Many of our presidents were lovers of fine food.  Jefferson, for example, spent more than his entire annual salary as president on  his love of fine wines.  President Lincoln would send any wine that was sent to the White House to military hospitals.

Lincoln did not follow in his footsteps. But to say that our 16th president  did not have his favorite dishes would be unfair. Lincoln’s tastes, like many of  us, were grounded in his background.

Unlike Jefferson, who dined among the landed gentry of aristocratic Virginia,  Lincoln’s tastes came from his childhood home in rural Kentucky and later  the heartland of the Midwest including Illinois.

When we add this factor to the knowledge that Lincoln was a self-made man  with little time for the gourmet dining clubs of his era, we can begin to  understand why Lincoln ate as he did.

Lincoln rarely ate breakfast, usually getting right to the tasks of his day.  This was not an unusual pattern for the men of the 1800’s. The Hollywood image  of huge breakfasts really only occurred on large working farms where the men  performed heavy labor and needed massive amounts of calories to make it  through the long day.

As for lunch, Lincoln often dined on a tray in his office so that he could  continue his work as a lawyer or later as president. Often his wife, Mary Todd,  would bring his lunch tray to him.

He especially enjoyed fresh fruit, crackers and country cheese. Not a  drinker, a glass of cool water or cup of tea completed his noonday meal.

But at dinner, he had his favorites; such as Chicken Fricassee with biscuits, Oyster Stew and for dessert Apple Pie. Mary Todd always quizzed any new chef  she was considering hiring about their ability to prepare her husband’s favorite  dishes.

Lincoln’s Favorite Chicken Fricassee with Biscuits – adapted from Betty Crocker

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces 1  Tablespoon cooking oil 4 ½ cups fresh mushrooms, sliced 2 small onions,  chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup sour cream 2 Tablespoons  all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon seasoned salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 cup  milk ½ cup chicken broth ¼ teaspoon marjoram ¼ teaspoon basil ¼  teaspoon oregano 2 Tablespoons dry sherry 1 recipe herbed biscuits (see recipe below)

Makes 6 Servings

In a skillet, cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 4 to 5  minutes until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside. Add  mushrooms, onion, and garlic to skillet. Cook, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes  until liquid is evaporated. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together  sour cream, flour, seasoned salt and pepper. Add sour cream mixture, milk  and broth to mushroom mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add marjoram, basil and oregano and lemon juice and cook for an additional  minute. Add chicken and sherry and heat throughly. Serve over prepared warm  herbed biscuits (see below)

Herbed Biscuits

1 3/4 cups packaged dry biscuit mix 3 green onions, thinly sliced ¼  teaspoon oregano ¼ teaspoon marjoram ¼ teaspoon basil ½ cup milk

Stir together all ingredients just until dough clings together. On a  lightly floured surface, knead dough 10 to 12 strokes. Roll to a 1/2 inch  thickness. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter (or one of your choice), cut dough  into 12 biscuits. Re-roll and incorporate the trimmings. Arrange  biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees in oven for about  12 minutes or until golden.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 13th, 2012 at 7:00 am and is filed under Main Dish, Poultry. Tags for this post: abe Lincoln, apple pie, fhicken fricassee. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.