Nursery Rhyme Recipes - Shortenin' Bread and Pease Porridge.

"Put on the skillet, put on the lid

Mama's gonna make a little short'nin' bread

That ain't all s Mama's gonna do

She's gonna make a little coffee, too

Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',

Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread

Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin'

Her little baby loves short'nin' bread"

James Whitcomb Riley wrote a poem, published in 1900, based upon a song that had been sung by plantation slaves.  Rewritten in 1915, it became a folk song which relayed the hardships of being a plantation slave, and, not just adults, but small children starved to death while asleep in bed.  The song became popularized in 1948 with its release on the album, The Greatest Guest, by the Andrew Sisters.

For those of you whose eyes just popped at the mention of the Andrew Sisters, Maxene, Patty and Laverne were a spectacular trio during the 1930s, 40s and 50s.  They appeared in several movies, including “Buck Privates” and “Hold That Ghost” with Abbott and Costello, and “Road to Rio” with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.  Their most popular song is “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, (1941), and brought back into the limelight by Bette Midler.

By the time the Andrew Sisters sang “Shortenin’ Bread”, the detrimental meanings, behind the song were lost, and it was often looked at as a simple "nursery rhyme" mothers sang to their children.

A recipe I found, for Shortenin’ Bread, reads as follows: Cream together one stick of oleo margarine with a quarter-cup of light brown sugar, then mix in 1¼ cups of flour. Roll the resulting crumbly dough out on a floured board until it’s about a half-inch thick, then use a fruit jar or jelly glass to cut it out into rounds.  Put the rounds in a greased and floured shallow pan, bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes

This recipe sounded so familiar and then I had a “Duh!” moment.  This is when it can be referred back to the San Juan Record article of December 31, 2021, and recipe from The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook for Scottish Shortbread.  Only three ingredients, but confectioners' sugar is used while shortenin' bread uses light brown sugar; measurements are the same for both recipes.  While slaves used lard, margarine is the next best substitute for butter.  Many plantations also harvested sugar cane, and workers were given rations of sugar or molasses.

So, it did make me wonder how a recipe of the 1800s was so similar between Mormon pioneers, and plantation slaves.  Coincidence, I do not believe in those; so, a bit of digging into history was called for. 

Wikipedia article, Mormonism and Slavery, Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were, initially, proslavery.  Smith began to change his views on this issue, and by 1844, his campaign, for President of the United States, ran on an anti-slavery platform. However, this was also the year that he was murdered in Illinois.  Brigham Young led the followers to Utah, and helped to make Utah a "slave state".  One of his teachings was, "inasmuch as we believe in the ordinances of God, in the Priesthood and order and decrees of God, we must believe in slavery".  This quote is taken from, The Teachings of President Brigham Young: Vol. 3 1852–1854, Fred C. Collier, Colliers Publishing Company.

Slaves worked the kitchens of their masters, and used the recipes they were taught by them.  Taking the same recipes and adapting them to provisions available to the slaves was simple enough.  They made do with what they had, or could get their hands on without getting caught.

I baked up a batch, following the recipe I found. While they were good, they were not as sweet as the Scottish type.  The texture was firmer and not as melt-in-the-mouth, so butter does make it better.  Using a ¼ measuring cup as the mold, I was able to create 10 cookies, as that is truly what they are…cookies.  A little hint, a smear of lemon curd, or prickly pear jelly, does a cookie good.

 

Flour Added

Cream Margarine and Brown Sugar

Roll Out Dough

Cut Out Circles of Dough

Before Baking

Let Cool Completely

Next nursery rhyme is Peas Porridge, later reworded as Pease Porridge.  This is going back later in time, around the Medieval Era, but the song relates to the same theme: starvation.

In those olden days, cooking was done with a big kettle that always hung over a fire. Every day the fire was lit, and ingredients added, such as beans, grains, vegetables, and sometimes meat, if lucky.  This stew was for dinner, leftovers stayed in the pot, got cold overnight, and the whole process started over the next day. Nothing was thrown away, only added to.  Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while, hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

Cooking over an open fire, fueled by wood, coal or peat could be compared to modern cooking via crock pot.  Slow, over low heat, and taking many hours to complete.  This became the typical cooking method for those labeled as peasants; eking out a living in agriculture and/or animal husbandry.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, in the 16th century, this stew was called "pottage", and it was not until the 17th century that the word "porridge" was created.  In 1760 the song was published as a nursery rhyme with creator's name unknown.  "Peas" was changed to "Pease" which is a generalized term for oatmeal, since this was the main ingredient for porridge or pudding.   However, in the United Kingdom, pease pudding, also known as pease porridge, is a savory pudding dish made of boiled legumes, typically split yellow peas, with water, salt and spices, and often cooked with bacon or a ham joint.

I was able to find a recipe for Pease Porridge on the food blog, The Spruce Eats, which does not include bacon or ham, but no one will complain if you add either in.  It is rather long in preparation, but you can find the recipe here:  https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-pease-pudding-recipe-435628

There you have it, two nursery rhymes, sung even in this day and age, and both referring to starvation.  Like Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a bit of darkness can be hidden within a tale meant for children.

Mary Cokenour

The Mystery of Joseph Smith and the Washboard Cookie.

Besides using actual cookbooks, there are often times I research recipes, and their origins, online.  Alright Google, give me some interesting results for, “Utah pioneers and recipes they cooked”.  First item was a blogger who referenced newspaper articles and cookbooks, gave recipes, and stated which Mormon “figure head” the recipe was a favorite of.  One such reference was for “Washboard Cookies”, a favorite of Prophet Joseph Smith, and came from The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook which I have used, and referenced, myself. 

Strange, I thought, but while the love of Johnny cakes was linked to Smith, many of the recipes within mentioned Brigham Young more often.  Now there is no index in this cookbook, so turning the pages slowly, my eyes scanned for the recipe, and the mention of Smith.  Nothing.  Alright, let me ask around, and see if those more educated in the Mormon culture could verify this for me.  Hit a roadblock there.  Then I thought to find the origin of washboard cookies, and see if that could get me a linkup.

Washboard cookies, aka lavadores, are Portuguese cookies which have horizontal lines, made with a fork before baking, and resemble the ridges of a washboard.  The original recipe uses lemon for flavoring, but the origin story is basically nonexistent; seems this cookie just always was.  Rereading the countries represented, by the Mormon emigrants who traveled to Utah, Portugal was not one of those countries.  Could there have been folks of Portuguese descent?  Maybe, but too few to get a mention in the cookbook.

Something else that bothered me about the blogger’s cookie recipe, and reference to Smith.  This was supposedly a recipe used by the 1847 pioneers, and instead of lemons, coconut was the main flavoring ingredient.  In 1869, the Mineral Point Tribune, a Wisconsin newspaper, printed the first ever recipe which used coconut as a main ingredient.  Hawaiians did not begin settling onto USA mainland soil, mainly in California, until the late 1800s, and they brought coconuts with them. 

Third issue I have with the blogger’s article was the timeline of how Joseph Smith could have possibly partaken of the cookies made by Utah pioneers.  He could not!  Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the LDS religion, and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were killed by a mob in Carthage, IL, on June 27, 1844.  They were awaiting trial, in the town jail, but became victims of vigilante justice by those in the anti-Mormon movement.  So, to that blogger, I call, “Shenanigans!” on her article, her made up historical reference, and any reference to the cookie recipe in The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook.

Now I am picturing, editor Bill Boyle, of the San Juan Record, rolling his eyes, as he reads my article, and thinking, “There goes Mary pretending to be Miss Marple; it’s just a cookie recipe for heaven’s sake!”

Have I piqued your curiosity about washboard cookies?  I certainly hope so, as I will be giving you an original recipe.  Since I have mentioned a recipe which uses coconut, I will give you that one too.  The original recipe is from Chef Gorete, born in the Azores, is of Portuguese descent, and, of course, can cook and bake the recipes of her ancestry.

 

 

Portuguese Washboard Cookies (Lavadores)

(https://www.food.com/recipe/portuguese-washboard-cookies-lavadores-537531)

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1⁄2 cups sugar, divided

4 large eggs, room temperature 1

 lemon, rind of, grated

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 dash salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix the butter with 1 cup of the sugar on medium high-speed for 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each, until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon rind.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt to combine. Fold the flour into the butter mixture using a spatula, mixing well. Gently knead the dough in the bowl for about 5 minutes.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Using a small cookie scoop, shape pieces of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place the cookies on a parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies gently using the tines of a fork or make the horizontal lines.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until a light golden color. I like to rotate the cookie trays from top to bottom, halfway through the cooking process.

Cool on the cookie trays for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy.

Now the second recipe which does not appear in the cookbook, as a blogger claims, but I will share it anyway.  Even though the origin of the cookie is Portuguese, over the many, many years of creating them, many variations have developed within the country itself.  So, I would rather give credit, for this recipe, to Portugal, and not a blogger with “imaginary facts”.

 

Washboard Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preparation:

Cream together sugars and shortening and beat in eggs. Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to above mixture. Blend in coconut and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and blend into mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and flatten with fork. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Would Joseph Smith have liked washboard cookies?  It is very unlikely we will ever know.  However, something tells me, if cornmeal had been used, the answer would have been a resounding, “Yes!”.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

Pioneers Celebrate with Pork

Welcome July! In Utah, there are two holidays that are celebrated with much revelry, food and fireworks.  July 4^th starts out the month to celebrate the American colonies declaring independence from Mother England.  The end of month celebration is July 24^th, Pioneer Day, which commemorates entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into Utah's Salt Lake Valley in 1847.

Perusing through my collection of Utah state, and Mormon influenced, cookbooks, there was one recipe that seemed to be a popular Pioneer Day dish, Pork Stew.  Salt pork was the main ingredient, if not available, then thick cut bacon was the secondary option.  Now the question is, “Why the use of salt pork?”

First, we have to understand what salt pork is, how it is processed, and why was it so important to the pioneers?  Cut from the pork belly, is resembles uncut bacon, but much fattier.  The excess fat allows for the salt, in the curing process, to be absorbed fully, and preserve the meat.  Layers of salt and pork belly are covered in water and soaked for up to three hours.  The meat is removed and hung to dry before being wrapped carefully.  During the 17^th to 19^th centuries, and mainly used by the military, salt pork could last up to 18 months, so it kept men fed during the worst circumstances.

For pioneers traveling to the untamed West, salt pork was a necessary item on the list of provisions; along with dried fruit, vegetables, spices, grains and a variety of long-lasting food items.  Travel was by wagon train, horses, or on foot; there were no restaurants along the way to feed weary travelers, and no stores to buy more goods.

The Brigham Young caravan left Iowa City to make a 1,300-mile trek to the Great Salt Lake Valley.  They were known as the “hand cart pioneers” as they did not have the benefit of wagons, nor oxen.  Each person was allowed to carry only 17 pounds on their person, while the carts were loaded up from 400 to 500 pounds of food, bedding, clothing and cooking tools.  The carts were pushed and pulled by “people power” only.  Now this is a reenactment I would like to see!

In The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook (page 85) and Utah Cook Book (page 33), there are two very similar recipes, both giving credit to the 1847 pioneers.  Salt pork, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, water, pepper are the ingredients listed.  Salt?  There was already an abundance of salt preserving the pork, so adding would have made the stew inedible.  Basic preparation was to add all ingredients to a pot, place over the fire and cook until the potatoes were tender.

Nowadays, we have available a huge variety of foods, spices, and cooking gadgets that surely outshine those simple recipes from long ago.  To make my updated version of pioneer pork stew, pork, potatoes, onions and tomatoes were a must; adding beans, garlic and chili powder gives it a deeper southwestern flair.  Oh, and instead of salt pork or thick cut bacon, I cheated and used boneless pork chops which are leaner.  Come now, you know how I do not follow rules when I can get away with it.

 

Pork Chop Stew

 

Ingredients:

6 (2 lbs.) boneless pork loin chops

5 small potatoes, peeled, cubed and parboiled

1 medium onion, chopped

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 cups red kidney beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed

5 plum (Roma) tomatoes, chopped

2 Tbsp. flour

2 cups beef broth

Preparation:

Spray a 4-quart crock pot dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Begin placing layers of ingredients inside:  pork chops; potatoes and onion mixed together; sprinkle spices evenly; kidney beans; tomatoes.

 

 

 

 

In a small bowl, whisk flour into the beef broth to create a slurry; pour over all ingredients in the crock pot dish.  Cover, set on low and cook for 6-8 hours; potatoes, beans and pork should be fork tender.

Makes six servings.

Perhaps, when celebrating this year, you might consider cooking up some of those recipes from the pioneers, and get the full effect of what their first celebration was like.

Mary Cokenour