An Australian friend of mine Kathy recently moved to the US with her American husband Brandon. She told me about her in laws and how they’d warmly embraced her into their family and I’d in turn drool at the photos of food at their family gatherings (this is one family that is serious about good food). As with all of my friends, we always end up talking about food and she mentioned a cookbook of family recipes her husband’s Great Grandmother (Margaret Raimo) had put together many years ago for Brandon’s Grandmother Irene to ensure that she fed her son well. Margaret Raimo was a very Italian woman who migrated from Napoli to NY.
It’s a lovely collection of recipes, some frugal as she lived through the Depression, that catalogues the times and tastes of her generation but is also a surprise in some ways. Being Italian, she was already back then using herbs, spices and ingredients that would probably been unusual for her time and there was also a section of Food as medicine where she painstakingly researches and outlines food with its health benefits.
Grandma Irene & Grandpa John in Brooklyn in the 40s soon after they first met
Her daughter in law Irene, who was of Norwegian descent, had the book printed and bound and every new member of the household receives one (which makes me wish that my family had something similar but I know my mum won’t let go of her recipes). It’s a part of history told through food. Indeed her recipe for Fried Bread Dough stipulates buying “20c worth of bread dough” and there are references to the “Frigidaire” the term back then for a fridge in the same way that to Hoover means to vacuum. The list of recipes is long and even then she was advocating the use of wholewheat. All in all it’s a mother’s way of ensuring that her adored son was well looked after, even after he left the family nest.
The list of recipes:
Broccoli (plain)
Broccoli with potatoes & carrots
Spinach, Carrots & Rice
Broccoli omelet
broccoli salad
lasagna
Potato croquettes
Fish with sauce, potatoes and carrots
Fish salad
Baked fish
fried fish
tuna fish salad
scallops with sauce
string beans (fried)
asparagus
beet soup
potato salad (italian style)
baked mozzarella
cream cheese french toast
fried stuffed bread dough
rice & ricotta pie
rice croquettes
mozzarella sliced on bread & baked
chicken with sauce
cauliflower fritters
bran muffins
corn muffins
wholewheat muffins (with variations)
Kathy at Thanksgiving
Kathy, now a Raimo, sent me copies of the dishes, and I was so excited to be able to make some. I showed the dishes to my husband and he immediately gravitated towards the Fried Stuffed Bread Dough. I thought about copying out the recipe but a comment from him about her handwriting convinced me that showing it to you, in it’s original form was a better way of giving you the recipe (was it laziness too? Never!).
Kathy baking
I don’t think it’s even possible to go wrong with deep frying bread. Actually let me qualify that – you may run afoul of your cardiologist but taste wise it’s comforting and moreish. What results from this recipe is a delicious savoury turnover filled with a flavoursome combination of two cheeses, capsicum and salami. Of course it’s not light by any stretch of the imagination being that it is deep fried but I was really pleased at how delicious it was and after doing a quick calorie versus taste equation, I found these were certainly worth it.
I approximated the amount of bread dough as the original recipe stated buying 20c worth which in today’s terms would mean less than enough for a roll so I made enough dough to make 1 white bread loaf. Since I don’t know if you can buy bread dough, I’ve provided the recipe below. I found that there was about 2 cups of filling leftover after I had filled that amount of bread dough which resulted in 10 turnovers measuring about 16cms x 11cms each with about an ice cream scoop’s worth of filling in each so I can say that you might need less filling than the recipe suggests or more dough, whichever you prefer.
I am a deep frying phobic, I dislike it and am scared of oil splatter (to fry these in the searing Sydney heat I wore long sleeves and a fancy feathered cocktail party mask – it was the only mask I had as I am without a balaclava) but because these have no moisture or water on the outside there was no spitting at all as I had made sure the the ends were pressed together firmly. So rest assured fellow deep frying phobics that this is a relatively safe recipe. It’s a bit of a labour of love to make these when you make the bread dough from scratch but it’s delicious and paired with a salad and you’ve got a great dinner.
Fried Stuffed Bread Dough
Bread Dough (not 20c worth)
- 500g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
- 275-300mls water, lukewarm
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
1. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, add flour, yeast, salt and sugar and mix on low speed. Add water and mix until it starts to come together, it should still have floury bits that resemble shag pile carpet (seriously). Add in softened butter and mix until it comes together (5 minutes approximately total). Make into a ball and oil bowl and place in a warm place covered with cling film for 1-2 hours.
2. Punch the dough down and knead for a minute or two. In about 20 minutes it will be ready to use.
Dough rolled with a heaped tablespoon of filling
Cutting a shape
The finished turnovers
Frying the turnover and pouring hot oil over it
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49 Comments | Add your own
What a great post—wouldn’t you love to inherit a book of old, family recipes like that? Well, I guess you sort of did! And great pictures too…
…everything here is so heart-warming, it makes me feel happy inside, not to mention I can almost smell the aroma of that bread dough (I love how dough smells)!
wow what a nice recipe. this is my type of favourite food! looks great! really interesting post
I’m also afraid of deep frying, but this looks worth it
I love fried dough and this stuffed dough sounds oh so good! Very neat cookbook.
This sounds yummy & I can’t wait to try it but there is 1 small problem….I can’t read the hand writting
Despite some foodies having an air high class dining with “haute cuisine” this or “truffles and fois gras” that, I’ve always had a lot of respect for the “la cucina repovera” (think it translates to cooking of the poor), regardless of the nationality of the dish. There must be a goldmine of these sorts of recipes within this cookbook.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m eager to give this one a go at some stage
“be very careful. oil must be hot, but don’t burn yourself.”
good to know mothering stays the same no matter what generation you’re in
and, as a fellow deep frying phobe, i’m muchly heartened by your lack-of-burning-arms-off-ness. this looks delicious!
You would die in Texas. We fry everything. Beef, chicken, pickles, jalepenos, sandwiches, bread, okra, tomatoes, meat pies, cheese…
What a wonderful story and photographs. The bread looks pretty good too!
great post and a lovely story.
food mends hearts.
The filling sounds beautiful with ricotta and mozzarella. I love the idea of cooking in a cocktail party mask. Great improvisation!
What a charming idea for a cookbook! The old photo and handwriting is a brilliant touch. And bravo to you on the deep frying. I’m still a bit timid…
oooh nice! i used to deep fry my pizza dough with random ingredients inside! i did a dessert one once omg so good chocolate peanut butter plus bananas = drool
Your turnovers look delicious! What a nice tradition to hand down all the treasured recipes! Many local bakeries will sell bread dough in my area since Indian Fry Bread is very popular. We call them scones and eat them with maple syrup for breakfast.
Oh yuummmmmm and what a great cookbook! Lucky you with such greats friends hee hee I am expecting a lot more of these recipes to come yes?
I wish my mum was so exact with her recipes, and wrote them down. “Put soy sauce in…keep going…more…too much! stop!…*Sigh*…I’ll fix it…” I must say, while the recipe sounds absolutely delicious, I’m most captivated by her beautiful handwriting
What a fantastic story. I come from a family of non cooks, so this would be a dream for me! Funnily enough, I am actually doing something similar to this for MY mum at the moment because she wants to learn to cook.
These look like empanada’s that my mum makes, although instead of frying we bake them. frying sounds like a much more delicious way of cooking them.
I wish I had a tradition like this in my family. I’m trying to convince my mum to write down all the recipes she knows, but its a slow process
How lovely to see this book – I love that you photographed the recipe page for us instead of typing it up. I am already putting together recipe books for when my children get married (actually, my youngest will not be allowed to marry – she has to stay with her mum forever)!
I love your blog, and all the yummy info you share, and your amazing photos that you post here. And this story of the Recipe book and family love generation to generation , is such an inspiration.Though it gets quite frustrating to find many ingredients out here(Dubai), I do hope , one day I can make all the yummy , sweet, delectables you have on here! In fact I was so inspired by your blog , after many “yes, I can”, “No, I can’t”, I finally braved on and created my own blog! (Yet to upload pics) and still trying to get a hang of things
..Anyways, keeping it short, Thank You for the Inspiration and labour of love, I can only hope, that I can be somewhere closer to that in the future…Bye for now 
NQN, you did a wonderful job with this story and the bread looks delicious! I’m sure G-Grandma Raimo would be very proud
What a great blog.
…Unfortunately,just before dinner is not the optimum time to be viewing your wonderful creations …it’s making my efforts look very sad indeed! x
I adore the black and white photograph. Irene is absolutely stunning and her hair is done so perfectly.
Hi Sandie-Hehe yes I guess I did inherit it by default which is lovely
Dough has a comforting smell to me 
Hi snooky doodle-Thankyou so much!
Yes very delicious indeed!
Hi Sara-So many of us are I think! A lot of my friends won’t do it either
Hi 5 Star Foodie-Fried dough is so good but so bad
And stuffing it actually, in a roundabout way makes it less bad to eat and more good 
Hi DevilishDamsel-Aww no, please don’t make me type it out!
Hi Simon-Snobbery has no place at my table. I love historical or cultural food and people really miss out if they dismiss it. It’s definitely worth giving a go
Hi shez-I saw that too, very sweet! Yes I think the key is no moisture or water in it
Hi Blond Duck-Haha I need to get myself to Texas! I have heard everything’s bigger in Texas
Hi Cakelaw-Thankyou so much!
Hi Reddoorred-Thanks so much and I agree wholeheartedly!
Hi Arwen-I am really scared of getting splatter or scarred and I figured anyone watching me through the window frying with a cocktail party mask…shouldn’t be watching me!
Hi belle-I can’t believe that she took the trouble to write everything, although at this time there wouldn’t have been much choice aside from a typewriter! I promise you, as long as the edges are sealed, you will be safe from splatter
Hi Suze-Haha random ingredients? Sounds potentially dangerous but chocolate, PB and bananas, that makes sense
Hi Barbara-It’s a great idea! And as food bloggers, I guess we’re creating our own online version. I know you are with your recipes
Ah interesting, with maple syrup sounds interesting!
Hi Ffichiban-Yes I am really lucky to have such great friends
This was such a success I’d be crazy not to do another!
Hi Chris-Your mum is just like mine, quantities are just eyeballed (which doesn’t help)
. It’s so neat isn’t it!
Hi Bria-Aww that’s nice of you and a role reversal really! How did you become such a great cook?
Hi Maria-Yes they are very emapanada-ish except fried!
Yes it’s hard, long process isn’t it!
Hi Angela-Thankyou so much! Aww you’re such a great mum!
Hi Nisan-Thankyou very much for your kind words
Aww I feel for you, it can be hard sourcing ingredients certainly but I can imagine in Dubai it would be even harder! Great well when it’s live let me know 
Hi Kathy-Thankyou to you for letting me know about this amazing cookbook!
Hi Vintage Venus-Thankyou so much! Sorry about that!
Aww no, I bet you do a great job!
Hi Christie-It’s a gorgeous picture isn’t she. She’s still gorgeous and he’s still handsome too!
ah, glorious traditions, made even better by the fact that fried bread is involved.
This isn’t really related Lorraine, but I was just on the nigella website and saw that you came to her rescue being a detective for caramel shortbreads.
I think it’s lovely that you got to help Nigella out.
Gosh I haven’t been to Corelli’s in years. I used to live across the road from it when it opened.
If you want another great food cafe in Newtown, do check out Lou Jacks which is one block from Corelli’s. The food is great as is the coffee.
What a lovely family tradition – and I neeeeeed that recipe for cream cheese french toast
What a lovely post & story!!! This recipe looks so delicious!!! MMMMMM….
wow, what an awesome story. makes me wish my family had one such cookbook too. those fried doughs are really awesome. like i always say, they’re “cardiac delights” ;oD
Thanks for a wonderful post! The cookbook is amazing. It is such a blessing to have those recipes from the past collected into a book. But if you don’t have a legacy like that in your own family why not be the one to create it? Thats something I am really interested in encouraging. It can mean a lot on so many levels.
What a lovely posting! I wish I had asked my grandmother for her recipes before she passed away;what a lovely thing that Raimo family cookbook is!
And that filled bread looks so yummy!
What a beautiful post. Is there anything in the world better than fried carbohydrate? I think not.
My mother had a cookbook with at least 100 of her classic recipes written in one of my dad’s old lab books (she started it when he was in grad school 50 years ago). I consider it the family treasure, and I have been attempting to steal it from my dad (who doesn’t even cook!) for 10 years. No luck yet, but it will be mine! You don’t even need to make the recipes, just reading it brings back so many happy memories of being in the kitchen cooking with my mom.
What a great story about the cookbook! Grandma Irene looks so pretty!
The fried bread looks really good, I’m book marking this!
What a lovely post, to have a book full of recipes like that is very special!
Your food looks wonderful! and delicious! (I’m a deep frying phobe too!)
found you on foodgawker!
Oh la la, it’s like a fried calzone!
Hi grace-Indeed and I totally agree! I don’t eat it often but I love it when I do!
Hi jules -Ah cool! I wish I could’ve helped her out with the recipe but alas I couldn’t. Lucky you! Did you go there alot? Thanks for the recommendation! I will check it out if I’m in the area
Hi Rachel -Hehe I will get around to doing that one too, I promise! I even bought the cream cheese for it
Hi Sophie-Thankyou so much!
It’s lovely comfort food and tasty too.
Hi Jescel-Me too, I really wish I had one. LOL I like that term, cardiac delights!
Hi Lisa-You’re welcome, it was a pleasure
I’m starting my own but it’s hard to get mums to let go of their recipes. I think they’re afraid you won’t visit them if they give them out.
Hi yaelian-Thankyou!
Yes it’s great on so many levels. Almost like having a diary 
Hi Ericka-Thanks so much
I know, so bad but oh so good! Oh that is amazing! Maybe he;’ll give it to you one day. It’s great that she had the foresight to keep them. That’s very true, the memories of eating them are often almost as good as making them yourself.
Hi. pigpigscorner-Thankyou! She is very pretty and still is gorgeous
Awesome!
Hi Aggie-It is a wonderful idea and I feel lucky to have been given a peek into it. I promise though this is a non spitting version. There’s nothing worse than hot oil spitting! Oh wonderful, I love foodgawker
Hi The Duo Dishes-Hehe you’re right it is!
ur grandparents are a very beautiful looking couple & I would not want to inherit anything else other than a recipe book. That bread is delicious.
That fried stuffed bread dough looks really good.
Just came across your lovely blog and was enchanted by this recipe. Must give it a go.
I love the idea of the recipe book and I’m going to keep it in mind for when my children leave home (have a 15, 12 and 9 year old).
Hi Soma-They’re not my grandparents but my friend’s grandparents
Thanks!
Hi Kevin-Thankyou very much!
These look great! Kind of like a cross between a calzone and an empanada. What type of filling did you use?
…I was playing around with the idea of starting a “food blog” for my family. It’d be a good visual tutorial on how to make “grandmothers spaghetti” or “uncles hainese chicken”. I think I might give it a go again.
Hi Jessica-Thanks, the filling is cheese, capsicum and pepperoni (the recipe is above). Sounds like a good idea!
The hand-written recipe really warms my heart. I love the concern she shows with the caution not to burn yourself. It is also wonderful that you were not put off by the act of love. So many new brides would let their pride get in the way of such a fantastic gift! I wish I had been the receiver of such. You are very blessed.
Hi Poachie-Thanks, I didn’t inherit it directly but I feel like I did in a way
Your recipe is very good, I love it.
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