Hercules' period recipes

Original Hoecake Recipe

(Excerpt from a letter written at Woodlawn Plantation by Nelly Custis Lewis, Martha Washington's youngest granddaughter, to her long-time friend, Elizabeth Bordley Gibson of Philadelphia)
January 7, 1821:
    "...The bread business is as follows-if you wish to make 21/2 quarts of flour up-take at night one quart of flour, five table spoonfuls of yeast & as much lukewarm water as will make it the consistency of pancake batter, mix it in a large stone pot & set it near a warm hearth (or a moderate fire) make it at candlelight & let it remain until the next morning then add the remaining quart & a half by degrees with aspoon [sic]- when well mixed let it stand 15 or 20 minutes & then bake it-of this dough in the morning, beat up a white & half of the yolk of an egg-add as much lukewarm water as will make it like pancake batter, drop a spoonful at a time on a hoe or griddle (as we say in the South) — When done on one side turn the other-the griddle must be rubbed in the first instance with a piece of beet suet or the fat of cole corned beef..."
Adaptation of Hoecake Recipe
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
41/3 cups white cornmeal
Just shy of 3/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Warm water
Shortening or other cooking grease
Honey (buckwheat honey is really good with hoecakes)
Butter
1. In large container, mix together 2 cups white cornmeal, just shy of 3/4 teaspoon dry yeast, and enough water to give the mixture the consistency of pancake batter (probably 11/2 to 2 cups). Cover and set on the stove or counter overnight.
2. In the morning, gradually add remaining cornmeal, egg, salt and enough warm water to give the mixture the consistency of pancake batter (about 2 cups). Cover and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Add cooking grease to a griddle or skillet and heat until water sprinkled into it will bead up.
4. Pour batter, by the spoonful, onto the hot griddle. (Note: Since the batter has tendency to separate, you will need to stir it well before pouring each batch.) When the hoecake is brown on one side, turn it over and brown the other. Serve warm with butter and honey.

Martha Washington's to Make a Frykecy (fricassee)

(from Hearthside Cooking Second Edition by Nancy Carter Crump, University of North Carolina Press, 2008.)
Take 2 Chicken, or a hare, kill & flaw [i.e., skin] them hot, take out they intrills & wipe them within, cut them in pieces & break theyr bones with A pestle. Y put halfe a pound of butter into y frying pan, & fry it till it be browne, y put in y Chiken & give it a walme [i.e., bubble or boil] or two. Y put in halfe a pinte of faire water well seasoned with pepper; & salt, & a little after put in a handful of parsley, & time, & an ounion shread all smal. fry all these together till they be enough, & when it is ready to be dished up, put into y pan y youlks of 5 or 6 eggs, well beaten & mixed w A little wine vinegar or juice of leamons. Stir thes well together least it Curdle, y dish it up without any more frying. Martha Washington
Though Martha Washington's receipt is used here as an early example of chicken fricassee, the one given below has been adapted for modern use from a combination of colonial recipes.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-2 tablespoons lard
8 large chicken breast halves, or a combination of breast and thighs
4-5 cups chicken stock, or as needed
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Hearth Method
1. In a larger spider or Dutch oven set over hot coals, melt butter and lard. Add chicken and saute until golden brown. Add onion and seasonings, then just cover with stock.
2. Cover pan and bring stock to a simmer. Maintain heat by replenishing coals until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove chicken to a heated platter and place near edge of fire to keep warm.
3. Measure stock. There should be 3-31/2 cups (see note). Gradually add 1/2 cup hot stock to egg yolks, stirring constantly to prevent eggs from curdling. Return mixture to rest of stock and toss in parsley.
4. Correct seasoning and allow sauce to simmer briefly, stirring constantly. Blend in lemon juice. Pour sauce over chicken and serve, garnished with additional parsley, if desired.
Modern Method
1. One tablespoon cooking oil may replace lard if desired.
2. Brown chicken over medium-high heat, and after adding stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover pan and allow to simmer until chicken is fork-tender, about 30-40 minutes.
3. Recipe can be prepared ahead of time up to this point. When ready to serve, reheat slowly, until sauce bubbles and chicken is heated through. Proceed, following hearth directions 3 and 4 to complete.
Note: If you end up with only 2 cups of broth, use only 2 egg yolks. The rule of thumb here is 1 yolk per 1 cup liquid. The liaison of egg yolks, seasonal broth, and lemon juice results in a delicious, elegant sauce.

Beef Alamode

(from The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glass, Applewood Books, 1997, first published in America in 1805,  an update to the original English edition in 1747.)
Take a small buttock of beef, or leg-of-mutton-piece, or a piece of buttock of beef; also a dozen cloves, eight blades of mace, and some alspice beat very fine; chop a large handful of parsley, and all sorts of herbs very fine; cut your bacon as for beef a-la-daub, and put them into the spice and herbs, with some pepper and salt, and thrust a large pin through the beef; put in into a pot, and cover it with water, chop four onions and four blades of garlic, very fine, six bay leaves, and a handful of champignons; put all into the pot with a pint of porter orale, and a half a pint of red wine; cover the pot very close, and stew it for six hours, according to the size of the piece; if a large piece, eight hours; then take the beef out, put it in a dish, cover it close, and keep it hot, take the gravy and skim all the fat off; strain it through a sieve, pick out all the champignons, and put them into the gravy; season it with Cayenne pepper and salt, and boil it up fifteen minutes; then put the beef into a soup dish and the gravy over it; or cut it into slices and pour the liquor over it; or put it into a deep dish, with all the gravy into another: when cold cut it in slices, and put some of the gravy round it, which will be a strong jelly.

Veal Olives

(from The City Tavern Cookbook by Walter Staib with Paul Bauer, Running Press, 2009)
The recipe for veal olives does not contain olives at all; rather, it gets its name from the fact that the veal scaloppine look like large olives when they are rolled around the stuffing. Owing to the high cost of veal in colonial days, this recipe appears in only the cookbooks of the upper crust. Accomplished, wealthier cooks like Martha Washington and Hannah Glasse stuffed their veal olives with forcemeat, oysters, or seafood, and served them in a rich, spiked cream sauce with truffles and mushrooms.
Advanced preparation required.
Makes 6 servings
Filling:
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
Veal:
1 tablespoon butter
6 (6- to 8-ounce) veal cutlets
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Veal Olive Sauce:
2 cups Sherry Cream Sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Sherry Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely shopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 small bunch fresh chives, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt and freshly ground black papper
PREPARE THE FILLING: Pick over the crabmeat to discard the cartilage and pieces of shell. Transfer the crabmeat to a medium mixing bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, bell peppers, onion, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.
Preheat the oven to 475 F. Spread the butter evenly over the bottom of a large, shallow baking dish.
Pound the veal scallops until very thin, then season with salt and pepper.
Divide the filling into 6 equal amounts and place in the center of each veal cutlet. Roll the cutlet gently around the filling. Place the veal rolls in the prepared baking dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the stuffing is completely cooked through.
PREPARE THE SHERRY CREAM SAUCE: Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes, until browned. Add the sherry and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes, until reduced to 1/2 cup liquid. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until reduced to about 11/4 cups liquid. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
PREPARE THE VEAL OLIVE SAUCE: Heat the Sherry Cream Sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat.
In a seperate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick.
Place the stuffed veal in a serving platter or divide among individual plates and top with the sauce.