Date I made this recipe:
April 2, 2017
The Zane Grey
Cookbook – Fish, Fowl, Game, and Western Favorites – for Outdoors or in the
Home by Barbara and George Reiger
Published by Prentice-Hall
© 1976
Recipe: Potato Soup – p. 21
Today's cookbook is about author Zane Grey (1872-1939) who
rose to fame as the author of numerous western novels and movies, and who also
made a second name for himself as an outdoorsman who liked to hunt, fish, and
travel, especially to exotic locales.
As a former English major and avid reader, I think it's safe
to say that I've read just about every genre of book except westerns. Given how I
feel about nature (it is NOT your friend), it should not surprise you that
westerns in book form, TV shows, or movies, just don't float my boat.
That said, there are always exceptions to be made, and I
don't know too many households in American that didn't tune in to watch popular
westerns such as Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
and Bonanza (1959-1973) when they
were on the air. I think I read that Bonanza enjoyed a high number of female
viewers which is likely due to the casting of Michael Landon who played
"Little Joe" Cartwright on the show.
Michael was good looking with an adorable laugh and had
women swooning. Did the female viewers
necessarily care about the story lines?
Not so much. Well, whatever gets
you viewership, right?
Since I tuned in dutifully to these westerns every week, you
would have somehow learned about our western author (and subject of our
cookbook) from these shows but that's not what happened. Instead, we can credit
a 1970's TV show about the Korean War – M*A*S*H
– for doing the trick. Specifically, we
can narrow this down to one person, M*A*S*H
4077's commander, Colonel Sherman T. Potter, a former WWI Calvary man who loved
horses, horseback riding, Zane Grey
novels and his wife, Mildred, probably in that order.
As the 4077th's commander (the second one after
the hilariously funny Colonel Henry Blake), Potter had a tent to himself, but
in Season 8, Episode 17 ("Heal Thyself"), he and the pompous surgeon,
Charles Emerson Winchester, III ("the 'Third'") had to share a bunk
when both came down with the mumps.
Charles drove Potter crazy by listening to records of opera singer Enrico Caruso, and Potter drove Charles
around the bend by insisting on reading some Zane Grey, something that Charles considered plebian, before
turning in. The ensuing conversation was
what prompted me to pull out this cookbook:
Potter: I think I'll read a little and then turn
in. Some Zane Grey maybe."
Charles: Ah, Zane Grey. Tolstoy with spurs.
Potter: He happens to be a great writer!
Charles: Colonel, what gin rummy is to games of skill,
Zane Grey is to literature. Therefore, I
shall counter with something civilized – Caruso!
And...scene. And...cookbook!
The subtitle to this cookbook is on point when it comes to
showcasing what's inside: "Fish, Fowl, Game, and Western
Favorites – from Outdoors or in the Home." Hilariously "Game" was split into
two chapters – Small Game (rabbit, duck, goose, etc.) and Big Game (bear, elk,
venison, buffalo, etc.). (By the way, I
had to laugh when I saw a recipe for "Duck Soup," p. 20 because that
is the name of a famous Marx Brothers
movie. I was happy to read that the
authors got the joke as well.)
I shall spare you some of the recipes included in these
chapters because...ew. That's all I will
say: "ew," followed by several
shudders.
The "Western Favorites" chapter was also hit or
miss so I pretty much skipped over that, as I did with "South Sea Favorites"
(Grey liked to travel), and "Fish."
What did this leave, you ask? "Soups and Salads;" "Vegetables;"
"Quick and Easy;" "Shellfish;" "Breads, Sauces,
Marinades, and Stuffings," and "Desserts." Also included in the book is a "Zane
Grey Album" (212-233) containing photos of Zane and friends out fishing
and hunting and generally frolicking out in Nature (which is NOT your
friend).
For those of you who like fishing and hunting and eating
your catch/kill, this will be a fun cookbook for you. For the timid like me, this was a challenge
but I found a few options that would have worked:
- Bean Soup – p. 20
- Wild Scallion Soup – p. 26 (sounded intriguing...and "safe!")
- Bill's Beet Salad – p. 27
- Garlic Cream Dressing – p. 36
- Barbecued Meat Loaf – p. 106-107
For those of you who might like to try some of these recipes
(and more) on a camping trip, fear not, for the "Getting Started"
section in the front of the book gives you instructions and a drawing for
cooking with a reflector oven.
Whew. For a minute there, I was
really worried. (There are also
illustrations about how to "dress" your deer, something I could have
done without but instructive for those of you who go deer hunting.)
In conclusion, I took the chicken's way out and made Potato
Soup (p. 21). It was easy, it was good,
and all I had to do was peel potatoes and that I can live with. The soup is a little different from ones I've
made in the past in that it starts with a beef broth base to which you add your
vegetables, and then after the vegetables have cooked, add your milk and butter
to finish it off. My only complaint was
that I wanted the broth to be a little thicker and less milky but that's a
personal preference.
This soup also calls for chives and of course, they meant
fresh chives which I did not have on hand, so I used dried chives which I
did. I dried them myself and never
noticed until I added them to the soup, that they resembled dried grass
clippings – ha! Nature is laughing at me
as we speak. At any rate, the flavor was
fine but the appearance, not so much!
Although it would still take a lot to get me to read a
western, it doesn't take much for me to be entertained by M*A*S*H, no matter how many times I've seen the episodes. Personally, the first three seasons were
great, but then some actors left the show and I thought it got just a tad
strident and just a little off with the costuming. This show was set during the Korean War and
yet little by little, 70's hairstyles and clothing permeated the show
(1972-1983) and it has really started to tick me off. Compare and contrast that show, if you will,
with Mad Men that stayed totally on
point to the era (1960's) and left no stone unturned as everything was
reproduced to exact retro specifications.
Mad Men had it going on. M*A*S*H
took some liberties, particularly with Margaret Houlihan's hair (it became extremely
blonde!) and clothing. In fact, in the
early 80's, a friend's hair looked exactly like Margaret's, causing us to dub
her hairstyle "'Loretta' hair."
Good times, right? I
could go on and on about the show but that is not why we are here and so dear
reader, this concludes The Zane Grey
Cookbook, as brought to you by M*A*S*H!
Potato Soup – Serves 8
4 cups beef stock, or bouillon
5 cups cubed potatoes
6 scallions, diced
4 ribs celery, diced
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon finely minced chives
6 ups milk
Cheddar cheese
Bring beef stock or bouillon to a boil. Add potatoes, scallions, and celery. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in butter, seasonings, and milk. Heat, stirring constantly, for approximately
3 minutes. Cheddar cheese may be grated
over individual servings as a matter of personal preference.
Ann's Note: The potatoes needed about 30-35 minutes to
cook, not the 20 listed here. For best
results, try to cut your potatoes to the same size so that they finish at the
same time.
No comments:
Post a Comment