Out of Helen's Kitchen - Early 1960's

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Published on Friday, September 1, 2017

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“In the 1960s, you could eat anything you wanted, and of course, people were smoking cigarettes and all kinds of things, and there was no talk about fat and anything like that, and butter and cream were rife. Those were lovely days for gastronomy, I must say,” Julia Child

Helen Drysdale
The Neepawa Banner
1960 - Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's government approved The Canadian Bill of Rights. It granted First Nations people the right to vote in federal elections without losing their treaty status. One step ahead and two back for The First Nations people, as the “60’s scoop” had begun and became the new agent for assimilation.

1960 - The first self-cleaning oven arrives in the home sales market.
1961 - The booming prosperity of the 1950s helped to create a widespread sense of stability and phenomenal growth. Then came 1961 and drought, once again the dust is blowing across the prairies. Farmers were saying this year's is actually much worse than the 1930s in terms of crop yield. Farmers are let in to Riding Mountain National Park to cut meadows for feed for their cattle. Each farmer is allowed 500 square bales. Grasshopper infestations are also a problem for the Canadian prairies, for the first several years of the 60’s.
1961 - Julia Child's first book was published, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. TV chef and author Julia Child adapted complex French cooking for everyday cooks. It has since become a standard guide for the culinary community.
1962 - Canadian inventor Edward Asselbergs introduced instant mashed potato.
September 3, 1962 - The Trans-Canada Highway opens.
1963 - Prime Minister Lester Pearson launches the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. It would lead to the passing of the Official Languages Act in 1969.
1963 - Maxwell House introduces the first freeze dried coffee.
1963- Julia Child’s TV show “The French Chef” begins.
Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French stew of cubed beef, slow cooked in red wine and broth, and served with sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions.

Boeuf Bourguignon
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. cubed stew meat
4 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef broth
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2-3 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. button mushrooms, cleaned and left whole
1 lb. pearl onions

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and black pepper. Coat the beef cubes with this mixture. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown well on all sides. Pour this into a 2 quart casserole dish. Return the skillet to the heat and add the onion, carrots and garlic to it. Sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add to the meat. Add the wine, beef broth, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Pour over meat. Bake, covered, at 300° for three hours. About 15 minutes before meat is done cooking, melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, in pot of boiling water, boil pearl onions for 3 minutes; drain and chill in cold water. Peel and trim, leaving root ends intact.  Add the mushrooms and the pearl onions to the meat mixture. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.