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Classic New England Fare For Today's Taste Buds
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Chicken and Dumplings. Cheese woodchuck. Succotash. Marlborough Pie. This might sound like a feast from a turn-of-the-century New England kitchen. But in fact, these are just some of the dishes that appear in a new cookbook by Amy Traverso, lifestyle editor at Yankee Magazine.
"Lost and Vintage Recipes" offers a collection of recipes from the magazine's archive, which spans more than 75 years.
Not only are the dishes delicious — and worthy of revival — but they also tell us stories about our own culinary history.
Guest
Amy Traverso, Senior Lifestyle Editor for Yankee Magazine.
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New England Succotash
A combination of cranberry beans and corn kernels, succotash was one of the first foods that the Native Americans of coastal New England shared with the Plymouth settlers. Rich in nutrients and inexpensive to make, it was especially popular during the Depression and World War II.
Total time: 45 minutes / Hands-on time: 20 minutes / Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
6 ears fresh corn
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 pounds fresh (not dried) cranberry beans
or fresh or frozen shelled lima beans
1/8 pound salt pork, cut into 4 pieces (optional)
1/2 small onion, minced
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Kosher or sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
- Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels from the cobs and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the beans, salt pork, and onion. Cook, stirring often, until the beans are tender and the onion is golden, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the corn and add enough water to cover by 1/2 inch. Add the sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Bring to a gentle bubble and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Remove the salt pork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cream, if you like. Serve hot.
Blueberry Boy Bait
In 1954 a 15-year-old Chicago girl named Renny Powell submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the "Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest" (precursor to today's "Pillsbury Bake-Off"). Renny took second place in the youth division for her creation, named in honor of its powers with the opposite sex. The recipe has been in circulation for nearly 60 years now, including on YankeeMagazine.com, where our adaptation is one of the most popular recipes in our archive.
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes / Hands-on time: 20 minutes / Yield: 18 squares
For the cake:
Butter (for the pan)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
For the topping:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Set an oven rack to the middle position.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil, milk, and eggs. Mix with an electric mixer until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan; then evenly sprinkle the blueberries on top.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon; then sprinkle over blueberries. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
This segment aired on May 24, 2013.