Recipes from the 1970s can work for today’s home cooks
To recipe collectors, old cookbooks or booklets are a treasure trove of memories.
Last week, I found two booklets from the early 1970s. One was printed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Peoples Bank of Biloxi on April 17, 1971, which featured Biloxi family shrimp recipes.
The second book was more personal to me. It was from my late husband’s grandmother’s church in Baytown, Texas. It celebrated the major year for the church’s Women’s Missionary Union.
Recipes from the ‘70s are nearly 50 years old, and ingredients have changed a bit. Congealed or gelatin salads were favorites. Now, these are rarely made, but they are so good. Congealed salads were often savory made with shrimp and tomatoes and clear gelatin.
Stuffed tomatoes also were popular. These were stuffed with spinach, Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and creamy shrimp, chicken or tuna salads. These still are great for a light lunch or dinner, especially if using homegrown tomatoes.
The Biloxi cook booklet spotlights recipes from old Biloxi families, some of whom where in the restaurant and seafood business.
In the ‘70s, home cooks were into mock pies, impossible pies and pies made with condensed milk. The Texas booklet offers a mock pecan pie made with Ritz crackers. Twenties- and 30-somethings need to ask their grandmothers about these pies. Some I liked, others not so much. Sweet impossible pies usually contained coconut, which I do not like, so I only made those for my husband, who loved coconut anything.
Since shrimp season has started, today’s home cooks might want to revisit some of the shrimp recipes. Others might want to serve a retro dessert or entrée.
Biloxi shrimp salad
5 pounds boiled shrimp
2 dozen hard-boiled eggs
6 chopped green sweet peppers
1 8-ounce jar sweet mixed pickles, chopped
1 bunch green onions with tops
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pint mayonnaise
2 cups chopped celery
Mix with the mayonnaise the chopped onions, peppers, pickles, celery and the yellow of the eggs, saving 3 or 4.
Chop the shrimp and whites of the eggs and add to the mixture. Serve on lettuce leaves garnished with slices of the remaining eggs and sprinkle with chopped parsley. – Recipe by Mrs. Frank Kovacevich
Tomatoes stuffed with Biloxi shrimp
1 pound raw shrimp
1 clove garlic
1 small green pepper
Pinch saffron
6 large ripe tomatoes
1 medium onions
Salt and pepper
Grind in the food chopped all ingredients except tomatoes. Add some breadcrumbs, which have been moistened. and sauté slowly in a little oil.
Scoop out tomatoes and add the centers to the mixture. Simmer another 5 minutes and stuff tomatoes and top with more breadcrumbs.
Bake in 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until crumbs are brown and tomatoes thoroughly tender. – Recipe by Mrs. Tony Mihojevich
Jellied shrimp salad
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold V-8
2 3/4 cups hot V-8
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 (5-ounce) cans shrimp, drained
1/2 cup diced green pepper
Soften gelatin in cold V-8. Dissolve thoroughly in extremely hot V-8. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Chill until consistency of unbeaten egg whites.
Fold in shrimp, celery, and green pepper. Turn into a large mold. Chill until firm. Unmold on salad greens. Serve with mayonnaise. Makes 8 servings. – Mrs. Peter J. Pitalo
Mock pecan pie
3 egg whites, beaten stiffly
Gradually add:
1 cup sugar
Remove from mixer and fold gently:
20 crushed Ritz crackers (not cheese ones)
3/4 cup nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter pie plates heavily. Pour in pie mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with whipping cream.
Pineapple icebox pie
1 can crushed pineapple
1 cup ground pecans
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon
1 can condensed milk
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 large Cool Whip
Mixed crushed pineapple, 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch. Cook on low flame until thickened. Add pecans and let cool.
Soften cream cheese. Mix condensed milk, lemon juice and cool whip. After pineapple mixture has cooled, mix with cream cheese mixture. Put in 2 baked and cooled pie shells and refrigerate.
Andrea Yeager can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net/ and Cooks Exchange, 205 DeBuys Road, Biloxi, MS 39507.