Recipes past, present, and to come

Mrs. Beeton’s Christmas Pudding First published in 1861, Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management was the Bible of cooking and proper management of the home for generations of conscientious English women. Its recipes vary from very simple to very elaborate. Some are still great. Some are simply impossible.

1½ lb. of raisins
½ lb. of currants
&frac12 lb. of mixed peel
¾ lb. of bread crumbs
¾ lb. of suet
8 eggs
1 wineglassful of brandy

“Stone and cut the raisins in halves, but do not chop them; wash, pick, and dry the currants, and mine the suet finely; cut the candied peel into thin slices, and grate down the bread into fine crumbs. When all these dry ingredients are prepared, mix them well together; then moisten the mixture with the eggs, which should be well beaten, and the brandy; stir well, that everything may be very thoroughly blended, and press the pudding into a buttered mould; tie it down tightly with a floured cloth, and boil for 5 or 6 hours. It may be boiled in a cloth without a mould, and will require the same time allowed for cooking. As Christmas pudding are usually made a few days before they are required for table, when the pudding is taken out of the pot, hang it up immediately, and put a plate or saucer underneath to catch the water that may drain from it. The day it is to be eaten, plunge it into boiling water, and keep it boiling for at least 2 hours; then turn it out of the mould, and serve with brandy-sauce. On Christmas-day a sprig of holly is usually placed in the middle of the pudding, and about a wineglassful of brandy poured round it, which, at the moment of serving, is lighted, and the pudding thus brought to table encircled in flame.”

Mrs. Beeton continues with advice on the total time required for preparation, the cost, and where you can buy a pudding mold. I wonder if Messrs. R. & J. Slack are still in business? They don’t seem to have a web site.

Spinach, white beans, and potatoes

In Christmas celebrations past and present are intertwined. New presents are given. Old customs are remembered and, perhaps, revived for a day. This dish was a Christmas Eve custom of the family of a dear friend of ours. It’s become a frequent part of our Christmas Eve now. Whenever I make it I think about the blessings of the past year and of our dear friends Michael and Virginia who are now far away.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled, and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced (optional)
2 medium potatoes, peeled, and cut into ½ inch dice, pat dry
1 12 oz. can of cannellini (white kidney) beans (you may substitute navy beans), drained
12 oz. fresh spinach, washed, stems removed
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Saute the onions in the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the entire dish over medium heat three or four minutes until the onions are transparent.
2. Add the potatoes and saute until the potatoes are lightly browned and very nearly completely cooked.
3. Add the optional garlic and saute an additional minute.
4. Stir in the cannellini (or navy) beans.
5. Add the spinach, lower the heat, cover, and cook an additional 7 or 8 minutes.
6. Stir the cooked spinach into the dish.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Parmesan may be grated onto the dish at table. I typically add a few flakes of dried hot red pepper when adding the beans but that’s just me. It was traditional in our friend’s family to serve this dish on Christmas Eve with sardines or anchovies. These quantities should serve four especially with good fresh Italian bread and a nice Pinot Grigio.

Over the years I’ve found many variations on this recipe. Some of the variations use cabbage, Savoy cabbage, kale, or rapini. Some variations include tomato or tomato paste. This is the only version of the recipe I’ve ever seen that contains potatoes. I’m sure this recipe has an Italian name but I don’t know what it is. Buon natale.

Recipes to come

We don’t really have any idea of what recipes people will be making or what foods people will be eating in the years to come. Human beings are remarkably conservative about food and there are recipes that are being prepared for foods that are being eaten right now that have been handed down over hundreds or thousands of years. But things do change, as well. Here’s a link to a web conference on Foods of the Future. As our dear departed Julia Child used to say, “Bon appetit”!