Today’s History in the Kitchen was inspired by the cold weather here in New Jersey (high of 22ºF) and my reflections on how cold the soldiers in the Continental Army must have been encamped in Morristown, which is about 20 minutes from where I live, during the winters of 1776-1777 and 1779-1780. You may remember Valley Forge as being cold, but Morristown was COLDER. There were 28 snowfalls in Morristown in the 1779-1780 winter, there was a blizzard that lasted for two days that dropped 4 feet of snow, and the temperatures were below freezing. In addition, food was scarce and soldiers sometimes went 5 or 6 days without a meal. How lucky am I that I can go to the store, find appropriate ingredients for an adapted recipe, and make a hearty, warm meal on a cold winter’s night? I’m thankful for that and for the soldiers whose patriotism and commitment to the Revolutionary cause got them through that winter.

The recipe I chose today is from the popular cookbook The Art of Cookery by Hannah Glasse. Most colonial households that were literate and had a cookbook had a copy of this particular book. Colonial Americans would have had beef and herbs in their kitchens, even in the middle and lower classes. They most often relied on seasonal ingredients that were readily available that they could also grow themselves. Stew, in particular, was extremely common. Stew was a meal that a family may have eaten every day along with some kind of starch. It was easy to make on a hearth and someone could make it with whatever they had in their kitchen. Kitchens would also have had broth and wine to make their stews tasty. I adapted Glasse’s recipe for a modern kitchen and used ingredients that were readably available. The recipe- both Glasse’s original and my adaptation- is below

Ingredients:

• 1 4lb Roast (I used bottom round)
• Salt and Pepper
• 5 large carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 5 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 potatoes, cubed
• 1c dry red wine
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2c beef broth
• 1tbsp thyme
• 1tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 3tbsp corn starch

Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub roast with salt and pepper (to taste). RubIn a Dutch oven, heat 1tbsp of olive oil. Braise each side of the roast for 4 minutes each side on medium heat. When you turn the roast, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Turn heat off. Add the onions around the roast. Mix wine, broth, garlic, thyme, Italian seasoning, then pour over the roast. Turn the heat on the stove to medium and bring the mixture to a boil, add bay leaf. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, then add carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cook for another 2 hours or until meat is cooked through. Take the roast out of the Dutch oven and either cut or shred with a fork. Prior to putting the meat back into the vegetable mixture, add 3tbsp corn starch and stir well to thicken the juice into gravy, if desired. Put meat back into mixture, serve, and enjoy warm. Grab a French baguette to sop of the gravy if it suits your fancy!