After a long, hard day in the creek bed shoveling and sifting gravel, the last thing a 49’er miner wanted to do was prepare a meal. This simple fare offered a quick fix as well as a host of health problems.
Shovel Bread
Start a fire. Let the wood burn down to coals. Mix:
2 tbsp butter 1 ½ cup flour water salt onion powder 1 egg
Stir until smooth. *The batter should be thick.
Using a clean shovel, rest it in coals until hot.
A deep fire pit is NOT necessary for this recipe.
Support shovel firmly over coals. Pour batter over the blade. Use a long-handled spatula or spoon to keep it in place until the base sets.
Lightly press against batter to determine doneness.
It’s done when it feels spongy.
Click on the photo to watch a video about malnutrition during the California Gold Rush.
Finely chop potatoes.
Fry in oil till done.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside to cool.
Chop or tear watercress into bite-sized pieces.
Add fresh or sun-dried tomatoes (in oil).
Dress with red wine vinegar and oil.
Top with grated cheese.
Over low heat, saute grated dill pickles in 1 tblsp. butter for 20 minutes. (This removes some of the ‘bite’ from the pickle giving it more of a mild vinegar flavor that adds interest to the soup.)
In a soup pot, combine water, remaining butter and chopped vegetables. Over medium heat, simmer till tender.
Add grated dill pickles, bring to boil & remove from heat.
“I only eat Corn Fritters with butter and syrup – simple and delicious.” Mary Schmidt Schwaller, niece of Betty Wrysinski
This recipe for Corn Fritters came from the 1949 edition of Joy of Cooking. (My mom wrote it out by hand for me as part of a wedding shower gift.)
1 cup cooked green corn or canned corn.
Drain and mash with a potato masher.
Beat until light and add:
2 eggs
Add:
6 tblsp. flour
1/2 tsp. any baking powder
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Melt in a small skillet:
2 tblsp. butter
When it is very hot, add the batter by the tablespoonful. Permit the bottom of the cakes to brown, reverse them and brown the other side.
In the Joy of Cooking, the recipe begins with this story. My mom used to read to me.
When I was a child, one of eight, my father frequently promised us a marvelous treat. He, being an amateur horticulturist and arborculturist, would tell us of a fritter tree he was going to plant on the banks of a small lake filled with molasses, maple syrup or honey, to be located in our back yard. When one of our children felt the urge for the most delectable repast, all we had to do was to shake the tree, the fritters would drop into the lake and we could fish them out and eat fritters to our hearts’ content.
My mother was a good cook and a good helpmate, so she developed the fritter that was to grow on and fall from the tree into the lake of molasses or maple syrup or honey, as the case might be. Mr. William N. Matthews.
Joy of Cooking, 1949 excerpt, reprinted with publisher permission.
Guest Post by Mary Schmidt Schwaller
Adrian (Bud) and Virginia (Ginger) Windus Schmidt
While researching genealogy, I found Lisa’s Shared Tastes blog. It had pictures of my Aunt Betty as well as some of her recipes. It was clear that she left her mark on her family. I wish I had known her. We both entered apple pies in contests. She won first place, I won second.
Adrian (Bud) and Virginia (Ginger) Schmidt on their wedding day. (Mary Schmidt Schwaller’s parents.)
There is a picture of a birthday celebration; the meal was pork roast and sauerkraut. My dad Adrian, Betty’s younger brother, loved that meal. He used to say, “If I die today, I will die a happy man,” after eating it. This tradition lives on in Park Falls as this meal is served at most restaurants for “Sunday supper.”
We didn’t have much money so my parents had to be inventive when trying to create special treats. I clearly remember Sunday evening Disney movies on the TV and the dining room table full of homemade deep fried potato chips and French fries. The recipe would be as you would expect, fresh potatoes, boiling oil, and lots of salt.
I was asked to share a Wisconsin Schmidt recipe. Every recipe I considered was already there from Grandma Betty. Potato dumplings,casseroles, pork roast, etc.
Through the blog, I was able to connect with my California family. I have gotten to know my cousin Mary and was lucky enough to meet my cousin Peggy in October, 2016. It is odd how similar our lives have been even though we lived so far apart.
__________________
Lisa’s Notes about Names:
I asked my Aunt Mary (family historian) to help sort out the names for this post. Her response clarified why the confusion exists:
“I asked Uncle Bud (Adrian Schmidt) once if anyone was ever called by their given name. He said the German community in Park Falls had nicknames for a lot of people. Below is part of an article he wrote for 100 Years on the Flambeau, a local history book about the Price County area in upper Wisconsin. Apparently nicknames were a tradition.”
Meat based liquids with thickening agents. Start with simple pan sauces or gravy and extend it into soups and stews.
Basic Brown Sauce
2 tblsp. Butter
3 tbslp. Flour
1 cup beef stock
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
Melt butter in pan. Stir in flour and cook until browned, stirring continuously.
Little by little, add beef stock. Stir until it boils and thickens, continue to cool three more minutes.
Add any desired seasonings.
Pan Gravy
Approximate the amount of flour needed to thicken the volume of meat drippings available. Place flour in a dressing / gravy shaker or whisk with cool water and shake or blend till smooth.
To meat drippings (fat) [from a turkey, chicken, bacon, or roast] in a deep pan over medium heat, slowly add flour and water mixture. Stir continuously. After the mixture has thickened, continue cooking for a few more minutes to make sure that the raw flour taste has been dispelled.
Peanut Sauce
¾ cup organic creamy peanut butter
¼ cup + 2 tblsp. Water
½ tsp. Hoisin sauce
2 tblsp. Freshly squeezed lime juice (approx. 1 ½ medium limes)
4 ½ tsp. soy sauce
3 tblsp. Maple syrup
1 ¼ tsp. chile-garlic paste
1 med. Clove garlic, mashed to paste
½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
Blend, whisk or stir all ingredients together till smooth. Store in refrigerator, but let warm to room temperature before using.
Can be used a dipping sauce, over noodles, as a salad dressing or in spring rolls.
(can be stirred directly into fat – butter, meat drippings, etc. If mixing with water first, it must be cooked for a while to eliminate the raw, starchy taste)
Instant Blending Flour – Wondra or Shake & Blend
Can add to liquids without lumps
Kneaded Butter (Beurre Manie) – equal parts butter and flour – kneaded till smooth and rolled into teaspoon sized balls (can be frozen for storage). Drop a ball or two into sauce when needed.
Cornstarch – smooth – glossy – clear
Mix starch with equal parts water, then add to warm liquid
Arrowroot flour | tapioca flour, rice flour
Gums – Xanthum gum, agar agar, pectin, and guar gum
Egg Yolks – velvety – smooth
Add to heated liquids (no hotter than 190 degrees) slowly and stir constantly – or scrambled eggs will be the result
Approximate the amount of flour needed to thicken the volume of meat drippings available. Place flour in a dressing / gravy shaker or whisk with cool water and shake or blend till smooth.
To meat drippings (fat) [from a turkey, chicken, bacon, or roast] in a deep pan over medium heat, slowly add flour and water mixture. Stir continuously. After the mixture has thickened, continue cooking for a few more minutes to make sure that the raw flour taste has been dispelled.
Hollandaise Sauce
2/4 cup butter
1 ½ tblsp. Lemon juice
3 egg yolks, well beaten with dash of salt
Cayenne pepper
Divide butter in the three parts. Place one piece in top of a small double broiler, add lemon juice and egg yolks. Place over hot water (not boiling) and cook slowly, whisk constantly.
When butter is melted, add second piece. Keep whisking. As mixture thickens, add the final piece of butter.
Once the mixture is about as thick as gravy, remove from heat, add salt and serve immediately.
Can be used over vegetables (asparagus), fish, shellfish and poached eggs.
Lightly finish with cayenne pepper.
Makes: ¾ cup
Trouble shooting: If sauce is curdling, dilute by the teaspoon with hot water while constantly whisking.
Okra as a thickener? I must say it is a little ‘weird’ to observe the clear slime (mucilage) that interconnect slices of okra like spider webs when they are moved around in a saute pan. [It is also interesting to note that the viscosity of this substance increases with heat.]
No matter – the okra entertainment value is a ‘plus’ and it is delicious when combined with the other ingredients that make Gumbo!
Gumbo is a stew that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used: the African vegetable okra, the Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves), or roux, the French base made of flour and fat. The dish likely derived its name from either the Bantu word for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for filé (kombo). – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basic Gumbo Components:
Sauce:
6-8 cloves garlic – finely chopped 1 med. or lg. onion – chopped meat | protein of choice chopped into bite sized pieces (my favorite is chicken thighs) 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (regular mustard also works fine) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Combine all and refrigerate for several hours to overnight.
In a large soup pot start with 2 tbslp. olive oil . Add 1 large package of frozen okra (thawed). Saute until brown. Add whatever other vegetables you wish to include.
In the version pictured at the far right, I used broccoli, turnips, carrots, onions and green beans. Cut these into bite sized pieces and saute with okra for about 10 minutes.
Spices: 1 tblsp. thyme 1 tblsp. oregano 1 tblsp. basil 2-3 bay leaves
salt to taste
*2 bunches of fresh cilantro – finely chopped – added right before serving
To soup pot, add 1 large can of diced tomatoes and 2 cups chicken stock – set on low while you work on stage two.
Stage Two:
In a saucepan, saute sauce mixture from above until meat is cooked. Add this to the soup pot.
Stage Three: Additional thickener – roux
In a saute pan, melt 1/4 cup butter over low heat. Slowly, whisk in 1/4 cup flour until it is smooth and smells slightly nutty (about 3-4 minutes). Add to soup pot.
Simmer until Gumbo is the consistency of gravy.
“Gumbo isn’t so much a recipe as it is a state of mind, complete with secret language and poetic license.” – Peggy Lampman, author of Simmer and Smoke and culinary food blogger. [click here to see Peggy’s Gumbo ya-ya reicpe]
Set oven at 350°. Spray or coat muffin tins with oil (nut oils such as almond or hazelnut work well.)
In a mixing bowl, blend together wet ingredients; eggs, sugar, and pineapple juice. Beat for 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients and mix till smooth.
In a sauce pan on low, melt butter then add the brown sugar – stir constantly. Remove heat once sugar is melted. *Watch this step closely so that the sugar doesn’t burn.
Build your mini cakes from the bottom up. 1st add a tablespoon of the butter / sugar mixture to each muffin tin. Next, place cherry in the middle, top this with the pineapple then add enough batter to fill the muffin up to the half-way mark.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a wooden pick in the center of cakes comes out clean.
Short Fiction paired with the Recipe
Sarah’s Words – a woman uses baking to express her feelings
Sarah picked up the salt dish. As she held the small, decorative container in the palm of her hand, her thoughts drifted to another time. Aunt Rose gave this to me when I was twelve. She laughed so hard when I told her how I used to make fairy stew in it with the long-handled glass spoon. The fine lines at the edges of Sarah’s eyes deepened when she smiled.
Sarah gathered a small mound of the crystals between her forefinger and thumb. She gently rubbed them together over a pile of four so that that the Celtic Sea Salt would distribute evenly. In Aunt Rose’s, day the salt in this container would have been Morton’s.
These Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes are going to be so cute! she thought as she hefted the bowl into the crook of her arm. Her hand and arm began to move in circular motions. The happy family recollections faded. A small frown appeared b as Sarah thought about why she was making the cakes.
Sarah didn’t consider herself an overly emotional person. She was proud of the fact that she was known for being ‘on point,’ extremely focused, dependable and very hard working. When people around her were suffering, her standard response was a pat on the back, and a gruff, “Just keep going, it will pass,” type of comment.
But this time was different. Sarah had a hard time grappling with the reason for the gathering that she and her family were about to attend. Her standard responses would not apply here. For a well-educated and well-spoken person, Sarah was at a loss. She, truly, did not know what to say. So she poured her love, comfort and concern into the little cakes. She hoped that showing up, and the care that went into the baking of them would make a difference.
5 oz. (1/2 a bag) Ghiradelli bitter sweet baking chips
16 oz. (two 8 oz. bars) Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate bars
2 1/2 sticks butter
1 heaping cup of sugar
1/2 cup flour
12 egg yolks – slightly beaten
12 egg whites whipped into stiff peaks
Filling:
Apricot Pineapple (or any other type of fruit) Jam
**fruit pie filling would also work well
Fresh pineapple (or other soft fruit) slices
Preheat oven to 350˚
Whip the egg whites and set aside. Beat egg yolks set aside.
Have the sugar and flour measured and standing by in their measuring cups.
Break up chocolate bars into small pieces. On low heat, melt chocolate and butter. Constantly stir with wire whisk until everything is melted and smooth. Immediately remove from heat.
Pour chocolate / butter mixture into a large bowl. Slowly stir in egg yolks till completely mixed. Add sugar in the same manner followed by the flour. Once this is completely blended, add half of the whipped egg whites. Gently fold this in until thoroughly mixed. Repeat with remaining egg whites.
Pour batter into wax paper lined pans. Trim wax paper excess (otherwise it will smoke inside the oven).
Bake for 35-40 minutes until a thin crust forms on top (when it smells and looks done – i.e. ‘spongy,’ gently and quickly tap on the top of the cake with with a finger to check for the crust. ( Caution: DO NOT try this if it still looks like batter as it will cause a burn.)
**the toothpick doneness method does not work with this cake.
Remove cakes from oven and let cool until the centers appear to sink. (This is normal….the sink holes are a perfect place to fill with wonderful things…) While still warm, flip them over onto a wire rack. Gently pull away the wax paper.
Ganache Icing:
24 oz. (three 8 oz.) Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate bars
approx. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Break chocolate bars into small pieces. On low heat use wire whisk to gently stir until mixture is smooth. Slowly pour in small amounts of the whipping cream while whisking until desired consistency is achieved. Let it cool some before frosting cake. (But not too long as the icing will harden.)
Assemble:
Place first layer of cake on a decorative dish. Gently spread fruit (jam or pie filling) evenly over the top leaving enough space around the edges so it won’t squeeze out when the next layer is put on. [On the cake pictured above, I put fresh pineapple slices on the bottom layer only.] Repeat with cake and jam layering leaving the top of the cake jam / fruit free. Once the cake has been assembled, gently trim any jaggedy edges with a large serrated knife.
Frost.
Place cake in the refrigerator for a few hours to harden the frosting. (If you plan to put candles on…do that before it goes in the refrigerator.)
Mix:
Watercress, Potato & Tomato Salad
Short Fiction paired with the Recipe
