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The Quest for Antique Cooking
Andy Newbrey
My two most favorite times of year are spring and fall. Everything is in a
state of change. Things grow in the spring, turning multiple shades and
hues of green. Thundershowers turn our Kansas landscapes to neon
richness: flowers blossom and gardens spring up, ready to produce.
The world is alive and ready.
In the fall the plant world goes to sleep; dieing in a great splendor of
reds, yellows, tans and browns. All dance together in a wonderful
eruption of color before it’s gone. The air is cool, the days shorter and
families begin to nestle in for the winter to come.
One springtime, years ago, my mother and I were working in the garden,
hoeing weeds and cutting lettuce for the evening. I, for some reason,
was doing nothing and finally let her know how “boring” the whole thing
was. To which she replied without even looking up, “If you’re bored you
may be a boring person.”
That was the last time I remember being bored. To this day, when
things slow down (which is rare) my mind races with things to do or
create.
That memory came to me with this familiar recipe from an old 1930’s
cookbook. It’s one that probably every grandmother has known for
decades and is wonderful in the spring with fresh, sweet lettuce strait
from the garden. (If you don’t have a garden, find someone who does
and bake that person a cake. It’s a fair trade.)
Wilted Lettuce
4 Cups chopped lettuce
6 to 8 slices of Hickory Smoked Bacon
½ Cup Water
1 Small Onion Chopped
¼ Cup Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Sugar
Salt & Pepper
Brown the bacon in a cast iron skillet. Remove the bacon and combine it
with lettuce and onion in a large mixing bowl. Combine vinegar, water,
bacon grease and sugar and heat to a boil. Once it reaches boiling,
pour it all over the lettuce and onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve it
hot.
Andy Newbrey
My two most favorite times of year are spring and fall. Everything is in a
state of change. Things grow in the spring, turning multiple shades and
hues of green. Thundershowers turn our Kansas landscapes to neon
richness: flowers blossom and gardens spring up, ready to produce.
The world is alive and ready.
In the fall the plant world goes to sleep; dieing in a great splendor of
reds, yellows, tans and browns. All dance together in a wonderful
eruption of color before it’s gone. The air is cool, the days shorter and
families begin to nestle in for the winter to come.
One springtime, years ago, my mother and I were working in the garden,
hoeing weeds and cutting lettuce for the evening. I, for some reason,
was doing nothing and finally let her know how “boring” the whole thing
was. To which she replied without even looking up, “If you’re bored you
may be a boring person.”
That was the last time I remember being bored. To this day, when
things slow down (which is rare) my mind races with things to do or
create.
That memory came to me with this familiar recipe from an old 1930’s
cookbook. It’s one that probably every grandmother has known for
decades and is wonderful in the spring with fresh, sweet lettuce strait
from the garden. (If you don’t have a garden, find someone who does
and bake that person a cake. It’s a fair trade.)
Wilted Lettuce
4 Cups chopped lettuce
6 to 8 slices of Hickory Smoked Bacon
½ Cup Water
1 Small Onion Chopped
¼ Cup Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Sugar
Salt & Pepper
Brown the bacon in a cast iron skillet. Remove the bacon and combine it
with lettuce and onion in a large mixing bowl. Combine vinegar, water,
bacon grease and sugar and heat to a boil. Once it reaches boiling,
pour it all over the lettuce and onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve it
hot.
