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Cookbook's notes tell woman's story

Alese Shapiro’s Personal Cookbook
Alese Shapiro’s Personal Cookbook

Cookbooks tell stories. Especially old ones. I learned a long time ago to look for the dirty pages. That's where you'll find the best recipes. Those splattered or even gritty pages usually contain the recipes the owner made again and again.

But my favorite thing is reading the handwritten notes in the margin.

A few months ago I came into possession of a book that reads like one long margin note -- complete with doodles and illustrations.

A reader bought the book at an estate sale and passed it along to me, knowing I would find it enjoyable.

And did I! Alese Shapiro's Personal Cookbook is a handmade treasure.

The opening page, in Shapiro's cursive handwriting (as is the entire book), reads:

From

Artichoke to Bombe -- the hard way

A.J.S.

Irene

I wish I could guarantee this will make you love cooking. But, really, it can be fun, if while Wayne chops the vegetables, you mix the drinks.

Love and kisses

Alese

The book offers little information about when it was written. There are no dates on the pages and the recipes are the standard American and Jewish American fare of the last half of the 20th century.

But it's full of fascinating, insightful and often humorous commentary.

Take for example, this passage on soup:

Soup is a project. You don't just make it. You build it. Each time you make an addition to the pot, you taste for effect.

... Nothing you add to soup is wrong; only some things are more to your taste. Sort of like feelings.

Or this piece of general household advice:

I would find it hard to keep house without kosher soap, Italian seasoning and a garlic press.

And a Foley [food] mill.

And a dictionary.

And Jack. [Jack is Alese's husband.]

Or

Believe me. There are days when a little marjoram can light up your life.

Or:

Perfect for carrying to grandmother's house. Keeps really well as you're walking through the woods.

Or:

If tuna ever seems too plebeian for your taste, grate an apple into it -- makes it think it's chicken. Try it.

The only clues to the book's date of origin I found were a few recipes torn from magazines in the back of the book. They are dated 1981 and 1982.

As interesting as the book and its recipes are, I can't help but wonder about the lives of Alese and Irene. Who were these women? How did they know each other?

Unable to get them out of my head, I turned to the Internet for answers.

At findagrave.com I found a memorial marker for Alese J. Shapiro in Norwich University Cemetery in Northfield Washington Co., Vermont.

It read:

Alese J. Shapiro

June 1, 1922 - Dec. 29, 2000

"At Peace in her Garden"

Daisy-type flowers engraved in the marker are similar to flower doodles I found in her cookbook.

Buried in the same cemetery are two other Shapiros: Jacob Shapiro, Lt. Col. U.S. Army World War II, Jan. 20, 1914-March 29, 1997, and Abraham S. Shapiro March 20, 1950- Feb. 3, 1976, "Forever at Home With Nature."

Could Jacob be Alese's husband, Jack? Was Abraham her son? What tragedy took Abraham before his 26th birthday?

The cemetery is available to those affiliated with the university -- alumni, employees, trustees, board members and "those who have shown a special interest in Norwich University."

Poking around the Norwich University website I learned that Jacob was a 1936 graduate of NU and a member of the NU board of trustees. The university's Shapiro Field House is named after him. The NU website describes Shapiro as a "successful entrepreneur and manufacturer."

As I leafed through the pages of the cookbook, occasionally I'd see a recipe note mention Abe. Was Abe Abraham?

I tracked down a copy of Alese's obituary and found a few answers:

ALESE J. SHAPIRO

HOLLYWOOD, FLA./SWANTON, VT. -- After a brief illness Mrs. Alese J. Shapiro died on Dec. 29, 2000 in Hollywood, Fla. where she has lived since 1953. She and her husband, Jack also lived in Swanton since 1965. Both of them loved Vermont and were closely connected to Norwich University, Jack's alma mater. Alese loved her gardens which bloomed brightly with her loving creativity. Every summer she was part of the St. Albans "Tuesday lunch" with the girls. This included, among others, Betty Soul and Jean Doubleday. She also worked for 15 yrs. as a volunteer reading instructor with primary school children in Hollywood. Her children, Roz, John and Martha and their families will certainly miss her. She will be buried in Northfield, at Norwich University on July 2, 2001.

And while the Internet helped me learn a bit about Alese, I still know next to nothing about its recipient. Did Irene tear out those pages of McCall's and Modern Maturity? Did she mix drinks while Wayne chopped the vegetables as Alese suggested? Did she grow to love cooking?

I hope so. With a guide like Alese, I don't see how she couldn't.

Food on 07/18/2018

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