Anadama Bread

This soft, comfortingly sweet, cornmeal-and-molasses bread has a colorful history. For years, New Englanders have passed down two stories that attempt to explain the meaning of this bread’s unique name. Both revolve around a fishing village household. The first tells of a Gloucester, Massachusetts, fisherman, whose wife, Anna, prepared nothing for him to eat but a bowl of cornmeal and molasses. Desirous of something different to eat, one day he added yeast and flour to his daily gruel, in an attempt to create a tasteful bread. So frustrated was he in this endeavor that he grumbled, “Anna, damn her!”

A similar but more endearing story tells of a sea captain whose wife, Anna, was quite a good baker and renowned for her cornmeal and molasses bread. New England lore suggests that upon her death her gravestone read, “Anna was a lovely bride, but Anna, damn ’er, up and died.”

Makes 2 loaves

• 2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (110° to 115°F)
• 3/4 cup coarse yellow cornmeal, plus extra for coating pan
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 51/2 cups bread flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the yeast and the warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment, and beat in the cornmeal, molasses, butter, and salt. Mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time, to make a moderately stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface, and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic, adding only enough flour to prevent sticking.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated with vegetable oil, and turn the dough to coat all surfaces. Cover with a slightly damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 to 11/2 hours, until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down. Turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface, and divide it in half. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a large baking pan with butter, and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Shape each half of the dough into a ball. Place the balls, smooth sides up, on the prepared baking pan. Flatten each ball into a 6-inch round loaf. Cover and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes, until almost doubled in size.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.

Remove the bread from the baking pans. Serve warm, or cooled and toasted.

George Washington would have caught sturgeon from the nearby Potomac River near his estate, Mount Vernon. While it is an unsightly fish by today’s standards, it was a popular menu option for early Americans as it was readily available. It still makes a delicious entrée. This recipes is based on an original version written by Mary Randolph originally published in The Virginia Housewife.

Serves 6 to 8

• 2 lb. sturgeon
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small bunch of herbs, including parsley, thyme and chives
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 pt. white wine
• 1/4 lb. butter
• crabmeat stuffing, recipe follows
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 lemon wedges, for garnish
• 1 bunch chervil, for garnish
• citrus vinaigrette, recipes follows

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Clean and debone the fish thoroughly and skin it. Cut fillets of the fish, slicing a pocket inside each fillet, but not cutting through the end.

Stuff the fillets with the crabmeat stuffing, leaving a mound on top for presentation.

Place fillets in baking dish and pour white wine on top. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes, allowing the fish to simmer in the wine sauce and basting occasionally.

Remove from oven, plate on a platter and garnish with lemon wedges and chervil. Drizzle with citrus vinaigrette.

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From The City Tavern: Recipes from the Birthplace of American Cuisine, ©2009 by Walter Staib

In colonial times, chickens were raised mainly for their eggs, which were prized for baking. Older chickens that no longer produced eggs were then used in stews and soups like this one. These chickens normally were fattier than younger hens, and colonial housewives used this to their advantage by rendering the fat to use as a flavorful alternative to butter or lard in other dishes. Adding egg noodles, a traditional German preparation, lent texture to the soup and served as a means of transforming the soup into a more hearty meal that could feed an entire family.

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 quarts Chicken Stock
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 pound boneless chicken (white or dark meat), cooked and chopped
• 8 ounces Egg Noodles , cooked and drained
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter over medium heat, until softened and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the celery and carrots, and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes more, until softened.

Stir in the stock and thyme, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the stock is reduced by one-third.

Lift out the thyme and add the chicken and egg noodles. Simmer until heated and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup in a tureen or in individual bowls garnished with parsley.

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in the style of Benjamin Franklin

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Letter from Benjamin Franklin to John Bartram, a preeminent horticulturist in Philadelphia whose home on the banks of the Schuylkill River, Bartram’s Gardens, is America’s oldest living botanical garden.

London, January 11, 1770

“My ever dear Friend: I send Chinese Garavances. Cheese [is] made of them, in China, which so excited my curiosity. Some runnings of salt (I suppose runnet) is put into water, when the meal is in it, to turn to curds. These … are what the Tau-fu is made of.”

Serves 4 to 6

• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh Thai peppers, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced into half moon shape
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh lemongrass
• 2 Tablespoons Curry powder
• 1 pound deveined shrimp
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 baby bok choy, cut in quarters
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 20 ounces firm tofu, cut in large cubes

Heat the sesame oil over high heat. Add the Thai pepper, garlic & onion. Cook until onions are translucent, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the ginger, lemongrass, curry powder & shrimp. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine & cream, add bok choy & salt & pepper. Let simmer until bok choy is bright in color and tender. Let sauce reduce for about 5 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add tofu & continue to cook until warmed through. Season again with salt & pepper, if desired. Serve over steamed rice.

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From Dining at Monticello ©2005 edited by Damon Lee Fowler

This is one of the recipes copied out by Jefferson himself, originally entitled “A Cabbage Pudding.” Cooked whole and wrapped in a cloth, it does resemble the boiled puddings of the day. I have added illuminating details from Mary Randolph’s rendition, mixing some of the heart of the cabbage with the stuffing and serving it “whole with a little melted butter in the dish.” Since Jefferson only listed “sweet herbs,” I’ve chosen the herbs usually used with beef in the period. Originally, the beef was finely chopped by hand, not ground, but readers who are not as concerned for authenticity may substitute ground beef. At Monticello, they would most likely have used a tin-lined copper or iron pot – and may have cooked in on the stew stove. For home cooks today, a heavy-bottomed stewing pan or Dutch oven will answer. It’s a lovely recipe, and not as complicated as it looks.

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 large green cabbage (about 2 pounds)
• 8 ounces very lean beef sirloin, finely chopped
• 8 ounces beef suet, finely chopped
• 1 small white onion, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, marjoram, or summer savory or 2 teaspoons crumbled
• dried herbs
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• Salt
• Whole black pepper in a pepper mill
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

During the long winter at Valley Forge, George Washington instructed his cook to make this soup to nourish and warm his starving, freezing troops. Though this West Indian dish may seem out of place in colonial American life, it was in fact quite common in and around Philadelphia, the last stop for ships traveling the Southern Trade Route. English ships returning from the islands transported slaves and exotic foodstuffs, so West Indian cookery found its way into the very fabric of Philadelphia life. It is assumed that Washington was familiar with pepperpot soup long before he camped at Valley Forge. During his only trip abroad in 1751, Washington visited his brother Lawrence in Barbados, where he enjoyed Cohobblopot, a version of pepperpot soup made with okra. The recipe below is the grandfather to the more widely recognized Philadelphia Pepperpot Soup, and is made from an authentic West Indian recipe more than 300 years old.

Serves 10

• 3/4 pound salt-cured pork shoulder, diced (see Chef’s Note)
• 3/4 pound salt-cured beef shoulder, diced (see Chef’s Note)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 habañero pepper, seeded and chopped (see Chef’s Note)
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 1 pound taro root, peeled and diced
• 1 gallon Beef Stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground allspice (see Chef’s Note)
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
• 1 pound callaloo or collard greens, rinsed and chopped (see Chef’s Note)
• Salt

In a large stockpot, sauté the pork and beef in the oil over high heat for 10 minutes, until brown. Add the onion, garlic, and habañero pepper, and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the scallions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the taro root and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes more, until translucent. Add the stock, bay leaves, thyme, allspice, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes, until the meat and taro root are tender. Stir in the callaloo. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the callaloo is wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in a tureen or divide among individual soup bowls.

Chef’s Notes

To salt-cure pork and beef shoulder, choose meat that appears well-marbled, then rub with coarse (kosher) salt and refrigerate for at least three days. Wash the salt off the meat before cooking as directed.

The heat factor of peppers is measured by Scoville heat units. A jalapeño has 80,000 Scoville heat units while habañeros from Jamaica or Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula have been found to have 550,000 Scoville heat units. Always wear rubber gloves when handling this fiery pepper.

The allspice must be freshly ground, or the flavor will be compromised.

The only substitution you can make in this recipe and still achieve the intended flavor is to use collard greens instead of callaloo, the leafy top of the taro root.

History and Cooking

18th Century Philadelphia was on the Southern trade route, with ships arriving daily from the West Indies. In this episode, we discover that dishes like Salmon Escoveitch and Salmon Corn Cakes got their flair from West Indies spices, which were abundant in that era. We are also introduced to the Subscription Room – the world news headquarters of its time.