VINTAGE COOKBOOK HUMOR
PUT A LITTLE COOKBOOK HUMOR IN YOUR LIFE
Last month while browsing a new (to me) antique mall in the small, rural town of Tenino, WA, I stumbled across a mother-load of collectible cookbooks. One of them was “MAMA WEISS: favorite Recipes. This is a 171 page, spiral-bound cookbook from 1953.
MAMA WEISS – 1953
If the cover doesn’t cause you to pick it up, certainly some of the entertaining ethnic recipes inside will cause you to take it to the cash register. By the way, I paid $2.00 for this one!
MAMA WEISS’ INTRODUCTION
“Much of the household warmth comes from the kitchen–as does the food that sustains the family.
“Cooking doesn’t have to be drudgery–and it doesn’t have to be a fine culinary art. I think of it as a combination of common sense, adventure and fun.
“My whole life has centered around the kitchen. When I was a child my mother taught me how to cook the hearty but economical dishes of rural Hungary–the nourishing soups, the shepherd’s goulash, good bread and other simple but tasty dishes designed to feed a family of fourteen for the least amount of money.
“As a young girl in Budapest and Vienna I learned the finer points of European cookery–the wonderful pastries of Mme. Sacher’s famous restaurant–the delicious meats and natural sauces served at the Gellert Hotel–the fine coffee cake at the sidewalk cafe.
“It is rare that I can use a recipe in its original form. Instinct and my own personal taste require that I add a little more of one ingredient–or perhaps leave another out completely. that is why it is so hard for me to give a recipe in exact measurements. The most important ingredient is your own taste.
“A good cook uses all the senses–and if the dish you are making doesn’t come out exactly right the first time…who cares? The next time you try it, experiment a little. Soon you will get the feel of it–and cooking willbe fun.
“There is one other basic ingredient that I always use when I cook or bake. I always add a pinch of melody. Make sure that this ingredient is in all your recipes.
“Good cooks are not born–they get that way by cooking and tasting, by smelling and touching and listening. It’s a wonderful adventure–so hum your favorite melody and come, follow me…”
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Tell me, is this a happy cook, or not?
MAMA WEISS – 1953
Check out this unique recipe from MAMA WEISS:
SWEET LETTERS
Dough
1/2 pound butter
1/2 pound flour
4 yolks of hard boiled eggs (grated)
Filling
3 egg whites
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 pound almonds (ground)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Beat the egg whites stiff. Add the sugar and lemon juice gradually as you continue to beat. Add the almonds. Roll the balls of dough out into the shape of a square. Bring each corner of the dough to the center so that it has the appearance of an envelope. Place in a greased baking pan and brush with egg white or sour cream. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in a preheated oven.
Well folks, that’s about it for today. Be sure to sign up with your name and email address so I can keep you informed of future postings. I promise that I’ll never share your valued information. Also, when you do sign up you’ll get directions for downloading a cookbook that I compiled just for you called “100 Unique Recipes from the Past”.
Tim
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Tags: Budapest recipes, cookbooks, ethnic cooking, European recipes, Gellert Hotel, Hungary recipes, Mama Weiss, Mme. Sacher's restaurant, recipes, Vienna recipes, vintage cookbook
