Mulligan Stew

Soup with canned peas, canned corned beef, onion, and ketchup

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City/Region: United States of America

Time Period: 1940

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Today the word “hobo” is usually used in a derogatory manner, but back in the time between the end of the Civil War and the end of the Great Depression, it referred to a specific group of migrant workers and their culture. 

Part of that culture was mulligan stew, which was basically a stew of any meat and vegetables that were thrown together. The ingredients would be made up of things that keep well, mostly food that was canned or bottled.

The flavor of this soup is surprisingly good, but it’s maybe a little too sweet, even for me. The prodigious amount of ketchup is the dominant flavor, and maybe 1940 ketchup was less sweet than modern versions.

“Mulligan Stew (Serves 6)
1 medium size can corned beef—minced
1 onion — minced fine
1 No. 2 can peas with liquid
1 medium size bottle tomato catsup
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in saucepan and simmer gently over low flame for about one hour. The flavor improves with the length of cooking time.”

— The Brookshire Times, August 2, 1940

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 15 oz cans of peas, with the liquid
• 1 cup (235 ml) water
• 1 12 oz can corned beef, minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 12 oz (340 g) or about 1 1/4 cups tomato ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine the peas with their liquid and the water in a pot and set it over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer.
2. When the peas are simmering, add the corned beef, onion, and ketchup. Stir it all together, then stir in the salt and pepper.
3. Lower the heat to its lowest setting, cover the pot with a lid, and let it cook for at least 1 hour. Stir it a few times throughout cooking, but mostly leave it be.
4. When the soup has cooked as long as you like, taste it and add more salt or pepper if desired, then serve it forth.

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