I’ve been wanting to make a real mincemeat pie for Christmas.
Not the kind of mincemeat that you can buy in a jar – all sugar and raisins and not one mince of meat… I want to make the kind that my great grandmother made at Christmas time.

I found some recipes in Mrs. Wilson’s Cook Book, the 1920 edition. But… I don’t think anyone cooks with suet anymore. I don’t think you can buy food grade suet. I think you can only buy suet mixed with seed for the birds. I don’t think that the seed would sit well with Grampy’s teeth. Suet and Grampy’s arteries? Well, I just don’t know…

Here are the recipes, along with a lovely picture of my great grandmother (whose arteries were fine, by the way, even with the suet).
If anyone has a suggested substitution for suet (I’m loving that word ) please let me know. I don’t think you can just leave it out – it’s probably what holds the whole concoction together.

I really want to make mincemeat pie.

MINCEMEAT (from Mrs. Wilson’s Cook Book)
During the Christmas holidays open house was kept by the barons and knights of the early days. Great festivities and merrymaking was the order of the time. The great fête took place on Christmas day. On that day the mistresses of the households vied with each other in a friendly rivalry with their dishes of mutton pie.

The mutton pie, as it was known in 1596, is the mince pie of to-day. It was also known by the name of Christmas pie or shredds. In Herrick’s time it was considered vitally important to put an armed guard to watch the Christmas pies, lest some sweet-toothed rascal purloin them and then there would be no pies to grace the feast. As ever in warring lands, food commodities were scarce and expensive and accordingly considered a great luxury.

MINCEMEAT
Mincemeat may now be prepared for the holidays; and if kept in a cool place it will have sufficient time to blend and ripen. Here are some inexpensive recipes:

One-half cup of suet,
One-half cup of grated carrot,
Six cups of apples, chopped fine,
Two cups of raisins, chopped,
One-half cup of cooked meat, chopped fine,
One-half cup of citron, chopped fine,
One-half cup of orange peel, chopped fine,
Two tablespoons of cinnamon,
One-half tablespoon of nutmeg,
One-half tablespoon of cloves,
One and one-half cups of molasses,
One cup of boiled cider.
Mix in the order given. Pack into a bowl or crock. Cover closely and then set in a cool place to ripen. Cold left-over meat may be used.

NEW ENGLAND MINCEMEAT

Place one-half pound of hamburg steak in a saucepan and add one cup of cider. Cook for fifteen minutes; then remove from the saucepan and place in a large bowl and add

Six ounces shredded suet,
One-half pound currants,
One-half pound of raisins,
Two pounds of minced apples,
Four ounces of minced citron,
Four ounces of minced orange peel,
Four ounces of minced lemon peel,
Two tablespoons of cinnamon,
One tablespoon of allspice,
Three-fourths of tablespoon of cloves,
Two and one-half cups of syrup,
One cup of boiled cider.
Mix in the order given, then pack in glass or crock. Cover closely and then set in a cool place to ripen.

ORANGE MINCEMEAT

Squeeze the juice of three oranges. Place the peel in a saucepan of cold water. Cook until tender. Drain and then pour through the food chopper. Place in a bowl and add

Six cups of apples, chopped moderately fine,
One cup of suet, chopped fine,
One cup of raisins, chopped fine,
One cup of evaporated peaches, chopped fine,
One cup of evaporated apricots, chopped fine,
One-half cup of citron, chopped fine,
One cup of grated carrot,
Two tablespoons of cinnamon,
One-half tablespoon of allspice,
One-half tablespoon of mace,
One-half tablespoon of ginger,
One-half tablespoon of cloves,
Two cups of molasses,
One cup of boiled cider.
Mix in the order given and then pack in a large bowl or crock or stone pot. Cover closely and then put in a cool place for ten days to ripen.

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