar
The Wisconsin "Queen of Dairyland" gave the dairy industry hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free publicity.
The Seneca (Iroquois) Tribe named Elsie (Iroquois: awsғ:iyo jó:sgwa:ön = Beautiful Flowers Cow) an honorary Chief. She holds keys to over 200 cities.
Elsie, the first flying cow, goes to War.
But best of all, Elsie helped sell more than $10 million in U.S. War Bonds.
Tragically, on April 16, 1941, Elsie was traveling on a highway when her truck was slammed from behind, severely damaging her vertebrae. She was rushed back to Plainsboro, New Jersey, to a veterinarian. Various treatments were considered, including traction, but nothing was to be done. Elsie was euthanized on April 20 and buried at the Walker-Gordon Dairy behind the carpenter shop. A headstone was later created to mark her resting place.
Elsie the Cow TV Commercial, Circa 1950.
In 1997, Elsie and the Borden name were sold to the Dairy Farmers' Association of America. Her "i-cow-nic" image is still in use on various cheese products. People still love Elsie. She is definitely the Queen among cows, and that's no bull.
Bouillon: Beef, Chicken, Fish, Ham, Lobster, Turkey, Vegetable. (Bouillon Paste)
Flour
Water
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix flour with bouillon. If the bouillon is a paste, mash it with a spoon until it is thoroughly mixed and looks like whole wheat flour. Do not use too much flour; you are not making bread. You are making a stabilizer for the bouillon.
Add just enough cold water to make a very, very stiff dough. It should hold together but not be sticky.
Roll out quite thinly and cut into pieces.
Bake at 300° F. for 30 minutes or until completely dry and hard.
PREPARING THE BISCUITS
To make into soup, smash it up in cold water with something heavy, like a meat tenderizer, then boil in more water.
CRITICS COMMENTARY
It was okay! The broth was pretty weak in the end, but more biscuits would have helped that. I thought the flour would have thickened the soup, but instead, it made little crumbly sediment, which was expected. I can see how this would be a useful addition to a wagon headed west. These meat biscuits never became popular, but more than one wagon included a barrel of them amongst their supplies. (Anonymous)
On March 7, 1914, brothers William Moore and James Moore Jr. opened an Irish eatery and pub at 216 West 46th Street, New York City. Family members lived above the restaurant. They shortly opened a second location at 161 West 23rd Street, also in Manhatten.
It was named by owner James Moore after the saloon where Jiggs hung out in the famous comic strip "Bringing Up Father." The George McManus comic strip was about a stereotypical Irish-American, who became rich by winning the Irish Sweepstakes, and his social-climbing wife started in 1913. The comic strip was so popular that many Irish men named Moore were suddenly called Dinty.
After opening the restaurant, James Moore, who began calling himself Dinty, was notorious in the 1920s for his flagrant disregard of Prohibition (1920-1933), which endeared him with the hard-drinking celebrity crowd. The restaurant was best known for its Irish stew, made from kosher beef and lamb, and the Corned Beef and Cabbage plate (original recipes below).
Early newspaper reports confirm this establishment was frequently violating the Volstead Act (aka Prohibition). References in the 1920s confirm the place was known as "Dinty Moore's," but they are fuzzy about which brother was "Dinty." Subsequent references confirm James was the proud owner of the "Dinty" moniker.
Newspaper accounts paint Dinty Moore's as a popular hangout catering to celebrities and business moguls. Presumably, its reputation as a speakeasy generated a devoted clientele, and George McManus was a frequent patron. It's unknown when the restaurant was officially named Dinty Moore.
Dinty Moore's Rendezvous Restaurant, Chicago
Dinty Moore's Rendezvous, 1332 West 69th Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Dinty Moore's Rendezvous, 1332 West 69th Street, Chicago, Illinois.
There were several other "Dinty Moore" restaurants throughout the country, but they were not related. Most of these Dinty Moore restaurants used the original Dinty Moore Corned Beef & Cabbage and Irish Stew recipes (scroll down).
Dinty Moore Restaurant, McMinnville, Tennessee.
Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
Original Dinty Moore Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe
This is the original Dinty Moore Corned Beef & Cabbage recipe from James Moore. Circa 1915, New York City.
NOTE: Only Use Beef Brisket cut. Corned Beef is boiled in pickling spices (a brine) and requires a lot of boiling. As a supper or dinner dish, it's usually served with boiled cabbage and potatoes, and a chuck of Irish Soda Bread. As a sandwich, it usually served on rye bread with its natural condiment, mustard; it needs no other.
FYI: The difference between corned beef and pastrami is corned beef is boiled while pastrami is peppered and smoked. Up to the late 1980s, most Chicagoland delicatessens boiled their own beef briskets, fifteen briskets at a time. It was very rare to find a deli that smoked their own briskets for pastrami, but some smokehouses did..
BOILED CORNED BEEF
Place the beef brisket in cold water, bring to a boil, boil for 3 1/2 hours, and skim the water every 20 minutes.
Add fresh boiling water if necessary to keep beef covered.
Fifteen minutes before it is finished, add 1 lb. of granulated sugar for every 20 lbs. of beef.
Allow beef to cool in the water it was boiled in for 1½ hour.
BOILED CABBAGE
Place cabbage in cold water with a piece of pork.
Boil for 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove pot from the fire and heat up when wanted. (will stay white for 24 hours.)
Dinty always served boiled potatoes and carrots with a pinch of parsley (traditional) with his corned beef & cabbage.
BOILED POTATOES
Wash good-sized Irish potatoes (if you can find them); substitute with Idaho or Red potatoes.
Do not remove the skins.
Boil in the brine water until 'hard boiled' — 25-35 minutes (only add a touch of salt).
Keep skins intact and dry potatoes in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Serve with a lot of butter.
Original Dinty Moore Irish Stew Recipe
or "Irish Stew a la Dinty Moore."
George Rector, the famous Rector's restaurant chef in New York City, shared the recipe below. Both friends, Rector and Moore, were renowned restaurateurs and probably shared recipes and clientele.
Irish Stew a la Dinty Moore.
"This is what Jim 'Dinty' Moore did when I first smelled the Irish stew steaming out of his kitchen. It's the same Dinty Moore, who was immortalized by George McManus, whose corned beef and cabbage Jiggs was sure to be eating when he could get away from Maggie.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Kosher beef chuck
3 pounds shoulder of lamb
1 pound breast of lamb
4 medium-sized potatoes
6 medium-sized carrots
2 medium-sized green peppers, diced
1/4 cup leeks
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup canned tomato pulp
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon A-1 sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
salt and pepper to taste
GARNISHMENT
1/2 cup cooked green peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
BEEF PREPARATION (1 hr)
Trim all the fat you can from the meat.
Cut all the meat in pieces two inches square.
Start the beef cooking in enough water to cover the meat.
Simmer one hour.
LAMB PREPARATION (1/2 hr)
Trim all the fat you can from the meat.
Cut all the meat in pieces two inches square.
Simmer the lamb in enough water to cover the meat.
Skim the fat off the top of the boiling water from time to time.
Simmer 30 minutes.
VEGETABLE PREPARATION
Combine:Carrots cut in quarters, Green Peppers, Onions (white or yellow), Leeks, and Celery.
Simmer for another 1/2 hour.
Add the seasonings with the tomato pulp into the stew.
Continue cooking for 10 more minutes.
Serve with a garnish of green peas and parsley.
[1] Dinty Moore was not the name of the stew's creator, Jay Catherwood Hormel (1892-1954), son of George A. Hormel, founder of the US company that produced it. The 24-ounce tins of stew were initially known by the company name "Hormel Beef Stew" in 1936.
However, Hormel entered into an agreement with C.F. Witt & Sons, a large grocery and meat firm in Minneapolis, to sell and distribute its meat products under the Dinty Moore trademark, which C.F. Witt already owned. Witt, in turn, was granted the right to sell other food products that were not canned goods under the Dinty Moore name. But Hormel's use of the name was soon challenged.
It turned out that Dinty Moore was the name of a character in that gag strip Bringing Up Father, an epic comedy of husband-and-wife strife first appearing in 1913. Hormel appeared to be infringing upon the rights of the cartoons strip's creator, Geroge McManus (1884-1954). It was decided that there was no direct competition between Dinty Moore the stew and Dinty Moore, the cartoon character. Hormel did not violate McMannus' rights or those of his publishers, King Features.
MacManus later revealed that he got the name of the corner saloon owner Dinty Moore from that of a bellhop in a St. Louis hotel.
The Camellia House was internationally famous in the Drake Hotel of Chicago.
Traditionally one of the city's finest Supper Clubs serves superb continental cuisine in quiet and elegant surroundings. The service was so smooth that an ashtray with ashes magically turned into a clean one without you noticing the switch. Crumbs on the tablecloth were swept up with a handheld tool, which again went on unnoticed. The selection of entertainment, by artists from Europe to the Orient, was second to none, packing the dance floor every night.
Syracuse China dinnerware was designed by Dorothy Draper for the Camellia House restaurant in Chicago's Drake Hotel. First produced in 1940, this beautiful pattern was made with different color ring accents. Postcards of the Camellia House from the 1960s show this pattern on tables. The Drake Hotel retired in the late 1960s.
In the 1940s and 50s, the restaurant hosted an in-restaurant live AM radio show on WGN with live music from the bands playing in the restaurant and live commercials. The live AM radio show was broadcast on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM in the 1940s and 1950s.
It was 'THE' place to host weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties, baby showers, sweet-16 birthdays, family reunions, and gatherings. The stage was beautiful, and the dancefloor was hoppin'.
I personally dined there many times in the late 1960s and the 1970s. It was my folk's favorite restaurant. Although excessively expensive, the food and service were 5-star and worth every penny.
The Drake Hotel's famous seafood restaurant, the "Cape Cod Room," closed in 2016.
A vendor, I don't remember his name, so I'll call him Chef Mike, sold the most delicious garlic butter mushrooms at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Bristol, Wisconsin (near Kenosha). Be sure to buy a quart on your way out.
I'm still trying to remember the year I became interested in Garlic Butter Mushrooms. It has nothing to do with watching her stir the pot for a minute!
From memory: Chef Mike started making and selling his garlic butter mushrooms for the King Richard's Faire in the late 1970s, today's Bristol Renaissance Faire. After chatting with Chef Mike every year and asking for the recipe, he finally told me in the mid-1990s, "My kid didn't want my business," so he'll give me his recipe, "You are persistent. You've come here every year for a long time, so I know you'll enjoy the mushrooms." I wrote down what he told me.
A different gentleman was stringing the pot in the same spot the following year. I bought some mushrooms — Lo and behold — they were exactly the same!
On my way out of the Faire, I always purchased a quart or two (one to give as a gift). I asked him about Chef Mike, "He sold me his business and retired to Arizona."
Chef Mike reviewed the recipe I wrote down and said, "You got it."
I recalculated, checked, and then double-checked Chef Mike's recipe from his commercial recipe, which I wrote down and portioned for at-home cooks. You may do the math to report the recipe to meet your needs.
Chef Mike's Garlic Butter Mushroom Recipe
YOU WILL BE 100% SATISFIED REMEMBERING THE TASTE AT THE FAIRE IF YOU FOLLOW THIS RECIPE EXACTLY THE FIRST TIME YOU MAKE IT.
Do you remember the mushrooms at the Renaissance Faire being too salty? ME NEITHER.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds whole mushrooms; Button, Cremini, or both, stems trimmed
Mushroom Brush
2 cups white onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 LEVEL tablespoons salt (see: Note From The Chef, below)
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, not too coarse
10 cloves of Garlic, Very Thinly Sliced
1/2 cup of a quality dry White Wine (Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon
Blanc, Chablis, dry Reisling, or your favorite white wine)
HEED WHAT CHEF MIKE SAID TO ME
"I know that 2 tablespoons of salt seems like a lot. If you’re like me, you tend to routinely reduce the salt or totally leave the salt out of some recipes. After making several thousand pounds of mushrooms, I know one thing. If you don’t salt the mushrooms adequately while they are cooking, you’ll end up adding twice as much salt later to get the same flavor."
Chef Mike
PLEASE DO NOT CUT THE SALT THE FIRST TIME YOU MAKE THIS
SEE READERS COMMENTS BELOW.
DIRECTIONS
Lightly clean the mushrooms with a mushroom brush or with a paper towel. Then, place the mushrooms in a bowl and add enough water to cover them. (Since mushrooms float, put a plate over them to weigh them down and keep them underwater.)
Add the mushrooms to a large pot.
You'll have enough to share if you multiply the recipe by two or three.
Cover with water. Add a plate over the top that will fit INSIDE THE POT to ensure the mushrooms get an 8-hour or overnight soaking.
Next, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Toss in the onions, garlic, and cracked black pepper. Give it a nice toss. Let this cook on medium heat, stirring along the way, until the onions soften, about 5-7 minutes.
DO NOT BROWN OR CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS; IT WILL TOTALLY RUIN THIS RECIPE.
Remove the plate from the mushrooms, and add the onion mixture to the pot. Add in the salt and white wine. Stir. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for about 8 hours. Yes, 8 hours.
At about 6 hours in, remove the cover and bring the heat up to medium. Then cook for the remaining 2 hours.
The broth will reduce a bit, which is normal. You'll have plenty of broth, so do not water it down.
Here, this one's for you.
CHEF MIKE TOLD ME, "From my years of experience running mushroom stands at 20-something Renaissance Fairs around the country, the amount of salt has not been an issue."
A partial list of U.S. Renaissance Faires That Sold Chef Mike's Garlic Butter Mushrooms.
All Faire, Lacey, WA
Bristol Renaissance Faire, Kenosha, WI
Canterbury Renaissance Faire, Oregon
Carolina Renaissance Festival, Concord, NC
Carolina Renaissance Festival, Huntersville, NC
Central Coast Renaissance Festival, San Luis Obispo, CA
Colorado Renaissance Festival, Larkspur, CO
Glastonbury Renaissance Faire, Toledo, OR
Koroneburg Renaissance Festival, Corona, CA
Koroneburg Renaissance Festival, Los Angeles, A.
Maine Renaissance Faire,Acton,ME
Mid-Michigan Renaissance Festival, Vassar, MI
Midsummer Renaissance Faire, Ansonia, CT
Newbourne Village Renaissance Faire, Chippewa Falls, WI
North Dakota Renaissance Faire, Fargo, ND
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival, West Newton, PA
Pride Renaissance Tour, Lansing, MI
Renaissance Fair, Orlando, FL
Renaissance Festival, Austin, TX
Santa Fe Renaissance Fair, Santa Fe, NM
Sterling Renaissance Festival, Sterling, NY
Upstate Renaissance Faire, Greer, SC
Vermont Renaissance Faire, Stowe, VT
Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire, Snohomish, WA
West Virginia Renaissance Festival, Lewisburg, WV
Shared by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
Please come back to tell us how your mushrooms turned out.
