Mid-century meals that deserve a second glance
The phrase "jello mold" or "aspic," might send shivers up your spine, and to be sure, cooking from the mid-20th century doesn't have the best reputation.
Mid Century Menu is out to change that perception.
Ruth Clark, who runs the website, tells Mashable the site started as a weekly feature on another site. Her husband promised to try any recipe she made from her vintage cookbooks, which still continues to be the site's premise. She cooks, he tastes and the verdict is preserved for internet posterity.
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"I have a deep respect and appreciation for all the cooks, housewives and home economists who came before us and tried what they did so that we can enjoy the level of culinary knowledge that we do right now," Clark said. "Even though we poke fun at the food photography and excessive uses of gelatin, behind those trends was a solid knowledge of food that made such experimentation possible."
She is a big fan of the era's desserts and homemade salad dressings, but has no illusions about everything being delicious.
"While I enjoy seeing the recipes for whole fish blanketed with American cheese sauce and olives jammed into their eye sockets, I really don’t want to eat any of it."
That said, it surely is fun to see her ask her husband to try the stuff.
However, for every "weird" cherry catsup salad (for the record, cherry gelatin, catsup and celery need never meet), there is a delicious recipe that deserves its day in the sun.
Black forest cake made with tomato soup (a common Depression-era cake ingredient) is surprisingly moist and even, "amazing."
Philly hostess dip from 1950 is made with mayonnaise, horseradish and cream cheese. It's also, "zesty and creamy with a bit of a sour tang from the lemon juice[...] excellent with Fritos."
Spicy party waffles, circa 1963 are, "a really fun interactive dessert for dinner party guests or to entertain your family this fall."
Even pickle and pineapple gelatin scored rave reviews. "This WAS good. It lacked that horrible gag factor that usually comes when you put olives in gelatin. It was mind boggling. This proves that all gelatin recipes must be tested before being judged gross!"
Before making fun of your grandma's vintage cookbook collection, try a recipe or two. You might just surprise yourself by loving tomato aspic or meatloaf "Wellington."
Sarah Spigelman Richter is a contributor to Mashable's Food channel. Sarah covers everything edible, from the food industry to D.I.Y. recipes. She was previously the community manager for Tastemade NYC and her writing has been seen on The Today Show's food blog, Refinery 29, the Food Network, and Gothamist. She has also developed recipes for Tabasco and other nationally recognized brands and has blogged for 5 years at "Fritos and Foie Gras." Sarah is obsessed with "Orphan Black" and chili-cheese Fritos and is still depressed that Loehmann's closed.
