Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-26

Din amt much without wine, and my stock |
is used up. 1 don't say but what with |
good wine ON 'em they are more or less |
palatable.' "And what's the wine yo1 |
ought to use ?'' l asked. "Well,'' said |
he, there's been more disputing about |
that auestion-what kind of wine you |
ought to use-than anything else. My
father, who was great on precedents, used
to differ with my mother on that topic. |
It seems pretty certain that in General |!
Wash ington's time, it used to be, on the
Virginia side, port wine and not sherry,
and my grandmother, who was Carter,
used to say port wine was right. II
had any port wine would have Melinda
that's ny cook-serve them for you that
way" >,
says l, calling to our man, who was loung-
around with the basket, "lets see the
contents of that 'ere," and hauled on
bottle of port, for SO it was labelled. That
old Maryland planters eyes just cleaned.
terrapin 80 No" says the captain, "for
20 and fetch that other bottle of port. It's
in the mates locker, 1 suppose" But the
MARYLAND man wouldn't think of it.
"Half the bottle will do" said he, eyiDg
it, "and there will be enough left to wash
down the terrapin with" But Jim was
off at wcrd of the captain, and in about
an hour he came back with the other bot
tie. Our captain was q moderate man,
though, and not given to liquor.
"You wouldn't object" says !, to my
going to the kitchen and seeing Melinda
and learning how TO cook terrapin in good
old Maryland style:" For just as early as
that was of an inquiring mind.
"Not bit of it." says he. g Melinda's
been cook for me ever since l was born,
and nursed me, and is mighty proud of her
kitchen lore, and will doubtless impart
information Now, whilo the captain
and he were chatting went to the kitchen
some short distance from the house, where
l saw dark colored woman, tidy enough
with handkerchief Oh her head, busy with
a wood fire.
Aunty," says I, "I have come to take
a lesson in terrapin cooking. Your mas
ter says you are tho boss cook OF this
| whole country"
"Sakes, Mars says she, "my mars
do me proud. But dis yere is poor
kitchen. We amt got de tings. Whar's
de wine to make dat tarrapin stew wild
and de lemon? Dis here place run
down."
Hero they be-" says ; here is the
them out of the basket.
| "Sakes., but is dat wine good %
| "You shall taste it, Aunt Melinda, and
| Judge for yourself; and poured out some
into cocoanut dipper.
"Bless us tbs so-real stuff-jess like
we had forty year ago, when l war gal !;
and Mars dere is some cream--beeN saw
ing it. Tarrapin stew? We is just going
to fetch it. Now, you set down on dat
settle and jess watch me. Most anybody
can brile chickens, bile corn, stew tomato;
but it's science w,d tarrapin. Fse had desc
tarrapin in now an hour, billing hard,
and now Use going to suck 'em. l takes
dem out and cOOls dem in dis spring water,
and of, you see, comes de black hide.
Then Melinda took off the black skin
and divided the terrapin in two. Then
she separated the gall carefully and chop
ped up the liver. She took two large
table spoonscul of butter and teaspOonful
OF flour, and Set that on her wood fire in
AL earthern crock stirring it with wooden
spoon and then she called me. Jess as
| soon as de butter froth and take mulatto
color you jess stop udderwise you burn
him. don't want none of dis ycre spice in
my tarrapin it jess kill 'em. You see
me salt him ever SO little. Now, put dis
we're billed tarrapin what is chop up fine in
that there butter, and warm him, but
don't bring him to the bile. Whar's your
cream l tits into dis jist dis ycre tum-
blerful of cream and shakes him. Now
whar's dis ycre wine what you was d
Dragging about There is most -four
quart of tarrapin here. l am gwine
IL. cf,11 nel M
yere port wine and put in dis ycre
tumbier, and am gwine to break dis egg
and take dc yaller of it and beat it up wild
dc wine. Is you ready for your dinner ?
For by dc time you's sot to table dis yel
mess Of tarrapin will be ready, for dc
wine and de egg is de very last thing ]
puts in and don't bile 'em, but stir 'em
up while de tarapin is hot-dat's cooking
enough. Thar's one thing wanting, and
dat's green pepper. Alonzo"-this was
addressed 10 u little darkey-"yOu sc
quick and pull me in de garden one small
green pepper. and hurry" In 4 trice AlOn
20 was back. Melinda cut piece of the
green pepper not larger than teaspoon
. and cut it up wonderfully fine and strewed
it on the hot terrapin.
"Dey don't do that ere on the Virginia
, sido," said Melinda "but dey don't
know nothing over dar," and she pointed
defiantly with spoon over her shoulder at
some imaginary place "and me and Mis-:
! Fitzhugh's S cook, Venus, come near wunst
! to blows over that pepper. She don't
! krow muffin, cramming nutmegs, ant
I PAISLEY, and all sorts of garden stuff in he
tarrapin. An up-country nigger vat nevc
, did know muffin more dan how tt
.. bake Johnny cake. Now you so T.
put that green pepper in in hunks
,, und you spile tarrapin sho', honey
! Dis old woman ought to have jus
one more sup of dat wine 10 set her up
!, for dis ere kitchen mighty close, and nov
!, I'll bile dis fish, and give dis yere chicken
fry. Go eat your dinner, young man
and mind you tell Mas'r dat dis yere tara
: pin take every drop of dis yere wine--you
> hear" And Melinda handed the dish Of
, terrapin to Alonzo, and followed it int,
the dining room. There never was sucf
; tcrrapin stew, nor 4 kinder host. For
,, tunately, there was another bottle OF port
! The captain brewed a punch. Oh, tn
= good old days on that Maryland coast
. when te:rapin were plenty Bob, tile Set
|tonI.