Historic Recipes, Free and Accessible - The Reading Room Kitchen

Boston Baked Beans Frijoles horneados de Boston

Time: 8 hoursDifficulty: EasyServes: 8

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

1 quart dried navy beans (about 900 g)
1 teaspoon baking soda (5 g)
1/2 pound salt pork (225 g)
1 tablespoon salt (18 g)
3 tablespoons molasses (60 ml)
2 teaspoons dry mustard (4 g)
Boiling water, as needed

Steps (Pasos)

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. In the morning, drain them. Visual timer:
Cover with fresh water, add the baking soda, and simmer until the skins wrinkle when you blow on a bean.
Drain. Put the beans in a bean pot. Score the salt pork and press it into the beans, rind up.
Mix the salt, molasses, and mustard with a pint of boiling water and pour over the beans. Add enough boiling water to cover.
Bake covered at 300°F (150°C) for 6 to 8 hours, adding water as needed so the beans stay barely covered. Visual timer:
Uncover for the last hour so the pork crisps and browns.

Adapted from The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer (1896), public domain.

Listen: full cookbook audiobook

Parker House Rolls Panecillos Parker House

Time: 3 hoursDifficulty: MediumMakes: 24 rolls

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

2 cups scalded milk (480 ml)
3 tablespoons butter (45 g)
2 tablespoons sugar (25 g)
1 teaspoon salt (6 g)
1 yeast cake, dissolved (1 packet / 7 g active dry yeast)
5 to 6 cups flour (600 to 720 g)

Steps (Pasos)

Add butter, sugar, and salt to the scalded milk. Cool until lukewarm, then stir in the dissolved yeast.
Add flour gradually to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Visual timer:
Roll out half an inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter, crease each round down the center with a knife handle, brush with melted butter, and fold over.
Let rise again until light, about 45 minutes. Visual timer:
Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Visual timer:

Adapted from The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer (1896), public domain.

Listen: full cookbook audiobook

Okra Soup Sopa de quimbombó

Time: 2 hoursDifficulty: EasyServes: 6

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

2 quarts fresh okra, sliced (about 500 g)
1 gallon water (3.8 L)
1 pound beef or ham bone (450 g)
2 onions, chopped (300 g)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter (15 g)

Steps (Pasos)

Put the water, meat, and onions in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer 1 hour, skimming as needed. Visual timer:
Add the sliced okra and butter. Simmer 1 hour more until the okra is completely tender and the soup thickens. Visual timer:
Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bone before serving.

Adapted from The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph (1824), public domain. One of the first okra recipes printed in America.

Listen: full cookbook audiobook

Gumbo Gumbo criollo

Time: 2 1/2 hoursDifficulty: MediumServes: 8

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

1 chicken, cut in pieces (about 1.5 kg)
1 quart okra, sliced (250 g)
2 onions, sliced (300 g)
3 quarts water (2.8 L)
2 tablespoons butter or lard (30 g)
Salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne
Boiled rice, to serve

Steps (Pasos)

Brown the chicken pieces in the butter in a heavy pot. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, cook the onions and okra until soft, about 15 minutes, stirring so nothing sticks. Visual timer:
Return the chicken to the pot. Add the water and bring to a boil, then simmer 2 hours until the chicken is tender and the broth is rich. Visual timer:
Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Serve over boiled rice.

Adapted from The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph (1824), public domain.

Listen: full cookbook audiobook

Mrs. Beeton's Roast Turkey Method Pavo asado al estilo de Mrs. Beeton

Time: 4 hoursDifficulty: AdvancedServes: 10 to 12

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

1 turkey, 10 to 12 pounds (4.5 to 5.5 kg)
Forcemeat stuffing: 1 pound sausage meat (450 g), breadcrumbs, herbs
Butter for basting (about 100 g)
Salt and pepper
Gravy from the giblets

Steps (Pasos)

Draw, singe, and wipe the turkey inside and out with a damp cloth. Stuff the crop with forcemeat.
Truss firmly: pass skewers through wings and legs to hold the bird compact. Mrs. Beeton insists a well-trussed bird roasts evenly.
Rub all over with butter, salt, and pepper. Lay rashers of fat bacon over the breast to keep it moist.
Roast at 325°F (165°C), allowing 20 minutes per pound, basting every 30 minutes. Visual timer:
Remove the bacon for the last 30 minutes to brown the breast. The turkey is done when the juices run clear.
Serve with giblet gravy and bread sauce.

Adapted from The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton (1861), public domain.

Listen: full book audiobook

Seed Cake Bizcocho de semillas

Time: 1 1/2 hoursDifficulty: EasyServes: 8

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

1 pound flour (450 g)
1/2 pound butter (225 g)
1/2 pound sugar (225 g)
4 eggs
1 ounce caraway seeds (28 g)
1 teaspoon baking powder (5 g)
A little milk, if needed

Steps (Pasos)

Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and caraway seeds. Add a splash of milk if the batter is stiff.
Pour into a buttered cake tin. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 1 hour, until a skewer comes out clean. Visual timer:
Cool in the tin 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Adapted from The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton (1861), public domain.

Listen: full book audiobook

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Boston Baked Beans Frijoles horneados de Boston

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

Steps (Pasos)

Parker House Rolls Panecillos Parker House

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

Steps (Pasos)

Okra Soup Sopa de quimbombó

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

Steps (Pasos)

Gumbo Gumbo criollo

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

Steps (Pasos)

Mrs. Beeton's Roast Turkey Method Pavo asado al estilo de Mrs. Beeton

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

Steps (Pasos)

Seed Cake Bizcocho de semillas

Ingredients (Ingredientes)

Steps (Pasos)