by Elsa Shepard
ASHTABULA, Ohio — The Finnish American Heritage Association has plans to have its annual meeting on Saturday, October 17 at 1 pm at the Finnish American Cultural Center and museum. We hope to have a representative from the Ashtabula County Museum Association give a short presentation. Please check our website: faha-ashtabula.org or contact Linda Riddell for further info.
Also in the planning stage is a Finnish Independence Day meeting on Saturday, December 5. Past years have forced us to be snowed-out, so we are considering the time. Members will be notified by mail for both events.
The following article is from the current issue of the “Ancestor Hunt” publication, published quarterly by the Ashtabula County Genealogical Society. Researched and edited by FAHA member Paula Raffenaud, the article is about a Finnish cookbook, first published in or near 1916 by August Edwards in Ashtabula. Edwards was the editor of “Amerikan Sanomat” from 1896 to 1913. With permission from Paula, here is the article titled “What Did Your Great Grandparents Eat?” Keep in mind in the early 1900s the American diet was heavy on meat, bread, potatoes and preserved foods, with very little of the variety we take for granted today. Families spent a staggering 42.5% of their income on food alone, and what landed on the plate depended heavily on the season, where you lived, and how you could keep food from spoiling. Pork was prized because it preserved so well. Salt pork, smoked ham, and bacon could last for weeks or months without refrigeration, making them a reliable protein source throughout the winter. Chicken was not the everyday protein it would later become.
“If you desire to obtain very nice and palatable dishes you will of course be particular in the selection of meats to be used. Meat from old lean animals has a coarse, skinny fat, while the lean part (the meat itself) has a dark red color. To test the meat, press the finger into it. If the pressed part immediately swells up again then it is fresh and good, but if the hole made swells out slowly you can take for granted that the meat is old and bad.”
Roast beef
Take a chunk of meat (according to pleasure as regard to size). Beat thoroughly all over, lay it in the roasting pan and baste with melted butter. Put it in a well heated oven and while roasting baste it frequently with its own drippings which will make it brown and tender. If growing too brown due to fast roasting, add a glass of cooing wine to the bottom of the pan and repeat often if the gravy cooks away. Season with salt and pepper. You may squeeze a little lemon juice over it.
Chicken with onions
Cut a chicken into pieces, put in a kettle. (But save the blood in a vessel.) Boil with pepper and salt, let it brown lightly. Sprinkle with flour and stir a few minutes. Add a quart of bouillon and a pint of red wine. Force 12 Spanish onions through a sieve and add that with spices. Thirty minutes later add 15 small champignons, brown in butter and a little lemon juice. Thicken the sauce with the blood set aside for this purpose and pour over the chicken.
There was also a Roast Pigeon recipe, but I didn’t feel the need to share with you. You’re welcome!”