The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook (17 page)

The Watusi

Dance crazes were all the rage in the Sixties. After the Twist, the king of solo dances was the Watusi. The Watusi was an international amalgamation: it was named for the African Batutsi tribe, accompanied by Latin-inspired boogaloo music, and most embraced by American surf culture. While Puerto Rican jazz musician Ray Barretto is most remembered for his version of “El Watusi,” it was also recorded by Chubby Checker, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Isley Brothers, the Vibrations, the Orlons, and Annette Funicello. In 1965, little Wednesday on
The Addams Family
danced the Watusi to a Lurch-produced single.

BANGERS AND MASH

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

There is no ignoring the British Invasion, the inundation of American music by the Beatles and other ground-breaking groups from the United Kingdom. If you are in a Carnaby Street mood, make these sausages in brown sauce, served over mashed potatoes, for the ultimate in English comfort food. This version uses beef to make the gravy, but hard apple cider, which is about as British a drink as they come, is also groovy.

1 tablespoon bacon fat or vegetable oil

12 British-style pork sausages (see Note) or sweet Italian sausages, pierced with a fork, about 1¼ pounds total

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2½ cups canned reduced-sodium beef broth

¾ cup dark or lager beer

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Butter-Whipped Potatoes (
page 135
)

Whole-grain mustard, for serving

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.

2.
Heat the fat in an ovenproof large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.

3.
Add the onion to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Stir in the broth and beer. Return the sausage to the skillet and bring the liquid to a simmer. Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered until the sausage is cooked through and the gravy has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4.
Spoon the potatoes onto dinner plates, and top with the sausages and gravy. Serve hot with the mustard.

NOTE
:
British cooks would use Cumberland sausages, a mild, sage-flavored sausage. Any kind of lightly seasoned sausage in large links will do.

BAKED HAM WITH SODA POP GLAZE

MAKES 10 TO 14 SERVINGS

In the Sixties, Spam wasn’t the only “miracle meat in a can” (although they had sold
one billion
cans by 1959). Larger canned hams were quite popular, and proffered a distinct taste thanks to their syrupy preservatives. It’s a sweet glaze we miss, but not even in the name of authenticity can we recommend canned ham over natural. Therefore, this recipe has the same flavors that you would be likely to find on the canned ham, only applied to a bone-in half ham. Welcome back, pineapple and maraschino cherries—we’ve missed you!

1 (8-pound) smoked ham on the bone, preferably shank end

About 40 whole cloves

1 (12-ounce) can ginger ale or lemon-lime soda

1 (20-ounce) can pineapple slices

10 maraschino cherries

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil.

2.
If the ham has the thick rind attached, trim most of it off, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the ham in a diamond pattern. Insert the cloves evenly over the ham. Stand the ham in the pan, cut side down. Pour the ginger ale all over the ham. Tent the ham with foil.

3.
Bake, basting with the soda in the pan about every 45 minutes, for 3 hours. If the pan juices evaporate into a glaze and threaten to burn, moisten them with 1 cup of water. Remove the pan with the ham from the oven. Using wooden toothpicks, secure the pineapple slices and cherries to the ham. Baste with the pan juices, and return to the oven. Continue baking until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham, without touching a bone, reads 140°F, about 1 hour more.

4.
Let the ham stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carve the ham and serve warm.

LEG OF LAMB WITH GRAVY AND MINT JELLY

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

For most Americans living in the Sixties, lamb existed merely as an excuse to serve mint jelly. Midcentury cooks would have made it like this—without the Mediterranean influences that have made lamb more popular in subsequent years. So, here is lamb that might have come from Mom’s recipe box, without a drop of wine, but still with plenty of flavor.

1 (5½-to 6-pound) leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat

1 large garlic clove, cut into 12 slivers

1 lemon, cut in half

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 small carrot, coarsely chopped

1 small celery rib, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Mint jelly, for serving

1.
Using the tip of a sharp knife, poke 12 incisions all over the lamb, spacing them evenly apart. Insert a garlic sliver into each incision. Rub the lemon halves over the lamb, squeezing out the juice. Rub the lamb with the oil. Combine the rosemary, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and rub evenly over the lamb. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 1 hour.

2.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a roasting pan large enough to hold the lamb.

3.
Place the lamb in the roasting pan. Scatter the onion, carrot, and celery around the lamb. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Roast for 45 minutes. Add ½ cup water to the pan. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the thickest part of the lamb reads 130°F, about 30 minutes more for medium-rare lamb. Transfer the lamb to a platter. Set aside while making the gravy. The lamb should stand for at least 15 minutes before carving.

4.
Pour the vegetables from the pan into a wire sieve set over a large glass measuring cup. Strain, pressing hard on the vegetables. Let stand a few minutes, and skim off and discard the fat from the surface of the pan juices. Add enough water to the juices to make 1½ cups.

5.
Place the roasting pan over medium heat on the stove. Add and melt the butter in the pan. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth, scraping up any browned bits in the pan. Whisk in the pan juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until lightly thickened and no flour taste remains, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a sauceboat.

6.
Carve the lamb parallel to the bone. Serve hot, with the gravy and mint jelly.