Civil War Recipes – History Blog (2024)

Relaxing Tea

This blend will help you relax after a long day.

Ingredients:

– 1/4 cup dried spearmint

– 1 cup dried lemon balm

– 1/4 cup dried lemon grass

– 1/2 cup dried catnip

– 3/4 cup dried chamomile flowers

– 2 tbs. dried lavender flowers

Instructions:

Combine the herbs and store in an air tight container in a dark cool location. Make tea using 2 teaspoons of herb blend for each cup.

Hard Tack

This staple hard cracker like bread made of flour and water must be dipped into milk, tea, hot chocolate before eating as it is so hard you could break your teeth eating it dry!

Ingredients

– butter for greasing the baking pan

– 5 cups all-purpose flour

– 1 TB baking powder

– 1 TB salt

– 1 2/3 cups water

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Grease the baking sheet. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and water. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. With freshly washed hands, squeeze the flour mixture with your fingers, this will be a very stiff dough. Flatten the dough to about 1/2 inch into a large rectangle. Using a knife, lightly trace lines into the dough to divide the pieces into 3 X 3″ square pieces.

Use a toothpick to prick holes across the entire surface in neat rows 3/4 of an inch apart. Be sure the holes go all the way through the dough to the baking sheet. Bake the dough about 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Remove the hardtack from the baking sheet with a metal spatula. Makes about 9 hard crackers.

Navy Bean Soup

Soak the beans overnight or for at least 8-12 hours before beginning the recipe. Cook in cast iron for better flavor and an authentic re-enactment.

Ingredients:

– 1 cup (8 oz) dried navy beans

– 5 cups water

– 1/2 pound salt pork or slab bacon

– 2 large carrots or 1 cup chopped

– 1 large onion or 3/4 Cup chopped

– 1 large potato, unpeeled, but cut into 1/2 inch pieces

– 1 tsp. salt- 1/2 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

Wash the beans in a colander and pick out and discard any discolored ones or pieces of dirt.Place the beans in a large stock pot or Dutch oven covered with water at least 2 inches above the beans and allow to soak overnight. Drain the beans. Add 5 cups water, salt pork, carrots and onions to the beans.

Stir the mixture. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the beans at least 45 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the chopped potatoes salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook about 15 more minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Ginger Cakes

These crisp, sugar-coated cookies are sure to please your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

– 3/4 cups shortening

– 1 cup sugar

– 1 beaten egg

– 1/4 cup molasses

– 2 tsp. soda

– 1 tsp. cinnamon

– 1 tsp. ginger

– 2 cups flour

Instructions:

Combine cream shortening and sugar. Add the egg and molasses and mix well. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the shortening mixture. Mix until combined. Roll into walnut sized balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 – 10 minutes.

Washington Pie

Two layers of fluffy butter cake with a layer of jam in-between and coated with powdered sugar.

Ingredients:

– 1/3 cup butter

– 1 cup sugar

– 2 eggs, beaten

– 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

– 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

– 1/2 teaspoon salt

– 1/2 cup milk

– 1 teaspoon vanilla

– raspberry or apricot jam

– powdered sugar

Instructions:

“First cream butter until light. Then beat in sugar gradually. Add eggs, well beaten. Combine sifted cake flour with baking powder and salt, and sift again. Combine vanilla and milk. Adddry ingredients and milk to first mixture alternately. Turn into two 8-inch greased layer-cake tins and bake in moderately hot oven (375 degrees F.) about twenty-five minutes. When cold put together with jam and dust with powdered sugar.

And notice this smart trick: Lay your wire cake-cooling rack lightly on the top before giving the heavy sifting of powdered sugar. When you lift the rack off, the cake surface is marked into powdered sugar squares, with the golden crust of cake showing between.”

Short Bread Cookies

Wheat flour was quite scarce in the South during the Civil War so soldiers baked bread from available ingredients such as white cornmeal. Try to find white cornmeal to make this a bit more authentically Confederate. Although this recipe uses baking powder to make the cornbread fluffier, Confederate soldiers did not have baking powder.

Ingredients:

-Pinch of salt

– 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

– 5 tbsp. caster sugar

-1 1/4 cup plain flour, plus extra for rolling

– 6 tbsp. fine semolina

-Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

– Extra caster sugar, for dusting

-Small biscuit cutter, about 4cm in diameter

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 4. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and caster sugar until it is light in color and consistency. This can be done with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer.

Beat in the flour, salt, semolina and lemon zest, then finish with your hands to form a soft pliable dough. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Dust your worktop with a little flour and roll out the shortbread dough to about
1cm thick. Using the cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can, re-rolling and re-cutting any trimmings as you go.

Place on a couple of greased baking trays and bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until they turn lightly golden.

As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle with a little caster sugar. Once they are cool, enjoy straight away or store in an airtight container.

Johnnycakes

Johnnycakes were popular particularly in the Northeast but eaten across the United States since the 1600’s. The recipe is very simple and fun to make.

Ingredients:

– 1 cup water

– 1 1/2 cups ground yellow cornmeal

– 1/2 tsp. salt

– 1/2 cup milk

– 2 TB butter

– syrup, molasses, or preserves for topping

Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Combine the cornmeal, salt, boiled water, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well. Melt the 2 TB butter in a skillet or a cast iron griddle over medium heat. Pour 1 TB of batter into the skillet, pancake style to cook. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until edges are lacy and lightly browned using a spatula to turn. Serve hot with molasses, maple syrup and butter.

Fried Apples

Tart apples cooked with butter and sugar make a wonderful side dish or dessert.

Ingredients:

– 5 tart cooking apples such as Granny Smith, MacIntosh, Golden Delicious, or other

– 4 TB or more butter

– 1 cup brown sugar

– 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Instructions:

Wash, core and slice the apples into 12-16 narrow wedges, do not peel. Melt the butter in a skillet or cast iron pan and add the apples. Cover the skillet and cook the apples 5 minutes over medium low heat. Stirring continuously, add the brown sugar and the nutmeg. Stir well. Continue cooking the apples covered for 10-12 minutes or until the apples are tender, check every few minutes while cooking. Add additional butter or water if needed to prevent the apples from sticking.