The Food Maven Diary
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The Stork Club's Chop Suey
I was just rereading my last diary entry on chow mein (don't ask why), and realized that I hadn't deleted the "see page tk" references that were in my manuscript. This does prove, however, that that text came directly from my manuscript. You might, I thought, be curious about those cross-referenced recipes. I can't find the Longchamps recipe right now – I know I have it, but it is not in my computer. But I do have Sherman Billingsley's Chop Suey recipe here, and I have a few more words on the subject of chop suey. So let me share.
In the 1920s through '50s, and even today, chop suey was a word that was used for more than just the Chinese-American dish. Americans took the Chinese word literally. It means "this and that," and that allowed almost anything to be called chop suey. The 1931 edition of "The Joy of Cooking" outlines a beef chop suey recipe that calls for a can of tomato soup to bring together chopped beef, onions, and celery sautéed in butter. On the Internet, you can find many recipes for "American chop suey" (all called "family favorites") that add elbow macaroni to that Joy of Cooking mix. Updating the concept ever so slightly, sometimes they call for a jar of tomato sauce instead of a can of tomato soup.
Sherman Billingsley, the haughty owner of The Stork Club, where he invented the velvet rope used nowadays to exclude unacceptable people from exclusive clubs (except Billingsley used a golden chain), supposedly concocted this chop suey recipe especially for Margaret O'Brien, who was a child at the time. Her first movie was a Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney opus called "Babes on Broadway" that opened in 1941, when she was four years old. "Journey for Margaret," which opened in 1942, is what made her a superstar at five.
Sherman Billingsley's Stork Club Chop Suey
Serves 4
Wild rice was extremely exotic and expensive when this recipe was created. By law then, it could only be gathered by Native Americans in the traditional method of turning the tall grass over a small boat and beating it with a stick to dislodge the seeds. Today, wild rice is cultivated, and it can be found in the supermarket at a reasonable price. This is a great dish for a casual, but festive dinner, and a very good buffet dish because it tastes great at room temperature as well as hot, and it is easily eaten with only a fork.
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup wild rice, washed in a strainer under cold running water and drained
3 cups beef broth (can be beef bullion cubes dissolved in 3 cups boiling water)
1 cup thinly sliced celery hearts (inner ribs of celery), with a few leaves
1 pound raw spinach, heavy stems removed, washed thoroughly, very coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 14- to 16-ounce boneless rib steaks (or shell steaks), broiled to taste
In a 3-quart saucepan or stove-top casserole, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the wild rice and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer briskly, covered, for 20 minutes.
Stir in the celery, then turn the heat very low and cook at a gentle simmer, still covered, for about 30 minutes longer, or until the rice has opened up and the liquid has been absorbed. If, after 20 minutes of the second stage of cooking, there seems to be an excess of liquid, uncover the pot.
Stir in the chopped spinach and cook uncovered until well wilted, but still bright green.
Broil the steaks to taste.
When the rice is fully cooked, cut the steaks into 1-inch cubes and toss with the rice mixture.
Serve hot.
