General Mess Manual and Cookbook, U.S. Navy. [First US Navy cookbook issued in 1902.]
Traditional Navy Recipes
Do you miss some of the traditional fare from the mess decks aboard ship? Here are recipes for a number of Navy dishes from 1958. Now, invite a lot of old shipmates or get out your scratchpad and calculator — these recipes are geared toward 100 portions.
Baking Powder Biscuits
Creamed Sliced Dried Beef
Navy Bean Soup
Baking Powder Biscuits
| YIELD: 300 Biscuits or 100 Portions, each portion 3 biscuits (1 ounce each) | ||||
INGREDIENTS |
WEIGHTS |
MEASURES |
PORTIONS |
METHOD |
| Flour, sifted Baking powder Salt |
15 lbs. 15 oz. 3 oz. |
15 qt. 2 1/2 cups 6 tbsp. |
— | 1. Sift dry ingredients into bowl of mixing machine. |
| Shortening | 3 3/4 lb. | 7 1/2 cups | — | 2. Add shortening to flour mixture and blend until consistency of cornmeal (low speed, approximately 3 minutes). |
| Milk | 5 or 6 qt. | — | 3. Add milk and mix until dough is formed (low speed, approximately 1 minute). 4. Place portion of dough onto lightly floured surface, knead until dough is smooth. 5. Shape into a ball and roll to a uniform thickness of 1/2 inch. |
|
VARIATIONS:
- BUTTERSCOTCH BISCUITS: Roll dough into a rectangular sheet 1/3 inch thick. Spread with melted butter and brown sugar. Roll dough as for jelly roll. Cut into slices 3/4-inch thick.
- CHEESE BISCUITS: Add 2 lbs. (2 qt.) of dry grated cheese to dough. Brush biscuits with milk and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- CINNAMON BISCUITS: Proceed as for butterscotch biscuits. Spread with melted butter, granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- COBBLER: Place prepared fruit in pan. Cover with biscuit dough 3/8-inch thick; dock, and brush with melted shortening.
- ORANGE BISCUITS: Make a small indentation and place 1/2 teaspoon orange marmalade on each biscuit.
- WHOLE WHEAT BISCUIT: Substitute 7 lbs. of whole wheat flour for 7 lbs. of white flour.
Creamed Sliced Dried Beef
| YIELD: 6 1/4 Gallons or 100 portions, each portion: 1 cup | ||||
INGREDIENTS |
WEIGHTS |
MEASURES |
PORTIONS |
METHOD |
| Butter or shortening Flour, sifted Pepper |
2 lb. 2 1/2 lb. |
1 qt. 2 1/2 qt. 1 tbsp. |
— | 1. Melt shortening add flour, and blend. Add pepper. Cook 5 minutes. |
| Milk, hot | 4 3/4 gal. | — | 2. Add hot milk slowly, stirring to prevent lumping. | |
| Beef, dried, sliced Shortening |
7 lbs. 1 lb. |
1 3/4 gal. 1 pt. |
— | 3. Separate beef into slices. Cook in hot shortening until edges curl. 4. Add to white sauce. Blend. |
NOTE:
1. If beef is too salty, omit cooking in hot shortening (step 3), soak beef in hot water 15 minutes and drain before adding to white sauce.
2. If desired, freshly sliced dried beef may be added to white sauce without cooking in hot fat.
3. Serve with toast, baked potato, steamed rice, noodles, spaghetti, or cornbread.
Navy Bean Soup
| YIELD: 6 1/4 Gallons or 100 portions, each portion: 1 cup | ||||
INGREDIENTS |
WEIGHTS |
MEASURES |
PORTIONS |
METHOD |
| Beans, white, dry | 6 lbs. | 3 1/2 qt. | — | 1. Pick over and wash beans. |
| Ham stock Ham bones |
7 gal. 8 bones |
— | 2. Add ham stock and ham bones. Heat to boiling point; cover and simmer 2-3 hours or until beans are tender. If necessary, add hot water. 3. Remove ham bones. |
|
| Carrots, shredded Onions, finely chopped Pepper |
1 lb. 2 lbs. |
2 3/4 cups 4 1/2 cups 2 tsp. |
— | 4. Add carrots, onions, and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. |
| Flour, hard wheat, sifted Water, cold |
1/2 lb. | 2 cups 3/4 qt. |
— | 5. Blend flour and water to a smooth paste. Stir into soup, and cook 10 minutes longer. |
NOTE:
1. If beans are old, soak 3 to 4 hours prior to cooking.
2. Add salt and additional pepper if desired.
VARIATION:
Old Fashioned Navy Bean Soup: Add one No. 10 can of tomatoes in Step 4.