Rosalie’s homemade raspberry jam was even a hit with the grandchildren for topping their fried dough.
By Rosalie Harrington
There was no ice cream man when I was a child, the age that my grandsons Ethan and Nick are now. Instead, there was a boy who drove a rectangular icebox on wheels, loaded with treats, which was pulled by a pony. He was known as the pony boy.
I would give him the dime that mother had given me, and I would trade it for two Creamcicles, Fudgcicles or Hoodsies for my brother Anthony and me.
When the pony boy rang his bell, every child in the 50 or more triple deckers that lined Neptune Road in East Boston came running, to stand in line for those delicious treats, which I recall as being much larger back then.
I explained all this to Nick and Ethan as they sat eating their treats from “The Ice cream man” on Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester. Their mom had given them a $10 bill for two ice cream treats, with the hopes that there would be some change, and she did get a little. But the treats do seem to be a great deal smaller. And they certainly cost much more than they did when I was young.
Since we were talking treats, I told the boys about Hershey bars and my favorite, Almond Joy. I loved that there were two treats in each package. Today’s Almond Joys probably weigh half as much as the ones that were made in the late forties, I explained. Over the weekend, my husband Todd and I treated the boys to ice cream cones at Down River Ice Cream in Essex; for the second time recently I had the coconut ice cream cone with chunks of Almond Joy. So good.
The landscape has changed dramatically in the past 50 years, but one thing that has remained the same is the ice cream truck. Or pony boy. Today there are trucks selling lobster rolls, every kind of sandwiches, crepes, ethnic favorites like tortilla, mac ‘n’ cheese, grilled cheese, breakfast sandwiches, cookies and the all-time favorite, pizza. The food truck is bigger than ever, even if ice cream trucks have become less viable.
Another change for the better is the fact that every grocery store today seems to carry pizza dough. It comes in whole wheat, white and even organic. The variety of pizza cheese is mind-blowing, like grated, full cream, sliced mozzarella, grated Parmesan. Toppings are too numerous — sliced pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, ricotta, pesto, clams, fresh figs, prosciutto.
You can easily re-create a fancy pizza at home, but that wasn’t always the case. I remember taking my cooking class into the North End to introduce my students to some of my favorite haunts, like Trio Ravioi, and a few of the bakeries where I had established a relationship with the owners. I had the privilege of ordering pizza dough, fresh dough that I could take home to make my own pizza.
Most pizzerias would not think of selling their dough back then, but happily it’s now readily available to use for grilled pizzas or even fried dough for the kids, a nice treat when the pony boy isn’t around.
FRIED DOUGH
A staple of mine today in my grocery shopping is organic pizza dough. You can find it in most of the larger stores. Sunday morning for breakfast, I made fried dough, which we all love. The boys tear or cut with scissors shapes that please them, like a turtle or a circle with a hole in the middle to re-create a doughnut.
- I use canola oil and a deep small pan to fry the shapes.
- Turn them carefully after they are lightly browned, and drain them on paper towels.
- Make some fun toppings or use your favorite jams and jellies. I used my homemade raspberry jam on Sunday, as well as whipped cream, a shaker with confectioners sugar, and softened butter to pat on while the dough is still hot.
- Other great toppings include chopped nuts, toasted coconut, chocolate sprinkles and Nutella. Kids love this for breakfast or after-school snack.
- Every year when I offer to make something for the classes, fried dough is a favorite and it is so easy to prepare. Caution must be taken with hot oil, of course, and the instructor needs to come down to the pan and not drop the dough inches from the pan.