Your Favourite Cooking Shows Past and Present

[lordkenmore]

I seem to recall the Frugal Gourmet whipping up some special treat using offal. He was very stern, telling those of us about to puke or pass out (which included your Lord Kenmore!) that these same ingredients could be found in hot dogs. Since that time, I have lost interest in hot dogs.

Another thought about pet food hit me after making my last post: the time my family regularly ate pet food!

No, we didn't dine on Alpo. But for many years, a grocery store where my mother shopped sold "bones for your dog" in the meat department at dirt cheap prices. Those worked quite well for making soup stock. We used a fair amount of stock--not as much as Julia Child, perhaps, but one common meal in winter was beef stock-based vegetable soup. These bones were a huge value--they were cheap, and worked for a dish we liked. Then, after cooking, it seems to me they went to the dog, as intended by the label. They just made a small side trip through the 5 qt Dutch oven! Now, all I ever see are "soup bones" with a price that--I'm guessing--is a lot higher than when the same product was sold for the family dog.

 

[launderess]

Bones

Local butchers and supermarkets did the same when I was young as well. Though IIRC, they gave away the bones for free. At least remember asking our local butcher for some for our dogs and never saw it listed on the (handwritten) bill.

Stock wasn't big in our house, but mother did keep the carcass from Thanksgiving turkey to boil down for soup.

Offal when not considered a treat, was often the only way poor families got meat. This has been true for ages, and it explains all the recipes from certain parts of "the old country" where persons were living rough.

Of course some will say "why didn't they just go and hunt some game"? Well in the old days there wasn't much "public land" to hunt on, it usually belong to royalty or someone wealthy, and killing animals on someone's elses land is called poaching, a very serious offense. Not that people didn't do it (hey, when you've got mouths to feed, desparte times call for desparate measures), but the punishment for knocking off a few rabbits was severe.

 

[lordkenmore]

Ah, yes--save the turkey carcass for soup. Another story I remember: turkey carcass-based soup was big deal in my father's family. In the early years of being married to my mother, he was so moved by this memory that he rushed out and bought my mother a stock pot. It was a huge pot. It was also the worst piece of cookware EVER to be seen in our kitchen. My mother was so happy when it vanished to the attic to catch drips from the leaking roof. I, however, was sad that day. That stockpot was fun to play with!

As for "poor" people's meals, like offal, it's funny how so often what was once for the poor has become "higher end." At least, in the US. I can't say for sure--and I'm right now too lazy to do research--but I'd bet boeuf bourguignon started out life as a way of making do with a cheap cut of meat. Now, to American ears, it sounds hopelessly high class--both because of the fancy French name, and also the labor intensive cooking with exotic ingredients including wine.

 

[launderess]

Boeuf Bourguignon

Is really nothing more than a very fancy (and time consuming) version of beef stew. I'd make it if one wasn't far to busy these days. Should never get any Rummy (as in Gin) played if one started messing about with BB for Sunday dinner. *LOL*

 

[lordkenmore]

I'd make [boeuf bourguignon] if one wasn't far to busy these days.

I know that feeling. Although it's not necessarily that bad for time, at least compared to some dishes. Like those fascinating little Julia Child recipes that begin with: "Two months before you wish to dine..."

A lot does hinge on the recipe. My mother used some quick recipe she'd once found in a "good eats, fast" cookbook. (This was by older standards, not the "it had better have 5 minutes or less total time, including microwaving, or else!") I once tried Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon, complete with lardons. It seemed like it took all afternoon, and just about pot, pan, and utensil in the kitchen. I remember finishing the prep, having the dish gently simmering, looking at that mountain of dishes that needed to be done, and deciding I couldn't face it and it was time for a nap, instead. My mother took pity, did the dishes, and was even nice enough to not to say, "See why I use MY recipe?"

Boeuf bourguignon (using that quick recipe) was one of my mother's staple dishes. Yes, even as a quick version, it took time, and it wasn't something I'd see every week or even every month. But it was something she liked for when she wanted something a little special. In that era of cheap hamburger, cheap pork chops, and regular vegetarian, boeuf bourguignon was definitely special. Dishes like boeuf bourguignon were often her choices for when she had people over for dinner. Not technically formal, perhaps, but they did have a certain foreign flair. Plus she liked having as much done early in the day as possible. That way, there was no last minute stress getting something temperamental finished perfectly at the right time. Also I assume it meant she could spend more time with guests.

These days, I seldom cook any of the above. Time, and the fact that it's only me, are both major issues. I suppose if I were set up for freezing meals, I might consider something time consuming. Then, again, maybe not--I'd worry about losing my hard work during a power failure!

 

[spiceman1957]

The One and Only Julia Child

is my most favorite. Even though her recipes are time consuming, she did bring cooking, specifically French cooking to Americans. LordKenmore, if you can post your mother's recipe for beef bourguignon you mentioned, that would be great. Nothing like taking a complex recipe and bring it down to every one's level.
John

 

[lordkenmore]

"Even though her recipes are time consuming, she did bring cooking, specifically French cooking to Americans."

She definitely did that. I may (and do) joke about how long her recipes can be, but I have had a great deal of respect for her ever since I first read one of her books years back when I was first cooking. I'm sure things I read in her books are still influencing me today.

As for the time and complexity of her recipes, yes, some of her recipes can be huge time hogs. Although, to be fair, some of her recipes aren't that bad for time.

I'm not an expert on French cooking, but I have a feeling a part of the problem with Julia Child's more complicated recipes wasn't Julia Child, but the nature of the French cuisine she worked with. She apparently aimed to make things authentic, and correct--and sometimes that meant it took a long time. Unfortunately, that time was necessary. You can sometimes make shortcuts, and survive. But you go too far, and you end up with one of those alleged "authentic" recipes that might be fast and easy, but has no resemblance whatever to the original.

One thing that has also impressed me is how Julia Child taught basics that you can use away from her recipes. My impression is that so many books and TV shows do a poor job teaching anything more than a single recipe. Julia Child taught recipes, but also taught skills (and would point them out) that could be applied elsewhere. Those skills can be invaluable.

 

[lordkenmore]

As for the recipe for my mother's boeuf bourguignon, I'll look. But, unfortunately, I think it might be lost in the sands of time. It came out of some cook book that I never had. My mother is long gone, so I can't ask her. It is possible, however, that a copy of the recipe ended up someplace else--like a notebook she had.

There are many recipes on the Internet, but reading them, they clearly are going to create a different dish, although they may be good in their own way. I wouldn't hesitate trying something that looks promising.

My best recollection was that my mother's recipe would basically have been a simplified, streamlined version of the recipe Julia Child taught on The French Chef. This was reprinted in a book of that title, which was where I got it. Thus, if I wanted to find a similar recipe, I'd look for one similar to, but a simplified/streamlined version of, Child's. (The two huge deviations I saw with recipes on the Internet are the addition of a carrot, and--sometimes--use of a fast cooking beef to make a stew that cooks in next to no time).

 

[spookiness]

Martha, Everyday Food

I have intermittently subscribed to MS Living over the years, mainly for the pictures and not so much for the recipes.

On the other hand, I recently used up some frequent flyer miles and subscribed to MS "Everyday Food". This is a little magazine the size of a TV guide. The recipes are good and not terribly complicated, with common ingredients.

One really good feature is that it gives you a shopping list for a week, with accompanying recipes for 5 nights of dinners.

I have suggest this magazine for a couple of young single non-cooks, and they really liked it. Personally, like most food-oriented magazines, I cook some of the recipes, but I use them more as guides for ideas, inspiration, and improvisation.