Savor the flavors of classic recipes from the previous generations with these delicious and easy-to-make old-fashioned vintage recipes.

Amish Church Soup

This is another simple and nutritious soup that deserves more attention these days. It hails from the Depression and still makes a great lunch. My mother ate it with biscuits, but I like a nice crunchy artisan loaf.

Serves 6 | Prep. time 5 min. | Cooking time 30 min.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 3 cups cooked navy beans
• 1 small carrot, finely diced
• 4 cups milk
• 4 slices buttered bread, cut into small chunks
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven and brown the onions.
2. Add the beans, carrot, and milk, and bring it up to a boil, add the bread and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, and then take it off the heat.
3. For thicker soup. Mash some of the beans and stir them back in.
4. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the chives and serve.

 

 

Chicken Fricassee

This recipe is similar to one found in The International Jewish Cookbook, which was published in 1919. My grandmother made it often.

Serves 4–6 | Prep. time 10 min. | Cooking time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 5 pounds
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 parsnip root, peeled and chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ¼ cup parsley

Directions

1. Cut up the chicken into serving pieces.
2. Place a pot with a tight-fitting lid onto the stove, and put the chicken fat in the bottom of it.
3. Sprinkle the onion, parsnip, carrot, and celery on top of the chicken fat, and pour a few tablespoons of water over it.
4. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and ginger, and layer the pieces on top of the fat with the largest ones on the bottom.
5. Cover the pot and place it on the back of the stove (over low heat) and add more water if necessary.
6. Cook for an hour. Toward the end, you can thicken the drippings with a little flour, and shake the pot a bit to prevent lumps.
7. When you’re ready to serve, chop up some parsley and sprinkle it over the chicken.

 

 

Smothered Swiss Steak

Nothing beats coming in from outdoors on a cold winter afternoon to the smell of this dish bubbling away. This is our family recipe; I hope you like it. It’s not from Switzerland; in fact, the name comes from the old way of tenderizing meat by hitting it with a mallet or rolling it with a rolling pin – “swissing.”

Serves 4–6 | Prep. time 10 min. | Cooking time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds round steak, cut into serving pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup shortening
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Mashed potatoes for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Using a meat mallet, pound the steaks on both sides.
3. Season the meat with salt and pepper, and toss it in the flour to coat.
4. Melt the shortening in a Dutch oven and brown the meat.
5. On top of the meat, add the onion, celery, pepper, mushrooms, and garlic.
6. In a bowl, mix the tomato paste with the stewed tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar, and pour that over.
7. Cover, and bake for 1½ hours. Serve over mashed potatoes.

 

 

Creole Rice

There are so many recipes for this rice dish, but what’s lovely about the old ones is the simplicity of the ingredients list. The 1920s cook used what was easily on hand.

Serves 4–6 | Prep. time 5 min. | Cooking time 20 min.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons butter or bacon grease
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cup canned tomatoes, rubbed through a sieve
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Optional: ½ cup ham or cooked sliced sausages

Directions

1. Melt the butter or bacon fat in a skillet and cook the onion and green pepper until softened.
2. Add the tomatoes, rice, salt, paprika, and meat if using, and cook to heat through.

 

 

Flapper Pie

Another wonderful recipe that has been lost in time. My grandmother on my father’s side used to make it often for her family. It was on all the menus in dinners restaurant in the 1920s. This recipe was written on a piece of paper that I found in an old cookbook my grandma gave me when I got married. I have made it a few times and it always impresses me.

Serves 6-8 | Prep. time 20 min. | Cooking time 10-15 min

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1¼ cups graham crackers, finely crushed
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• Dash cinnamon

For the filling

• 2 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch salt
• Meringue topping

Directions

To make the crust

1. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Set aside 2 tablespoons for garnish.
2. Press the mixture into a pie pan to form a shell, and refrigerate to set.

To make the filling

3. In a saucepan, combine the filling ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
4. Continue cooking until the custard has thickened.
5. Allow the mixture to cool while preparing the meringue topping.

To assemble and bake

6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Spread the filling in the crust while it is still slightly warm, and spoon the meringue on top.
8. Swirl the meringue with a fork and swirl to form peaks.
9. Bake until the meringue is golden brown (about 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle with the reserved crust mixture to garnish.

 

 

 

***These recipes and more can be found in Louise Davidson’s Vintage Recipes: Timeless and Memorable Old-Fashioned Meals from Our Grandmothers. To get your copy, click on the cover or click here.

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