A Seafood March

 Are you ready for some seafood? It's March, and The Chamberlain Calendar of American Cooking (Narcisse and Narcissa Chamberlain, 1957) must have had Lent in mind, as March is seafood-heavy. Easter was April 6 in 1958 (the year of the engagement calendar), so Lent lasted the whole month. (Granted, I'm pretty sure Catholics were supposed to make every Friday meatless back then, but maybe non-Catholics were less aware of it the rest of the year?)

Anyway, for those who don't want to feel too deprived on a meatless Friday, Delaware offers up an appetizer. 

The Mushroom and Shad Roe Hors-d'Oeuvre is even seasonally appropriate, as shad roe is generally available in March from what I've read. This isn't the same as calling for fresh sweetcorn in the middle of February. It must have been easy to forget about a fast day if dinner started out with mushroom stuffed with roe flavored with cream and brandy.

For those who like travel, the main course can transport the diners to Louisiana, even though Mardi Gras is long past.

I briefly wondered if sautéing the veggies in bacon fat meant this recipe was actually not Lent-appropriate, but it looks like bacon grease was A-OK as long as the actual bacon got eaten on a different day.

March is a tough month, frequently hinting at spring before emitting a blast of icy laughter at our naivety in thinking that winter might be over.... People need all the help they can get, so maybe the March recipes were a way of making a penitential time seem a little less bleak. Or maybe the Chamberlains just wanted to bust out the shrimp and bacon fat. March is as good a time as any. Who knows? Let's just power through with whatever we can!