The CWI Cookbook

Posts Tagged ‘Anchovies’

 4 anchovies, chopped
2 c. white wine
1 plus 2 tbs. vinegar
1 onion
3 whole cloves
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
1 tbs. flour
1/2 pint cream

Four anchovies chopped, two glasses of white wine, a large one of vinegar, an onion stuck with three cloves, and cut into quarters; let all these simmer till the anchovies dissolve; strain it, and add a quarter of a pound of butter kneaded in a table-spoonful of flour. When it has melted, stir in gradually, one way, half a pint of cream, taking care that it do not boil. When thoroughly heated, serve in a sauce-tureen.

From: The Cook’s Own Book by “A Boston Housekeeper” [Mrs. N. K. M. Lee], Boston, 1832

Comment: This recipe really ought to be called “Anchovy Butter,” although those of a medical persuasion would probably prefer that it be called “Prescription for Cardiac Arrest Or At the Very Least A Horrible Case of Gout.” The directive to “stir [the cream] in one way” means that you can stir either clockwise or counter-clockwise but must pick one or the other and stick to it, not reversing direction halfway through. The idea is to blend the cream into the mixture as gently as possible so as to decrease the chances of it suddenly curdling up as it will be inclined to do in the presence of vinegar and wine.

 Anchovies
Mushroom catsup
Walnut pickle
1 gal. Madeira wine
Black mustard seed

Take a common sized pot of anchovies, bruise and strain them; add a quart of mushroom catsup, a quart of walnut pickle, a gallon of Madeira wine, and a little black mustardseed; boil half an hour, bottle, and cork tight; seal with wax, and in ten days the soy will be fit for use.

From The Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge, Charleston S.C. 1847

Comment: The briefest glance at the ingredients here will tell you that the word “soy” has undergone a pretty massive shift in meaning from the 19th century to today. If you were expecting a black fluid based on the soybean, go scarf a few packets at your local Chinese takeout. This “soy” is a different thing altogether, much more closely related to the “catsups” of the period, as indeed “mushroom catsup” is one of the ingredients above.

The quantities called for here would make enough sauce to last for many months or even years unless the household was a very large one indeed. Recipes which call for soy as an ingredient rarely ask for more than a tablespoon or two. This was probably stored in the large crock mentioned above, then a pint or so would be tapped off periodically into a smaller vessel for kitchen or table use.