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Spanish Shrimps
2 Tomatoes 2 Onion 2 Teaspoon Sugar 2 Chopped Chili 1 Cup Boiled Rice 4 Tablespoon Grated Swiss Cheese 1 Cup Cooked Shrimps Fry the tomatoes and onion together, season with pepper and salt, add the sugar and chili; mix all with the rice, add the cheese and shrimps.
Cook on back of stove half an hour.
Very good either hot or cold.
A one-pan rice dish from the era when "Spanish" on a menu meant tomato, onion and pepper. The instructions assume a coal range, so the heat management needs translating.
- "Back of the stove"On a wood or coal range this was the coolest zone, used for holding and slow melding rather than active cooking. On a gas or electric hob, the nearest equivalent is the lowest setting with a lid on.
- Add the shrimp lastHalf an hour of sustained heat will turn already-cooked shrimp tough and stringy. Build the tomato, onion, chili and rice, let that sit and meld, then fold the shrimp in near the end and the cheese in off the heat.
- What "chili" meantIn American books of this kind a chopped chili is most likely a fresh green or red chile pepper rather than chili powder. Two medium jalapenos or a couple of Anaheims are a workable substitute; taste and adjust, since the original gives no indication of heat level.
- TomatoesTwo tomatoes means two whole fresh ones, peeled if you like, chopped and cooked down with the onion until they collapse into a loose sauce. Out of season, a cup of drained canned chopped tomatoes is closer to the original texture than pale fresh fruit.
- The sugarTwo teaspoons probably serves to balance the acidity of the tomatoes rather than to sweeten the dish. With ripe summer tomatoes you may want to cut it to one teaspoon or leave it out.
- CheeseFour tablespoons of grated Swiss is about an ounce, enough to bind and enrich rather than to make the dish stringy. Stir it in off direct heat so it does not seize into rubbery threads.
- RiceA cup of boiled rice means cooked and cooled, which is roughly a third of a cup dry. Day-old rice holds its grain better through the long sit than freshly boiled.
- YieldServes two generously or four as a side. Served cold, as the recipe suggests, it firms up considerably; loosen it with a spoonful of tomato juice or a squeeze of lemon before serving.
Bridal cookbooks of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were sold as starter manuals for young women setting up a first kitchen, and they leaned heavily on dishes that were cheap and forgiving. "Spanish" in American cookery of the period was a loose label for anything built on tomato, onion and chile, and it attached itself to eggs, rice and sauces alike with little regard for actual Spanish practice. The grated Swiss is the odd note, and the recipe allows that it may be served either hot or cold.