LOBSTER SALAD
1 lobster
1 1/2 tbs. mustard
3/4 c. vinegar
3/4 c. oil
5 egg yolks
Salt
2 leaves lettuce
Note: We have no idea what species a "cabbage lettuce" is, so use whatever kind you like. And may your salad never be flabby.
One large lobster, two dessertspoonfuls of mixed mustard, one gill and a half of vinegar, one gill and a half of sweet oil, the yolks of five hardboiled eggs, salt to the taste, the inside leaves of two cabbage lettuces. Cut the meat and the lettuce in small pieces, boil the eggs hard, and mash with a wooden or silver spoon, with oil enough to make them a smooth paste, then add the vinegar, mustard, pepper, and salt to the taste,mix this dressing thoroughly with the lobster and lettuce, and serve it before the salad becomes flabby.
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 tablespoonfuls of salad oil, and 4 of vinegar, in these proportions; turn [stir] the cucumber about, and it is ready to serve. This is a favourite 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 cabbage
1 1/2 c. vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Pepper
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.
SOUSED ROCKFISH
1 whole rockfish, gutted and scaled
Salt
Pepper, salt
Vinegar (amount depends on size of pot into which fish is to be put)
Cloves, allspice, mace (optional)
Boil the fish with a little salt in the water until it is thoroughly cooked. Reserve part of the water in which it was boiled, to which add whole pepper, salt, vinegar, cloves, allspice, and mace, to your taste. Boil it up to extract the strength from the spice, and add the vinegar after it is boiled. Cut off the head and tail of the fish and divide the rest in several portions. Put it in a stone jar, and when the fish is quite cold, pour the liquor over it. It will be fit to use in a day or two, and will keep in a cold place two or three weeks.
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
Boiling water
Salt
Piece of butter half the size of an egg
1/2 c. sweet milk
Pepper
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 posses 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 potatoes
Piece of butter half the size of an egg
1/2 teacup water (about 1/4 c.)
1/2 tsp. salt
Dust of pepper
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.
FRIED FISH
3 catfish
1 c. cornmeal, white if you can get it
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Lard, bacon grease, or other oil for frying, amount to fill fry pan about 1/2 in deep.
Skin, gut and fillet catfish, giving you 6 fillets. Rinse the fillets off if you can get clean cold water. Mix up cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper, in a paper bag if one is to hand, or other clean container as is handy. Coat fillets well with this mix and put in medium-hot fry pan with grease. Grease should be good and hot but not smoking. Cook fillets 3-4 minutes or until golden brown , flip and repeat on other side. While fat is still hot start immediately on hushpuppies.
SHAD
1 shad
Bourbon for basting
Drawn butter
Cut head off fish and remove entrails. Split down backbone and remove largest, most visible bones. (Many will remain.) Build fire. Nail shad at tail end to hardwood board, preferably maple, apple or other fruit wood. Do NOT use pine or any sort of evergreen as sap will boil out and make fish taste like turpentine. Prop board up near fire with fish facing toward heat. Do not put too close to fire as slow cooking is said to melt, or at least soften, bones. Brush or drizzle from cup occasionally with bourbon. When one side is done to taste, pull fish off nail, flip over, and replace by fire. Minimum cooking time is 15 minutes per side.
SHAD ROE
1 shad, female
1/4 c. flour or corn meal
Butter or lard for frying
These should be cleaned carefully so as not to puncture the roe sacs. Heat fat in pan. Roll roe gently in flour or meal and put in sizzling butter. Cook till browned.
HUSH PUPPIES
1 small onion, minced or grated
1 1/2 c. cornmeal, white preferably
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder, or 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
2-3 c. lard or other shortening, enough to fill fry pan 2-3 in. deep
Mince, grate or chop onion very fine. Stir together all dry ingredients. In separate bowl crack egg and bead, add onion and stir up well, then add milk and stir some more. Pour that bowl into the dry ingredients and mix all together well. Get shortening in fry pan good and hot. Dip out one good spoonful of batter and scrape off into fat. Repeat until pan is reasonably full, but not overcrowded. Hushpuppies will first sink, then float, then turn golden brown which means they are done. Scoop out as soon as each one is finished, and repeat with remaining batter.
COLLARD GREENS
3 c. water
1 ham hock
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp.. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3-4 bunches collard greens. Can also use mustard or other greens.
Note to federal troops, if your regiment has been afflicted with a shipment of desiccated vegetables that look at least a little bit green, you can use them as in this recipe. It will not be the same, Lord knows, but will bring those vile vegetables as close to edibility as can be managed.
Put water and ham hock into pot and hang over fire to boil. Then move off the fire a little and let it to simmer for an hour or so. Wash the greens with good water, cold if possible. Tear stem off each leaf and tear remainder up into bite sized pieces. Check ham hock; if too much water is boiled off add enough to cover it again and move pan further off the fire next time. When everything is up to a simmer again add the greens, salt pepper and sugar. Simmer 45 min. to an hour or until greens are tender enough to eat.
