Whatever happened to our cookbooks?

I am extremely lucky to come from a family that cooks. My father's family (while not chefs themselves) were in the restaurant business, and my mom's family is Italian. (nuff said.) So when I moved out on my own..... many, many years ago..... my mom bequeathed upon me a boat load of cookbooks. Many of which came from the 1960's and before. Yes, they had paper then. 

Now here's the interesting comparison.... 

The cookbooks that I purchased myself in the mid 1990's, in a misguided attempt to eat healthy (read: vegetarian and low fat....) are full of "stuff". You know, start with one can of fat free cream of mushroom soup. Add two packets of ranch dressing mix. Stir in 3 T. of preservatives. Add 1.5 c. of chemicals, etc, etc, etc. -- and these cookbooks are supposed to be HEALTHY!! Ha!

The cookbooks from the 60's, well, just for comparison, let me share with you the recipe I made last night. This comes from "The Around the World Meat Cookbook" published in 1964.

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Swedish Pot Roast

1 Beef Roast (I used a shoulder roast from Peaceful Pastures - grassfed organic beef)

2 T. Butter

2 c. Beef Stock or Broth

1 Chopped Onion

2 Bay Leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

4 anchovies

2 T. sugar

2 T. cognac

1/2 c. heavy cream

2 T. arrowroot powder (optional) ::note: the arrowroot is not in the original recipe. I added it to thicken the gravy a little::

Melt the butter in a dutch oven. Brown the beef on all sides. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add broth to pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar, onion, bay leaves, and anchovies. Add meat back to the pot. Cover and cook on low until tender, at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. (I cooked mine for three.) ::note: after browning your beef, you could just as easily put this in a crockpot.::

Remove beef from pot and keep warm. Bring broth to a boil. Add cognac. Boil for 2-3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add heavy cream and arrowroot (optional). Simmer 2-3 minutes until gravy is thickened.

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I served it with hot buttered whole wheat noodles, a big green salad, and carmelized cauliflower. (cauliflower, butter, garlic salt in a frying pan on the stove at med high heat for about 15 minutes. stirring regularly until the cauliflower is brown on most sides and tender.)

It was fantastic. Did you notice that there wasn't one boxed, prefab, preservative-laden item anywhere on that list? As a side note, there wasn't a speck of beef, noodles, or cauliflower left on my table at the end of dinner.

hmmmmmmm..... interesting.