Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Cooking With Cheese (Polly-O)

Today's cookbook is Polly-O Recipe Book: Cooking With Cheese from the Pollio Dairy Products Corporation. It was published in 1968. Click thumbnails for full pictures.

This booklet features a lot of the oddities of 1960s and 1970s cooking, namely the fascination of stuffing foods in other foods and everything gelatin. While I love that a lot of the foods look pretty inedible, my real interest in this book is in the pictures of the late 1960s packaging, especially the bi- and tricolored designs.



1. Front cover - A medley of cheese delights


2. Ricotta Ravioli (with appetizing background color)


3. Stuffed Frankfurters


4. Fruit & Cottage Cheese Mold | Ricotta Stuffed Tomatoes


5. The swinging 60s would have been nothing without cheese!


6. A trio of Polly-O packaging


7. 'The Polly-O Family Of Fine Foods'

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you have the Receipe for the the cake on page 60 of this book? It has grain in it. It was cut out of the book I have and I cannot find it. If you could post the receipe I would appreciate it very much. thanks

Ninderella said...

Hi Maria,

This is too funny! I still have my mom's original copy of this book. I lost it and searched for it like a crazy person and just located it TODAY so that I could make this very same recipe for Easter! I just happened to be searching online for the book so that I could surprise my mom with a new copy since this one is older than I am! Sorry for the story, I just thought it was too funny - almost like it was meant to be!

The recipe is VERY long, so I only typed out the origianl version. If you want the recipe in the book for the wheatgerm substitute, or the tapioca version feel free to email me at ninderella38@yahoo.com I will send it to you. Here is the coveted Pastiera recipe ingredients:

For the Pasta Frolla (Flaky Sweet Pastry)

2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup Polly-O Butter
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon milk

Filling:
3/4 lb. soaked wheat, drained (this is the weight after soaking)
1/2 cup hot (scalded) milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 lbs. Polly-O Ricotta
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg yolks beaten
dash of cinnamon (optional)
grated rind of one lemon
1 or 2 tablespoons orange flower water or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/4 cp, each, minced glace citron and orange peel
4 egg whites, beaten stiff
1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare Wheat:
Drain soaked wheat, cover with 3 cups of fresh water, add 1 tsp salt and boil 1 hour in a covered saucepan, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Drain water, add 1/2 cup scalded milk, 1 tsp sugar, and boil for additional five minutes. Remove from heat, add citron and orange peel; mix and allow to cool. (If soaked wheat is not readily avialable, dry wheat may be soaked as follows: cover dry wheat with cold water and boil for 15 minutes or until the husks crack open. Remove from heat and allow to soak for 24 hours. Then prepare soaked wheat as above.)

While prepared whea is cooling prepare pasta frolla: Sift flour, salt and sugar into a bowl cut in butter with a pastry blender or with finger tips, to distribute the butter evenly through the flower. sir in egg ylks one at a time mixing with a wooden spoon. Work with hands until dough is manageable and clears the bowl, adding a little milk, is necessary to hold together. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead quickly until smooth. Form into a ball and chill for 30 minutes. Then divide the ball into two parts, one larger than the other. roll large peice on lightly floured board into a large disc 1/8 inch thick, large enough to line a deep 10-inch pie plate. Butter pie plate and line with pastry, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Roll out the smaller peice of dough 1/8 inc thick and cut into 3/4 inch strips, for lattice work topping.

Prepare filling: Beat ricotta and sugar together, adding 6 beaten egg yolks, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon rind and orange water, blending well. Stir prepared wheat and fold in egg whites. Turn into pie shell; arrange strips criss-cross over filling, to edge; roll bottom overhang up over strips at edge and flute heavily. bae n a pre-heated moderate 350F oven for about 1 hour, or until firm in center and crust is nicely browned. let cool in oven. serve sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.

Ninderella said...

Sorry, didn't mean to call you Maria. That was the name of the person who posted this article. :)

Maria said...

Oh wow! Thank you for responding to Anonymous, Ninderella! That was incredibly kind and generous of you! I hope that s/he checked back and was able to make use of the recipe. Anonymous, I actually wouldn't have been able to post the recipe because I don't have this book any longer.

Anonymous said...

Happy Easter all,

I asked my Mom last year to dig this book up and mail it to me from Florida. I made the wheat pie (same recipe) last year and again today for Easter Sunday. My family never tasted this before last year because my Mom used to make it and I never thought about since she and my Dad moved to Florida when my children were young. Everyone loved it and now I attempted again this year. It is time consuming but the outcome is awesome. I double the recipe and crust and make it in a 10 inch spring foam pan. Enjoy and keep the memories alive. Buona Pasqua!

AnnS said...

I am so glad I found this site. I lost my cookbook and this is the only grain pie I like. I'll be making three of hem today. Happy Easter.