AN ANTIQUE PERSIMMON RECIPE

Public domain illustration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Recipes are good-will ambassadors." Mrs. Cordell Hull as quoted in Pioneer "Vittals"

Everyone finds their way to Brooklyn, it would seem. Then their books find their way onto the shelves of second-hand bookstores and into our family library. This post was inspired by one such find.

The glorious gold-orange globes of hachiya persimmons arrive in the market along with the autumn chill. There are several kinds of persimmons, but the ones generally available to US are the hachiya. These must be very ripe to eat raw or use in cooking.  They have high tannin levels, which makes them bitter when unripe. When the persimmons become as soft as a ripe tomato, you can cut them in half, scoop out the flesh with a spoon, and eat them raw.  Or you can use the pulp for breads, cakes, and puddings.
we found the recipe below, which we offer for historical interest, in a charming booklet compiled by Sarah Dougherty of Russellville, Tennessee.  There's no date on the book and no copyright to give us a hint.  It would appear that Mrs. Dougherty lovingly collected old Tennessee recipes and probably self-published this tiny, three-by-five, brown-covered gem.  According to the booklet, this recipe is from the mountains of East Tennessee and dates back to the 1800s.

Persimmon Pudding

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup seeded persimmons
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in buttermilk
• 1 cup four [substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour, exchangeable one-for-one in a recipe]
• butter, the size of an egg [3/4 stick of sweet butter or Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks]
• 1/2 teaspoon each of spice, cinnamon and nutmeg

Mix all together and bake in moderate oven until done.
Serve with whipped cream.

***

EARTH BALANCE VEGAN BUTTER STICKS

Earth Balance Buttery sticks works just fine in baking. The spread is suitable as a spread or for cooking but not for baking, frosting, or candy-making.

Kosher.
Gluten Free.
Dairy Free.

Ingredients: Expeller-Pressed Natural Oil Blend (Soybean, Palm Fruit, Canola Seed And Olive Oils), Filtered Water, Pure Salt, Natural Flavor (Derived From Corn, Not MSG, No Alcohol, No Gluten), Soy Protein, Soy Lecithin, Lactic Acid (Non-Dairy, Derived From Sugar Beets), And Beta Carotene Color (From Natural Source).

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

LINGUINI WITH CLAMS, Aromatics and Cream

Marlith, Wikipedia,

Recipe serves four

• 3 lbs. fresh clams, be sure all shells are tightly shut
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of fresh, lightly salted butter
• 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of Organic Valley Cream, it's gluten-free
• 1 fresh lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 16 oz. quinoa linguini, which is 1 1/3 packages

Wash clams well under running water. In a large saucepan, put the clams, white wine, bay leaf, and crushed garlic. Turn the heat on high, cover the pan, and cook for eight-to-ten minutes.  Steam the clams until they have been opened. Discard any clams that do not open. When the clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and reserve one cup of the clam liquid. Discard the bay leaf. Saute the aromatics (carrots, celery, onion) in the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan for two-to-three minutes. Add the cream and the clam juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with the black pepper and lemon juice.  Toss with cooked pasta which you have drained well and lightly rinsed.  Plate the pasta on a serving dish and sprinkle with parsley.

Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

PASTA WITH RICOTTA-BUTTER SAUCE

Pasta con ricotta

The recipe

Serves four with salad

• 1 package brown rice pasta (do not use corn or quinoa pasta for this recipe)
• 3/4 pound fresh ricotta*, full-fat preferred - but do what you have to do
• 1/4 pounds fresh sheeps' milk cheese
• 1 stick of fresh, salted butter or substitute Earth Balance
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• sea salt and cracked, black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced fine

Boil the pasta in salted water until done al denté.  While the pasta is boiling, place the butter in a bowl large enough to accommodate all ingredients.  Take one cup of the boiling water and pour it over the butter, melting it and mixing it with the water.  Add the ricotta and sheeps' milk cheese and continue to mix well.  

Set aside another cup of water when the pasta is done.

Drain the pasta well and add it to the bowl with the butter and ricotta. It should make a creamy, but not runny, sauce.  If it seems dry, add a bit of the reserved water . Add the nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Sprinkle with parsley.  Serve.  It's that easy.  And it's very good.

* Read the ingredients on the ricotta package to be sure there are no wheat-derived products used for thickening included.


Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.