Vol. II, No. 2: 2. Good Eats: Turkey & Stuffing, An Old Vermont Recipe from Countryman Press

Lord knows, there are enough recipes for turkey out there, especially around Thanksgiving. So we wondered what we could run this issue that might be just a little different, something you weren't likely to find if you went hunting for recipes on your own. That's when we remembered an old book that's been sitting on our kitchen cookbook shelf for years now -- The Country Cookbook: Cooking, Canning and Preserving Victuals for Country Home, Farm, Camp & Trailer, with Notes on Rustic Hospitality, by Cora, Rose & Bob Brown.

Published in 1937 by The Countryman Press, Inc., of Weston, Vermont, The Country Cookbook was part of "The Country Series," one of many specialty series from this small publisher. Among the founders of The Countryman Press was Vrest Orton, who was later the proprietor of the Vermont Country Store. Orton brought out several signed, limited editions of short books by authors like Frederic F. VanDeWater, Stephen Vincent Benet, and Edgar Lee Masters, printed by Orton on a letterpress in his barn. Soon, John Lowell Pratt, Peter Jennison's brother-in-law, joined the firm and expanded its list to include country crafts and cooking, photo albums published with Vermont Life magazine, and a series of elegantly produced hunting and fishing titles

This recipe first appeared in , . After several reincarnations since that time, The Countryman Press is still in operation today as a specialty imprint under Norton. The recipe is reprinted here by their kind permission. ...

Turkey

The fine flavor of turkey is best developed if
roasted without stuffing, but with plenty of herbs and
seasonings, and much butter in the roasting pan.
There must be no sparing of labor when it comes to
basting, for turkey meat is very dry.
STUFFED TURKEY. A stuffing should be
chosen which does not sap the juices out of the meat.
Perhaps oyster stuffing is one of the best, but the
crumbs, which are mixed with the oysters and oyster
liquor, should be literally soaked in melted butter,
as should all crumbs that go into turkey.

BUTTERNUT STUFFING

1 1/2 cups butternut meats          1 quart mashed potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry            1/2   cup cream
seasoning                                1 egg, well beaten
1 quart sifted breadcrumbs     1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix crumbs with poultry seasoning, and then with
nut meats. Have potatoes freshly cooked, mashed,
and hot; mix egg with cream and add to potatoes;
add seasonings and beat. Put two mixtures together,
stuff turkey and sew up openings. This is an old
American recipe.
CHESTNUT STUFFING. 1 pound of chest-
nuts to 1 pound of highly seasoned bulk pork sau-
sage; peel and skin chestnuts, cook with sprigs of
celery ;eaves and a little salt; when tender, drain,
cool, and break into rough pieces before mixing with
the meat. This recipe was originated by the French,
who use meat stuffings for all birds.

from The Country Cookbook: Cooking, Canning and Preserving Victuals for Country Home, Farm, Camp
& Trailer, with Notes on Rustic Hospitality,
pp. 104-105
by Cora, Rose & Bob Brown.
The Countryman Press, Inc.
Weston, Vermont.

If you know of any dishes at restaurants around the area, or if you'd like to submit a review of your own, don't hesitate to let us know. Also, if you'd like to submit an article about food, you can write to us via e-mail at ...

If you would like to submit a recipe or write a feature for our Food & Dining section, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at food@downstreetmagazine.com. The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed article. The text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an attachment in just about any word processing format. If your piece is accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your time. [See Freelancers Wanted for more details.]