Two of my favourite cookbooks are from Newfoundland, chock full of traditional recipes

I think we all have our weaknesses, and I must admit that mine are chocolates and cookbooks. My aunt gave me my first cookbook when I was twelve. At that age, I phoned my Mam at work and asked if I could make some bread. She said I could and I have been using that same recipe to make bread ever since then. Since that time I don’t know how many recipe books I have owned. I’ve also donated many to others as space became scarce.

I often gather cookbooks when I travel I picked up a few when a cruise I was on stopped in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. One of the ones I enjoy is simply titled, Newfoundland Recipes, Recipes From the Kitchens of Newfoundland. It was first printed in 1979 and by 2017 it was in its 39th printing. Its full of recipes donated by people of NFLD. If I wanted to, I could make Flipper Pie, but I don’t know where I’d get the flippers. I could also make Moose Cabbage Rolls if I had any moose in the freezer.

An interesting recipe is for NFLD Pot Day Pie Tuesday or Thursday. You soak salted corn beef over night, and in the morning you bring it to a boil. There’s a lot of work preparing and adding vegetables. The instruction I like is to serve it for the noon meal. There is also, a recipe for a Friday Casserole. The book is full of all sorts of seafood recipes. It would be great if we had access to seafood here in Ontario, as they do in the Maritime provinces.There are also lots of recipes using Partridge berries which I guess is common in NFLD. There is an eggnog recipe which is very interesting. You start with a bottle of Newfoundland Screech. I imagine that there would be quite a kick to it.

Another Newfie cookbook is called Cookin Up a Scoff Second Helping!. It has traditional recipes of Newfoundland & Labrador. This one has recipes for rabbit, moose and caribou. It also has quite a few seafood recipes. There are also several partridgeberry and blueberry recipes. This book has almost thirty pages in a Christmas section. Many of the recipes are similar to what we would find in many cookbooks. The name of one that caught my eye isBangbelly. Along with quite a few spices, it is made of rice,salt pork, molasses and raisons or blueberries

Both of the books have recipes for the famous Jiggs dinner. You use salt beef, split peas (which you have to put in a pudding bag), cabbage, turnip,carrots, potatoes and onion. It looks like a lot work, starting by soaking the beef overnight, but I’m sure it would be worth preparing for a big crowd.

I have a lot more cook books to share another time. Hope this is the start of a great spring and summer for everyone.