Marguerites Cookbook

A cooking blog all about making vintage recipes from a cookbook we inherited from our grandmother

Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwiches

Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwiches

Chipped chopped ham is a Pittsburgh culinary tradition and one of those unique regional things you just can’t find anywhere else. So the fact that we made this recipe from Chicago was a little difficult. Oh? You’re not familiar with the term “chipped chopped ham?” Allow me to explain…

Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue

According to Isaly’s, the premier deli meat supplier in Pittsburgh, chopped ham is made from ham chunks and seasonings, all ground together and then smushed into a loaf. Then, it’s sliced super thin, making it both chipped and chopped. We found thin deli meat very easily, but we could not find chopped ham! We totally could have had some shipped to us here in Chicago, but we have poor planning skills, so we had to settle with ye olde thin ham.

Here is what Marguerite had to say:

Ham Sandwich recipe

Though it wasn’t in the instructions, Aaron decided to cube the ham. Cubing it certainly made it easier to “stuff” the buns more and get more meat on the sandwiches. I highly recommend this extra step.

Pittsburgh Ham Sandwiches

For as simple as the sauce recipe was, it certainly packed a lot of flavor. We we’re both huge fans of these ham barbecue sandwiches and we’re planning on making them frequently (and maybe ordering some chipped chopped ham from Pittsburgh.) Serving them with some potato chips and Pepsi was *muah*

Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwiches

Her note about purchasing “good buns” for the sandwiches was ignored by us and boy was it a mistake. The barbecue sauce makes the buns beyond soggy. If you’re going to make this, get good buns. Also, it’s very important to use Heinz ketchup in the sauce. Again, it’s a Pittsburgh thing…

Pittsburgh Barbecue Sandwiches

If you’re outside of the Pittsburgh area and don’t want to ship chipped chopped ham in (I totally don’t blame you if you don’t) the regular, thin sliced ham you can pick up in the deli section worked just fine for us. Now go enjoy some ham n’at!

 

Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwiches
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 sandwhiches 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 sandwhiches 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwiches
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 sandwhiches 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 sandwhiches 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: sandwhiches
Instructions
  1. Combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and cinnamon.
  2. Put the barbecue mixture into a saucepan and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Add the meat and simmer another 10 minutes.
  4. Serve on sandwich buns.
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Rice and Broccoli Casserole

Rice and Broccoli Casserole

Now I like broccoli, rice, and especially cheese as much as the next person, but I can’t say I particularly love them all mixed together. However, this rice and broccoli casserole was not a bad way to mix them.  This particular casserole was introduced to Marguerite by an elementary school colleague, Sylvia Camp.

ricecasserole

Here is what Marguerite’s cookbook had to say:

Casserole

As you can see, this rice and broccoli casserole is another extremely simple recipe which includes quite a few of the same ingredients that a lot of Marguerite’s recipes employed. Casseroles were a staple of hers. This must have made making any number of different recipes easy depending on what she had on hand.  Mixing all these “cream of” soups together went a little better for us than it did for our Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.

ricecasserole

Like I mentioned earlier, I am not a huge fan of casseroles. This one was just okay, in my opinion. Aaron also enjoys carbs and cheese, and at times only wishes to tolerate vegetables. He had this rice and broccoli casserole along with our protein of choice for a few meals, but he didn’t necessarily feel the urge to go up for seconds. For two people who, outside of Marguerite’s meals, were used to having a pile of vegetables next to a pile of starch, this was a clever change of pace. Aaron found some value in a casserole as a different way to prepare these accompanying food groups, and will likely want to try this again with some improvements.

ricecasserole

Rice and Broccoli Casserole
Print Recipe
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rice and Broccoli Casserole
Print Recipe
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Butter the bottom of a casserole dish.
  2. Put cooked rice in casserole dish.
  3. Sauté onions in butter until light brown.
  4. Mix the onions with the cooked and drained broccoli and the three different soups.
  5. Pour the mixture on top of the rice.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
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Grilled Flounder

Grilled Flounder

This is a great flounder recipe that can be either baked or grilled. We choose to do a baked version of this recipe, but it can be made on a Foreman or a regular grill.

Grilled Flounder

Here is what Marguerite had to say:

Grilled Flounder

One of the best parts of this grilled flounder recipe is how few ingredients it takes to make the sauce. Simplicity is always a plus for us. Aaron was surprised that cocktail sauce plus mustard equaled barbecue flavor, however he hates flounder. He wants to try it again on another white fish. I want to try it again on a grill.

Grilled Flounder

This grilled flounder has a nice, tangy consistency to it. It’s the perfect flavor for a summer meal and definitely one we’ll try again as the weather warms up.

Grilled Flounder

Grilled Flounder
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 4 oz 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 4 oz 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Grilled Flounder
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 4 oz 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 4 oz 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: 4 oz
Instructions
  1. Lay fish in baking dish.
  2. Mix other ingredients and spread on fish.
  3. Bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees.
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Breaded Veal Cutlets

Breaded Veal Cutlets

As far as easy dinners go, these veal cutlets definitely make the list.

In an attempt to be real adults, we’re always on the lookout for “real” food to make for dinner. By real food we mean basically anything that isn’t EasyMac. This veal recipe is one to add to our regular dinner rotation and not just as part of our adventure in cooking through Marguerite’s book. Few ingredients, lots of flavor, and a quick prep time equate to a perfect meal for us and this veal brings it.

Veal Cutlets

Here is what Marguerite had to say:

IMG_0262

Another reason we love this recipe is because it could be very easy to try with other kinds of meats. Veal is pricey and we usually have other meats in our freezer for everyday use. Basically any kind of beef cut would compliment this recipe well, as well as chicken. Pork perhaps? We’ll have to try a few and report back.

Veal Cutlet Recipe

The preparation of the meat was very simple, which is a huge factor for us when making dinner every night. It was also super flavorful, despite the meat being a little tough. That, of course, had to do with the meat we selected, and not the recipe itself.  All-in-all, another success!

Breaded Veal

The only issue we ran into with this dish was actually finding veal cutlets. Hence why the meat we picked was so tough. We went to 3 grocery stores before we found anything, and even then the selection was not so fabulous. So if anyone is aware of a good butcher in the Chicago area, let us know!

 

Breaded Veal Cutlets

 

Breaded Veal Cutlets
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 People 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hr 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 People 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hr 15 minutes
Breaded Veal Cutlets
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 People 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hr 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 People 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hr 15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: People
Instructions
  1. Salt and pepper veal to taste.
  2. Dip in skim milk then dip in break crumbs.
  3. Grease baking dish well with margarine and place veal in dish.
  4. Grease skillet well with margarine.
  5. Stew tomatoes with onion flakes, sugar, salt, pepper, and margarine.
  6. Put over veal and back for one hour and 15 minutes at 325 degrees. Cover tightly.
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Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

This recipe was a great place for us to start in the cookbook. It was easy, fast, and great for these chilly nights. It’s basically a left-overs casserole, which is going to be a great thing to try again when we don’t feel like eating the same thing two nights in a row.

Here’s what Marguerite had to say about it:

Grandmas Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Isn’t her handwriting beautiful?

We were kind of confused for about two seconds until we realized the chicken needed to be pre-cooked. Thank goodness Aaron’s mom is just a quick phone call away to clarify. She explained Marguerite used this as mostly a left-overs thing. So we had to go through the extra step of cooking and slicing some chicken.

We chose to do a very basic chicken in olive oil in the oven, since we figured the casserole would provide tons of flavor.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

 

Modifications we made from the original: We choose to layer the cheese on top of the broccoli instead of adding it to the casserole mixture.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

The soup mixture left me (Shannon) feeling a little nauseous, as it did not look appealing when being mixed. Once cooked over chicken, however, it was amazing.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Overall, we really liked this one. It was comfort food and delicious. It would have tasted better if the entire bag of broccoli we used wasn’t almost all broccoli stems. Aaron especially love the extra kick from the curry powder.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 15 (if the chicken is pre-cooked)
Cook Time
5-10 Minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 15 (if the chicken is pre-cooked)
Cook Time
5-10 Minutes
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 15 (if the chicken is pre-cooked)
Cook Time
5-10 Minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 15 (if the chicken is pre-cooked)
Cook Time
5-10 Minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. If you're not using leftover chicken, cook two breasts to your liking and slice into strips
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (farenheight)
  3. Mix together soup, mayo, lemon juice, and curry powder
  4. Microwave the broccoli, arrange in a casserole dish
  5. Layer as much grated cheese on top as you want. In my opinion, the cheesier the better!
  6. Lay the chicken strips over the cheese and broccoli
  7. Pour in the mixture and spread into an even layer over the chicken
  8. Top with bread crumbs and bake for 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and hot
Recipe Notes

Marguerite recommends serving over rice. We had it by itself and it was delicious.

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