Sunday, March 9, 2014

When Lunches Were Lunches, Part III

1950's food pyramid found on Pinterest.

Continuing the series of hearty lunch ideas from The American Woman's Cook Book, here are some of Mrs. Berolzheimer's recommendations for sandwiches there are 21 pages of recipes but this includes tea sandwiches.  Does anyone serve tea sandwiches anymore?).

Panavia, this first one's for you:

Peanut Butter and Onion Sandwiches

1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 small Bermuda or Spanish onion

Beat peanut butter, add mayonnaise and spread sandwiches.  Slice onion in very thin slices and put a layer of these over mixture on bread.

Cheese Sandwiches

1/2 pound American full cream cheese, grated
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt, paprika

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and use between buttered slices of bread.  This filling will keep indefinitely in closed jars in the refrigerator.

Russian Sandwiches

1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup chopped pimientos
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Lettuce leaves
Boston brown bread

Spread the cream cheese on thin slices of Boston brown bread.  Spread an equal number of buttered slices with chopped olives and pimientos mixed with mayonnaise dressing.  Press together in paris with a crisp lettuce leaf between.

Egg Sandwiches

Hard-cooked eggs
Capers or pickles, if desired
Salt, pepper, paprika

Slice the eggs and lay the slices between thin buttered slices of bread.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika and add a layer of chopped capers or pickles if desired.  These are good for lunches for traveling or for picnics.

Chicken, Ham and Celery Sandwiches

1 cup cooked chicken meat
1/2 cup celery
1 tablespoon green pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cooked ham

Mince the chicken, ham, celery and green peppers.  Mix with the mayonnaise and spread on buttered bread.

Beef Sandwiches

1 1/4 cups cold roast beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon tomato catchup
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon melted butter

To minced cold roast beef, add the salt, tomato catchup, Worcestershire sauce and melted butter.  Spread on buttered bread, cover with a second slice, and cut into fancy shapes.

I'm not sure why the egg sandwich recipe above is considered good for traveling or picnics; without a binder such as mayonnaise or butter, I think the filling would wind up all over one's lap.  The beef and chicken/ham recipes reflect an era when a big chunk of some variety of baked or roasted protein was the centerpiece of every Sunday dinner and a thrifty cook had to come up with a way to use the leftovers.

If you are tempted to try the Russian Sandwiches, here is how to make the bread.

Boston Brown Bread

1 cup corn meal
1 cup rye flour
1 cup graham flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup molasses
2 cups sour milk or buttermilk

Sift corn meal, rye flour, soda and salt together and mix well with graham flour.  Add combined molasses and sour milk and mix well.  Fill greased molds 2/3 full, cover closely and steam 3 hours.  Remove covers and dry tops in moderate oven (375°F).  Makes 3 loaves.

I believe that people washed and re-used metal cans of some sort -- baking powder or maybe coffee -- as molds for Boston brown bread, covered with greased foil, pleated to allow expansion and tied tightly around the tops with kitchen string.

Next week -- Mrs. Berolzheimer's "Miscellaneous Sandwiches and Sandwich Fillings," many of which aren't bad.

3 comments:

Bunnykins said...

Yes, tin cans. And, in the 50s or 60s, I remember seeing two part metal molds that were formed to make rings around the loaf. You could buy that bread the odd time in Toronto. Not only was it great bread and dark brown, but it was easy to slice evenly as it was ringed. I've just got to try that recipe. Yum!

The rest of the fillings? Well, let's just say I know where my dad got his taste for fried thick cut bologna and Spanish onion sandwiches from - someone's old cookbook.

Anonymous said...

onion and tomato sandwich with butter...a taste from my childhood. Sometimes without the tomato, too. (Midwest farm kid, what can I say..)
Also, Boston brown bread is a specialty my husband is perfecting. We found some narrow, slightly tapered steel utensil containers that work perfectly.

Lady Anne said...

I use one pound coffee cans to make brown bread. I also have a recipe for a rich white bread - someplace - that you put into a greased coffee can, and put on the plastic lid. When the lid pops off, the bread has risen enough to bake. Actually, if you bake a lot, coffee cans are very good, as you can stand a half dozen in the oven, where you can only get two loaf pans.

Peanuts butter and onion? Lawsy! There was a daft old lady on "The Vicar of Dibley" who make peanut butter and anchovy sandwiches. Don't know which sounds worse!