UGLY PIE (Civil War)

"The cooking is everything. If not well done it is positively injurious; if well done, it is wholesome."-General Silas Casey ( 1862)

The more I look into food from civil war times, the more I realize that they were creative with what they could get. Where the apples were plentiful , desserts like pies were  made as often as possible. But as the war dragged on, even the apples were hard to find.I bet  this pie was  being made with nothing more than the fewest of ingredients. No apples, even. 

UGLY PIE , also known as Monster pie, or Molasses pie, was a treat during the civil war. Sugar was hard to come by but Molasses would have been readily available. A common staple.

A basic recipe would have been this: 5 green apples, or whatever was available, 1 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp cinnamon ( if available) and 1 cup molasses. Fill a pie shell with this mixture and bake at 350 minutes for over an hour.
HOWEVER.....

I found another recipe, which probably was added to over time, but  still makes an UGLY Pie.....

Prep time: About 15 minutes

Cooking time: about an hour

9 inch pie crust or double pie crust. You can make your own or purchase a set in freezer section or store, or chilled dough.

6 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, sliced and diced.

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ cup molasses ( I halved this, cause I just wasn’t sure what it would be like.   ¼ cup makes for a dark pie. Some recipes call for a FULL CUP. Wowzers.)

5 tbsp flour

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¾ cup raisins (optional if you do not like raisins)

¼ cup walnuts chopped (optional if you do not like nuts)

(It is said that is where it gets its name of “Ugle Pie” with all of the lumpy ingredients)

CRUMB TOPPING ( if using) ( I chose to do a plain crust top)

½ cup flour , ¼ cup butter cold,¼ cup brown sugar

METHOD:

1.    In large bowl mix apples, lemon juice and molasses

2.   Add in flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

1.    Toss to combine well.

2.   Stir in raisins and walnuts , if using.

1.    Place pie crust into a deep dish pie plate.

2.   Fill with apple filling.

"We have the best of food provided..." -Paymaster aboard USS Monitor

For TOPPING:

Place flour, cold butter, and brown sugar in a deep bowl. 

Using a pastry cutter, combine till you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over pie.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

8. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Around 1861, a Captain Sanderson wrote a cookbook  "Camp Fires and Camp Cooking, or Culinary Hints for the Soldier", A Union army cookbook with typical menus that the men would make. Most fare was basic: pork, beef, coffee, salt vinegar, some sugar, molasses, and veggies and fruit usually when they could find them. 

I wonder how many of them actually had the time to make Ugly Pie, the basic version, or if it was something reserved when they were home .

                  “Now, thats a pie!” ― James May

Photographs 2018