Butchering Monticello.

Imagine, if you can, living during the 1880s.  Pioneers had traveled over desolate landscapes, losing many a wagon wheel, but not one life, not even one of the oxen pulling those wagons.

Settling in Bluff, alongside the San Juan River, the pioneers still endured hardships.  There was the lack of food supplies, as gardens and farms needed to be cultivated.  They were able to trade with local Native tribes, those that were willing to; the Carlisle cattle ranchers butchered and sold what they asked top dollar for.  Of course, the army sent soldiers to patrol the county, make sure government surveyors and expeditions kept safe, and keep peace between the pioneers, Natives and ranchers.  While the army provided provisions to their men, it was not unusual for an expectation of meals to be provided from the pioneers.  Meals in exchange for safety, not a bad deal, right?

Around the end of 1886 to beginning 1887, it was decided that expansion of settlements was needed, and a prime focus was finding more water sources along Montezuma Creek, and within the Blue Mountains.  One settlement that became firmly established was Monticello, and while much of the land was cleared previously by the Colorado ranchers, there was still much to be done.  To truly get the gist of what life was like, I, once again, recommend reading the first issue of Monticello Journal, A History of Monticello Until 1937, by Harold George and Fay Lunceford Muhlestein.  There is an issue at the local library, and copies for sale at the San Juan Record.  After reading it, and knowing yourself, it truly will make you wonder, “Would I have survived being one of the pioneers?”.

The focus though, of this article, is on the establishment of a business surely needed in Monticello…Butchering.  Besides housing for the residents, businesses needed to be established (sort of what we desperately need now as well), since traveling to larger towns, or cities, would take days into weeks.  While growing vegetables and other crops was taking a firm hold, nutrition called for sources of proteins.  Fish and birds, when caught, could provide for some, but, again, getting beef from the Colorado ranchers was the primary source, and that didn’t charge cheap.

Ah, but eventually lawyers were able to prove that the ranchers had no legal foot hold all over San Juan County.  They were forced to either establish property deals, or leave the area; and many had to sell off cattle to the local residents.  Sheep and pigs were later introduced to the area, but these herds did not fare well, and cattle dominated.

In, 1909, the Enlarged Homestead Act, provided 320 acres of non-irrigable land for the purpose of farming.  The areas set aside for this were east and north of Monticello, and welcome to the birth of homesteading and dry farming.  Dry farming?  Dry farming is a technique relying on soil moisture conservation to grow crops like winter wheat without irrigation. Local farmers combat arid conditions by limiting plowing and using drought-resistant seeds.  One such homesteader was Hans Jensen, arriving in 1911, by horse and wagon; he lived on his land, in a tent, and daily worked his land.  Only 5’5” tall, 125 lbs., he determinedly worked as having his own thriving farm was his sincere goal.  There must have been more to this man than meets the eye, as the mayor’s daughter, Adella Adams, eventually agreed to marry him.  Oh, she could have had anyone, considering she came from money, but living in Hans’ tent showed how much she loved him as well.

 

Hans Jensen, photo by Dawn Joyce Boyle.

In 1921, Hans built a small building which became his butcher shop.  With no refrigeration equipment invented yet, he, and Duke Edwards, who worked for Hans, would cut out 100-pound blocks of ice, bury then in dirt, and cover with sawdust during the winter.  In warmer weather, the blocks were hefted onto the roof of the building (Hans had built an insulated box), and this helped keep the provisions cool.  Customers could come to him for cuts of beef or pork, but it was not unusual to see Hans delivering to homes further outside the town, in his Ford Model-T pickup truck.

Hans, Della, and their children (as they grew older) had strong work ethics which helped them prosper, and the City Meat Market became a much needed and wanted business in Monticello.  Now I could go on and on about Hans and his family, and eventually how Blue Mountain Foods, and Meats, became the strongest businesses for the butchering, and the purchasing of meats, fish and poultry.  Instead, I will refer you to an article, in the San Juan Record, Hans and Della Jensen – short in stature, tall in life, 04/28/2010, written by Bill Boyle, grandson of Hans Jensen, and owner of the San Juan Record.   Or, if you happen to have, or can get a copy of, Blue Mountain Shadows, Volume 31/Winter 2005; pages 41-44 have the story of Hans, his family and the development of, not just the business of butchering, but the City Meat Market/Mercantile, including photos.

 

So, how does all this historical rambling of mine lead into a recipe?  Alright, stay with me here…the original members that followed Brigham Young and John Smith came from the east coast.  On the east coast was another group, the Amish, who had come to the United States for religious freedom.  Culturally, it was not unusual for their recipes to have come from their old countries, and carried across the US with those heading to, first Illinois, and ending up in Utah.  Another business that needed to be established were granaries and flour mills, as bread goods were a serious staple for existence, and that meant goods such as noodles and pasta as well.

The recipe I am giving you is called “Pioneer Beef and Noodles”, brought to Utah by the pioneers, and influenced by the Amish.  The recipe is simplistic with the use of wide noodles, created with the flour purchased from the mill, and beef from the local butcher.  Another cultural influence came from the Scandinavians and Slavics, as adding sour cream to the mix, and safe wild mushrooms, would bring us to a simmering pot of Stroganoff.   

 

 

 

In my recipe, I use an Italian herbal mixture and tagliatelle pasta, but that’s creative license on my part, so wide noodles would be more authentic.  With the seasonings, the pioneers used either what they brought with them, or what the Native tribes taught them to be safe and flavorful.

 

 

 

Pioneer Beef and Noodle Skillet Dish

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (93/7)

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups beef broth

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Italian herbal mix

8-12 oz. wide egg noodles, uncooked (or tagliatelle pasta for a more Italian twist)

1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

 

Preparation:

 

 

 

 

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef with onion and garlic over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.

 

 

 

 

Stir in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

 

 

 

Add uncooked egg noodles, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.

 

 

 

Option: Stir in sour cream for creaminess.  For a more “stroganoff” type texture, add one cup of sour cream.  To get even closer to stroganoff, add a cup of chopped mushrooms when browning the beef, onions and garlic.

 

Serves 4-6.

Mary Cokenour 

 

The Mysterious Tea Time.

A common complaint of book readers, when the movie version comes out is, “Hollywood’s butchered the book!”.  Being a huge fan of British detective/mystery novels, I can say, for certain, that their movie studios do the same blasphemy.  Take, for example, Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, in which he directed “his vision” of the novels.  After watching each one, I reread the original novel and simply had to wonder, “What was he on when he adapted the novel into a movie, as it barely resembles each other, and the story and characters are whacked out!?”

Investing in a Fire TV Stick has enabled me to mainline channels devoted to Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence), G.K. Chesterton (Father Brown), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), Margery Allingham (Albert Campion), and a slew of prolific writers of the British mystery novel.  This, of course, also offers me the opportunity to learn about authors I have not read before, and get the novels downloaded onto my Kindle, purchase soft/hard cover copies, or even borrow from the local library.  While the solution to one mystery might be at the end, there is a new beginning upon opening a new cover.

 

Which brings me to, “What do most of British novels have in common?”; well, tea time of course!  That daily ritual of civility in which freshly brewed pots of fragrant teas are served amidst a seriously delectable selection of sandwiches, cakes and pastries.  For the British, tea is the socially accepted norm, and any self-respecting household would serve tea, no matter the situation.  How often we have read or seen a Detective Inspector and his constable enter a home, to question or investigate, and immediately the kettle is put on to boil for a cuppa? 

Tea was not introduced to the British Isles until the 1650s, by Dutch traders who had returned, from China, with ships laden with the most mysterious of foreign goods.  While its initial use was medicinal, it was in the 18^th century that tea houses began to crop up.  By then, the Brits were obsessed with tea drinking, and tea houses became a lucrative business, especially as folks traveled, and required food to be served along with their tea. The favorite of the Brits is black tea with English Breakfast and Earl Grey being the most popular.

Ah yes, the tisane that Hercule Poirot drinks incessantly?  A tisane (pronounced tee-zahn) is a caffeine-free herbal infusion made by steeping herbs, flowers, spices, roots, or fruits in hot water. Unlike traditional teas (black, green, white, oolong), which come from the Camellia sinensis plant, tisanes use other plants, often for their aromatic, soothing, or medicinal properties.

Poor Miss Marple, visiting At Bertram’s Hotel after so many years gone by, and finding that the amazing hotel of her childhood was, well, not changed at all for the better.  Dining with Lady Selina Hazy was an experience of nonstop gossip, and complaints on the quality of cakes offered during tea.  “Is it real seed cake?”, she asks the waiter, who assures her it is, but she is highly doubtful nevertheless.

Seed cake, you ask? First appearing in cookbooks in the 17^th century, it is a type of loaf dessert, what we nowadays call a quick bread.  The main seed used is caraway, a dash of brandy to give it “class”, and while loaded with sugar and butter, it stills tends to be dry, and stick to the roof of the mouth.  It is mentioned in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, “Miss Lavinia and Miss Clarissa partook, in their way, of my joy. It was the pleasantest tea-table in the world. Miss Clarissa presided. I cut and handed the sweet seed-cake – the little sisters had a bird-like fondness for picking up seeds and pecking at sugar.”

Traditional British Seed Cake

(https://britishfoodhistory.com/2021/05/23/to-make-a-seed-cake/)

Ingredients:

175g butter, softened (3/4 cup)

175g caster sugar (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp.)

3 large eggs, beaten

3 tsp. caraway seeds

225g of plain flour, sifted (1 and 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp.)

1 tsp. baking powder

 pinch salt

1 Tbsp. ground almonds

1 Tbsp. milk

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and line a 2-pound loaf tin with baking paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Stir this in along with the salt, almonds, seeds and milk. Mix well to combine evenly. Scrape into the prepared baking tin.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely in the tin. Store in an airtight container. Cut into slices to serve.

Makes one loaf.

Now, why hubby and I happen to enjoy watching the Father Brown series, surprise, surprise, Mrs. McCarthy’s “award winning strawberry scones” are no where to be found in G. K. Chesterton’s written novels.  Do not be put off by the lack of recipe information though; and try this recipe from Our Sunday Visitor.  While typically a strawberry scone, in Britain, is a plain triangular scone, topped with strawberry jam and clotted cream; the television series showed a more “American” version.  The “scone” is more the typical southern style biscuit with whipped cream and fresh, sliced strawberries.  Oh, but please try them with jam and clotted cream and you will not be disappointed in the least.

Mrs. McCarthy’s Award-Winning Strawberry Scones

(https://www.oursundayvisitor.com/tea-with-chesterton-the-mystery-of-father-browns-strawberry-scones/)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

4 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup milk (or 1/3 cup milk and 1/3 cup cream), plus 2 Tbsp. for brushing

1 large egg, fork-whisked

English clotted cream and strawberry jam (to serve)

1/2 pound of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 425F, line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar and salt, and whisk to combine.

Cut the butter into soft chunks and add to the dry ingredients, pinching in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Add the strawberries and stir slightly.

Make a well in the center of the dough, add the egg, milk and cream (or just milk) and fork-whisk to combine. 

Gently stir the wet ingredients through the dry, and then lightly crunch with your hands to bring everything together. The dough should be soft but not too sticky.

Lightly flour a workspace and roll the dough out to a 1-inch thickness.

Cut with a 3-inch round or fluted biscuit cutter.  

Brush the tops with milk, and bake 13-15 minutes until fluffy and turning golden on top.

Serve with clotted cream and strawberry jam (adding more freshly sliced strawberries doesn’t hurt).

Makes 8.

So, as Hercule Poirot would say, “Mon Ami, the screens you stare at, that stop all movement of the eyes, no..no..no.  Pick up the book, allow the eyes to move as they read the words, and feed the little grey cells.”

Mary Cokenour