Edible Heirlooms

A delicious connection to the women who came before

During the holidays, the sweetest gifts are often not tucked beneath the tree but made by hand in the kitchen, where flour dusts the counter, familiar aromas fill the air, and recipes carry memories from one generation to the next.

For Lenette Kosovich, the gift was Grandma Olga Lemoine’s ravioli, tender parcels tucked beneath a blanket of savory sauce. For Renee Coppock, it was her Grandma Olga Moomey’s Snickerdoodles, warm with cinnamon and sugar and the sweetness of holidays remembered.

Two grandmothers named Olga. Two beloved recipes. And two gifts that, long after the holidays have passed, continue to nourish both heart and memory.

For Robin Hanel, those treasured gifts come from two generations of women in her family. Her heart warms when she makes the Peanut Butter Fudge passed down from her grandmother, Marie L. Roe, or a batch of Raspberry Jam from her mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Roe. With each stir of the spoon and each familiar taste, she keeps their recipes — and a little piece of them — alive in her own kitchen.

These women have found their own ways to preserve the recipes entrusted to them. Robin and Renee gathered treasured family recipes into cookbooks, creating collections to pass along to future generations. Lenette chose a different kind of keepsake, framing her grandmother’s handwritten recipe in a shadow box — a reminder that sometimes a precious inheritance can be written on a simple page in a notebook.

For Lenette, making ravioli is also a way of carrying on her Italian heritage.

“Without fail, we have had these ravioli at every Christmas since I remember,” she says.

Grandma Olga’s cooking reached beyond the family table. “Olga also made her ravioli sauce for restaurants around Great Falls, including Johnny’s in Belt and Howdy’s in Great Falls.”

Renee’s memories of her Grandma Olga reach beyond Snickerdoodles, too. Her grandmother lived just down the road in Owaneco, Illinois, and was an important presence in her life.

“I received all my grandma’s recipes when she passed away,” Renee says. “My grandma helped me learn to cook and sew.”

Snickerdoodles

Shared by Renee Coppock from her Grandma Olga, Makes about 12 cookies

½ c. salted butter, margarine or Crisco, softened
1 c. sugar
¼ t. baking soda
¼ t. cream of tartar
1 egg
½ t. vanilla
1½ c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Set aside. Shape dough into small balls and roll in sugar mixture. Place on a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes until edges are golden.

Mom’s Raspberry Jam

~ Shared by Robin Hanel from her mother Betty Roe, Makes about 6 to 8 cups

8 c. fresh raspberries plus juice
7 c. sugar

Bring raspberries to a boil in a large pot. Cook for 4 minutes. Stir in sugar and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring frequently to keep from scorching, and cook until the mixture thickens, about 20 to 30 minutes. Skim off any excess foam.

Pour the hot jam into clean, sterilized jars. Cool the jars completely on the counter to store in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks or in the freezer for several months.

Peanut Butter Fudge

~ Shared by Robin Hanel from her Grandmother Marie L. Roe, Makes 48 to 64 squares

4 c. sugar
12-ounce can evaporated milk
4 to 6 T. peanut butter
2 t. vanilla

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or line it with parchment paper. n a medium heavy saucepan, combine sugar and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a full boil. Boil for 2 to 5 minutes or until it reaches the soft-ball stage around 234 to 238 degrees F if using a candy thermometer. Remove pan from the heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until creamy.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top evenly. Let it cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Cut into squares. Keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks at room temperature, several weeks in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Raviolis with Grandma Olga’s Homemade Sauce

~Shared by Lenette Kosovich from her Grandma Olga, Makes 50 to 60

“Without fail, we have had these ravioli at every Christmas since I remember.” She usually doubles the recipe for the sauce but admits the recipe below is not written in stone. Sometimes more flour is needed for the pasta dough while the amount of meat in the filling can change depending on what size chicken or pork she can buy.

For filling:

4-pound whole chicken
3-pound lean pork roast
½ loaf French bread
About 1 cup chicken broth
2 bunches parsley, stems removed, finely chopped
¼ c. salted butter or chicken drippings
4 eggs
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
½ t. ground nutmeg
½ t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves
½ t. poultry seasoning

Cook chicken and pork as instructed below. After the meats cool, remove chicken meat from bones and cut pork up into pieces. (The meats can be cooked a day ahead.) Place French bread into a medium bowl. Pour broth slowly over the top of the bread, letting the liquid soak in. Add more as needed. Squeeze dry in a towel to remove excess liquid.

In a medium saucepan, heat butter or chicken drippings over medium heat until bubbly. Add parsley and saute for a minute. Cool to room temperature. Place meats and bread in a food processor. Pulse until filling is a dense, crumbly paste. Add filling to a large bowl, mix in eggs, cheese, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and poultry seasoning. Mix in parsley.

NOTE: The filling can be made a couple of days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

For the roasted chicken:

4-pound whole chicken, giblets removed, pat dry
½ c. salted butter, softened
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season the inside cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff the celery, onion and garlic and a portion of the butter into the cavity. Loosen the skin over the breast meat and spread a couple of tablespoons of butter underneath. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the chicken skin. Generously season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken uncovered for about 20 minutes per pound, about 1 hour 20 minutes or until the internal temperature measures 165 degrees F. NOTE: Save the chicken drippings for cooking parsley, about ¼ cup.

For the roasted pork:

3-pound lean pork roast
1 t. dried rosemary
6 garlic cloves
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make several slits across the top of the roast. Sprinkle with rosemary and insert garlic into cuts. Season with salt.

Roast the pork uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes per pound, about 1 hour 15 minutes or until the internal temperature measures 145 degrees F.

For the dough and preparing the ravioli:

4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour, sifted
1/3 c. vegetable oil
½ c. lukewarm water
4 eggs
1 t. salt

In a large bowl, mix together flour, oil, water, eggs and salt. Knead for 15 minutes or until bubbles form. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll one at a time into 1/8-inch thick rectangle. About 2 ½ inches from the edge, put heaping teaspoons of filling in a row 1-½ inch apart. Pick up the front edge, fold over, covering mounds of filling. Press around each one with your fingers. Cut with pastry cutter and press edges with a fort to seal. Repeat making one row at a time all dough and filling is used. NOTE: The ravioli can be frozen at this point. Freeze on a sheet pan making sure the ravioli do not touch. Once frozen, they can be stored in a plastic bag or container.

In a large saucepan, boil 4 quarts water with 1 tablespoon salt. Add ravioli one at a time, filling pot with 1 dozen. Boil for about 3 minutes and longer for frozen ravioli. Drain on platter. Cook remaining ravioli. Serve with Grandma Olga’s Homemade Sauce.

Grandma Olga’s Homemade Sauce

Makes about 8 cups

1 pound ground beef
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6-ounce can tomato paste
14 ½ ounce can beef broth
29 ounce can tomato sauce
4 c. water
¼ t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves
1 t. sea salt
½ t. ground black pepper
1 c. fresh parsley, stems removed, chopped

In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef over medium heat with onion, and celery, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, water, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil to reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 ½ hours until the sauce thickens.

NOTE: The sauce can be frozen at this point to be reheated.

Just before serving, stir in parsley and cook for another minute.