Menu and Recipes

Elizabeth’s Kitchen

 

Breakfast:

Corn cakes: ( Corn cakes were an easy and cheap way to feed a family in the morning. They were tasty and could be made with little effort. I chose corn cakes because John Proctor was a farmer and he probably grew some corn in a garden for his family during the growing season. His corn could be used to make corn cakes for breakfast or anything else that includes corn in a recipe.)

Lunch:

Pot Roast: (This food is still eaten by many people today. I chose this as a food item because in my house we have pot roast at least once a month. Meat that would not normally be used in a meal can be used because it is cooked for so long and can have vegetables added to it. This meal is a cheap and easy way to feed a large family which was common in the time of the Salem witch trials.)

Dinner:

Rabbit and Vegetable Stew: ( I chose this food item because in act 2 Elizabeth serves john rabbit that was a fresh kill from earlier in the day. Often, the foods that people ate were fresh kills or animals that they had trapped during the day. Without refrigeration, meats could not be kept fresh long so they would normally kill and eat an animal in the same day.)

 

Dessert:

Apple Brown betty: ( Apple Brown Betty is a sweet dessert that could be made with left over bread and almost rotten apples. Desserts and foods like this could be made to use food before it went bad or after it was unappetizing to a person.)

 

 

 

 

Recipes:

 

Corn Cakes:

1/2 cup flour

pinch of salt

2 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

¼ cup lard (melted)

1 cob of corn ( corn off of cob)

Beat first four ingredients. Add lard and corn. Mix thoroughly. Drop by tablespoon onto a hot griddle. When brown on bottom, turn.

 

Pot Roast

1 bay leaf

4 lbs chuck roast 2 tablespoons parsley

6 carrots (sliced) 4 large onions (cut in half)

6 potatoes(quartered) 1/2 stick butter

5 tablespoons flour

In a large Dutch oven, brown pork. Remove meat from pan.

To drippings add chuck roast. Brown well on both sides.

Add 1 cup of water and spices. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Add vegetables and cook for 1/2 hour covered. Remove meat from pan. Add butter. In a separate pan, add flour to 1/3 cup cold water. Bring to boil. Add flour mixture to vegetables slowly, while stirring, to thicken.

 

Rabbit and Vegetable stew:

3 pounds rabbit, cut into stew sized pieces

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons lard

1 cup celery, diced

2 cups diced carrots

2 onions, finely diced

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 bay leaves

6 cups water

4 medium-sized potatoes, diced

1/2 cup sliced sauteed mushrooms

Using half the flour (3/4 cup) coat the pieces of rabbit, shaking off any excess. Heat the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan, and brown the floured rabbit on all sides. Add the celery, carrots, onions, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and  6 cups water and stew for about 2 hours. Add the potatoes 45 minutes into the stewing process. Once the rabbit and all the vegetables are cooked, use some water to form a paste with the remaining 3/4 cup flour. Stir the flour mixture into the pot as a thickener. Add the already sauteed mushrooms to the stew and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings, if necessary, and serve.

 

Apple Brown Betty:

2 cups soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup lard

3 cups apples(sliced)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup water

Sauté bread crumbs and lard. Add remaining ingredients. Mix. Pour into casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with whip cream or ice cream