Chicken Marsala VG 3/71; Potatoes French Graton Savoyard (6) Sunset Mag 7/71

My Great Great Great Grandfather Ferdinand Hahn ran a bar in Milwaukee in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. He was such a good friend of Mr. Phil Nickel that Mr. Nickel sold him two properties on Nickel’s Point on Okauchee Lake, WI in 1903- each for $1. As I’ve told in previous stories, Ferdinand Hahn pitched a tent and eventually built houses on each of the properties. These were meant to be very primitive and he was a thrifty man so he used logs for the siding and whatever he had to build with for the interior. The second property was sold to a friend immediately to make sure the point stayed in the family. He purchased the furniture second hand or built what he needed. The included picture is from a post card c. 1911. Those are the two houses he built.

Today I’m going to focus on the kitchen of the house… Which seems most appropriate! Grandpa Hahn repurposed the wood from pickle barrels for shelving. The lacto-fermentation of cucumbers in pickle barrels are a thing of the past. At full capacity, one barrel could house hundreds of cucumbers, as salt, clean water, spices, and time transformed raw vegetables into preserved food. Wooden barrels make things pickle a week or more quickly than in glass. This meant that pickles could stay much more crispy but still brined. Many of my parents generation still remember going into delis or bars which had them. The smell of an open barrel of brining pickles is indelible to those who remember them. Keeping a barrel (and it’s olfactory come-on) in a place like a bar meant increasing the sandwich sales- into increasing alcohol sales as anyone who is eating can drink much longer. 

Unfortunately the pickle barrel history ended in the middle of the last century as an attempt for cleaner hygiene. In my opinion, the vinegar and brine in the pickle barrel was the most clean option for preservation. It's become sort of a lost art.

Ferdinand used wood from his ample supply of pickle barrels when he built his kitchen. He used this wood to build all of the shelves on the insides of the cabinets while using a nicer wood as the façade. Grandma brought up the pickle barrels in the kitchen a lot. These wooden pieces had been in the kitchen from the beginning of the house and she was proud of them. She spent her last days where her mother, and her mother, and her mother had. And she did so in the house her grandfather built. That’s pretty wonderful.

Tonight we made a little bit of a different chicken marsala with an amazing potatoes gratin. The marsala made the chicken so sweet! The Marsala cooked down into a beautiful sweet and, with the herbs and garlic, savory. I put the potatoes and chicken in at the same time since the potato recipe called for a higher temp and less time. It worked! VFG!!!

Chicken Marsala VG 3/71

Chicken Quartered and Brown 4 tbsp butter  
1 pint Marsala
½ clove garlic peeled and chopped
1 tsp. dried herbs – marjoram, basil, rosemary
3 whole cloves
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. paprika
4 tbps. Grated gruyere cheese

After brown chicken ad Marsala, garlic, herbs, cloves, salt and pepper in casserole. Cover and bake 325/hour. Baste frequently. Uncover dish and let brown 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with paprika and cheese. Continue to bake 20 minutes.

Potatoes French Graton Savoyard (6) Sunset Mag 7/71

1 ½ lb new potatoes peeled and cut 1/8” to 1/16’ slices
1 ½ cups grated swiss cheese
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup chicken or beef broth

Spread 1/3 potatoes in shallow 1 ½ quart baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and ¼ cup cheese. Cover with another 1/3 potatoes, ¼ cup cheese. Cover with another 1/3 potatoes ¼ cup cheese and salt and pepper. Top evenly with remaining potatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1/16 tsp nutmeg and remainder of cheese. Dot with butter. Pour the brother over. Set pan on high heat till broth bubbles. Set in 375 oven immediately. Bake uncovered 1 hour.