Old Thanksgiving Recipes from New Hampshire Newspapers

Whitpot, Chow Chow, Roley-Poley, Furmity–all words used to describe recipes that were common in our grand and great-grandmother’s day.  Should these once preferred foodstuffs be allowed to sink into obscurity, and to no longer grace the palates of our modern families? You decide.  The following are  a collection of antique directions on how to prepare these, and other interesting table foods.
From: “The Farmer’s Cabinet,” (Amherst NH) Friday November 8, 1861, Vol 60, Issue 15, Page 1-2

“WHITPOT” (Indian) – Take 1 quart sweet milk, 1-2 pint Indian meal, 2 or 3 eggs, 1-2 teaspoonful salt, and 4 tablespoonfuls sugar. Boil 1 pint of the milk, stir in the meal while boiling, cook five minutes, and add the remainder of the milk. Beat the sugar and eggs together, and when cold, stir the whole thoroughly, and bake 1 hour in a deep dish. To be eaten either hot or cold.

Molasses or Mock Whitpot.–Indian meal and milk same as above, adding 1-4 pint of molasses, and cooking in the same manner [bake 1 hour in a deep dish]. A very cheap and good pudding, easily made.

Pumpkin Indian Loaf.–Scald 1 quart of Indian meal, and stir in 1 pint of stewed pumpkin, mashed find or sifted; add 1 teaspoonful salt, 1-4 point of molasses, mixing to a stiff batter. Pour into deep iron pots or kettles, and bake in a slow oven for three or four hours. If in a brick oven, leave it over night.

Indian Dumpling.–Scale 1 pint Indian meal, 1 small tablespoon shortening, 1-2 teaspoonful salt, 1-4 teaspoonful soda or Saleratus.–Boil 1 hour in a bag. Serve hot, with gravy and meats.

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GREEN CORN PUDDING–Take one dozen ears of green Indian corn–grate or scape it from the cob, and mix with it a quart of milk and some salt–before poured into the pudding dish, the bottom and sides of the dish must be covered with the tender husks taken from the green corn, and the pudding must be covered with the tender husks in like manner–Baker for use. [Hive. == Saturday, August 31, 1805, Political Observatory (Walpole NH), Vol II, Issue 94, Page 4

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From: Thursday, February 19, 1880, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 1

PUMPKIN PIE. Cut the pumpkin in half, put it in a dripping pan, skin side down, after the seeds are removed, in a low oven; bake until all the good can be easily scraped from the rind with a spoon; if it is as brown as nicely-baked bread, all the better; mash finely, and to one quart add a quarter of a pound of butter while hot; when cool, sweeten to the taste; one pint of milk or cream (if cream be used three eggs will be sufficient, if milk flour will be better,) beat them separately, stir in the yolks, two teaspoonfuls of connamon, one of nutmeg, a wine-glass of wine or brandy; lastly add the white of the eggs, stirring but little after they are added to the mixture; bake in a quick oven.

CURRANT PUDDING, PLAIN. One pound of chopped suet, 1 pound of flour, 3-4 of a pound of currants, 4 eggs, a little cinnamon powered, a pinch of salt, and one teaspoonful of baking powder; beat the eggs, add as much milks as will mix the whole together, tie in a cloth, boil about three hours and serve with melted butter plain in a boat.

APPLE DUMPLINGS, BOILED. Use russet apples, pare and cut them in half, take out the core and fill the cavities with sugar, apricot, jam and a clove; join the halves and inclose them in suet paste, boil them in clothes for about three quarters of an hour and serve them with melted butter, plain sauce.

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From: Thursday, November 18, 1886 New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 2

GERMAN TOAST.  Cut thick slices of bread, dip each side in milk enough to soften, then dip in beaten egg; put into a frying pan with just sufficient butter to fry; fry until brown as an omelet; serve well sprinkled with white sugar.

TOMATO CATSUP.  One half bushel tomatoes, four ounces black pepper, twelve ounces allspice, one ounce cloves, one-half ounce cayenne pepper, one pound salt, one quart vinegar, six onions, cut small, one handful of peach leaves; boil slowly three hours. Strain through a coarse sieve.

TEA KISSES.  Half cup butter, two cups flour, one cup sugar, two eggs beaten lightly, two tablespoonfuls milk, two teaspoonfuls yeast powder; dip out by the teaspoonful, spread far apart on the pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar and bake in quick oven.  It only takes a few moments and they are delicious.

CHOW CHOW. Mince half a peck of green tomatoes, half a peck of small onions, one peck of tiny cucumbers and six green peppers; mince the seeds; to these add three medium-sized heads of cauliflower, broken in small pieces, sprinkle salt over all and let them stand for twenty-four hours. At the end of this time drain the mass well, and cover with vinegar. Put three heads of celery, cut in small pieces, one cupful of grated horseradish, half a pound of ground mustard, half a pound of mustard seed, two ounces of ground black pepper, two ounces of brown sugar, half an ounce of ground cloves and half an ounce of tumeric into enough cider vinegar to cover and boil for fifteen minutes; then pour over the pickles. Put in glass jars and keep for a month before using. It improves with age.

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From: Thursday March 3, 1887, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 2

PLAIN FRUIT CAKE. Two eggs, one cup of brown sugar, one cup of sweet milk, one half cup of molasses, one-half cup of better, three cups of flour, one half pound of raisins, one cup of currants, one teaspoonful of salt, one tea-spoonful each of cloves and cinnamon, one nutmeg and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder.

BAKED ROLEY-POLEY. One quart of prepared flour, two full tablespoonfuls of lard, two cups of milk, yolk of an egg, one teaspoonful of salt, a large cup of jam, marmalade or canned (and strained) berries, well sweetened; sift flour and salt together; beat the yolk light and stir into the milk; chop up the shortening into the flour until well incorporated; wet the flour with the milk into a good dough; roll out half an inch thick, spread with the fruit and roll up closely; pinch the other edges together and lay the roll, the oiled sides downward, in a floured, baking pan; bake until browned; wash over with whipped white of egg and send to table; eat with hard sauce.

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From: Thursday, December 2, 1886, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 2

BISCUIT. Sift together three times, one quart of flour, one tablespoonful of cornstarch, and one teaspoonful good baking powder. Add one tablespoonful of lard, a pinch of salt, and a cupful of cold water; mix and bake in a quick oven. This will make eight or nine good-sized biscuits.

QUEEN’S PUDDING. Put in a deep baking dish, four inches deep, of mixture as for bread pudding, that is, dry pieces of bread, milk, eggs and sugar; then put over that a layer of any kind of jelly. When the bread pudding is baked, put on jelly, beat whites of four eggs stiff, put on top, set in over to brown.

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From: Thursday, November 11, 1886, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 2

BOMBAY TOAST.–Put a spoonful of butter on a hot-water plate; as the butter melts, stir in 2 eggs, with a little salt, cayenne and anchovy essence. Spread it on hot buttered toast.

FRENCH PICKLE. One peck green tomatoes, six onions chopped, one teacup salt; let stand over night. In the morning, drain off the brine, add two quarts water, one quart vinegar; boil twenty minutes. Drain through a colander; when thoroughly drained, add three quarts vinegar, two quarts brown sugar, half pound white mustard seed, two tablespoons each of black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, ground mustard, and a half tablespoon cayenne pepper. Use also six green peppers if you like them. Boil fifteen minutes, use when cold.

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From: Thursday, May 3, 1888, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 2

FURMITY. Bruise two quarts of wheat, and put it into a stone jar with two quarts of water, and bake slowly till quite soft. Take two quarts of new milk, stir the what into this till it is thick as custard, add four ounces of well-washed and dried currants, and simmer all together till the latter are cooked. Beat the yolks of three eggs, with a little nutmeg and three tablespoonfuls of milk; add this while the furmity is over the fire, stir well, sweeten to taste and serve cold. The following is an old Somersetshire recipe: To a quart of already boiled wheat put by degrees two quarts of new milk, breaking the jelly, and then four ounces of currants, picked clean and washed; stir them, and boil till they are done. Beat the yolks of three eggs, and a little nutmeg, with two or three spoonfuls of milk, add to this the wheat; stir them together over the fire, sweeten, and serve cold in a deep dish. It can be eaten warm if preferred.

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PRACTICAL RECIPES From: January 19, 1888, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH) page 2

FRICASSEE OF EGGS. Take some hard-boiled eggs, cut them into quarters, yolks and whites. Heat some gravy seasoned with shred lemon-peel, parsley, thyme and grated nutmeg. Put in the eggs together with a piece of butter rolled in flour; shake it gently over the fire till properly thickened; garnish with yolks of hard-boiled eggs chopped small.

CRANBERRY PIE WITH WHIPPED CREAM. Cook cranberries as for sauce, with or without skins whichever is preferred. Make a nice flaky pie crust; put cranberries in; place in oven to bake. When done spread over the top whipped cream, flavored with vanilla. This makes a most tempting and delicious dish. Apple pie is also nice with cream.

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From: Thursday, November 17, 1881, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 1

CLAM SOUP. Take six large plump clams, and after chopping them find, add the liquor to the meat. Let them simmer gently in a quart of water for nearly two hours. Season to taste, adding a cup of cream and a little flour, and pour into a tureen in which a few slices of thin, well-browned toast have been placed.

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From: December 13, 1883, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord NH), page 2

OYSTER PATTIES. Allow one quart of fine plump oysters to every 10 patties. Drain them through a colander, and put on the juice to boil. Skim it very carefully, adding a small piece of onion cut very fine, a little chopped parsley and mace; put in the oysters; parboil them, remove and cut up, omitting the hearts; allow to every pint a scant tablespoonful of butter.

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