Haddonfield resident’s legacy, borne of trial and error, remains alive and well during holiday season
Like fruitcake is to Christmas, love it or hate it, the Green Bean Casserole has become a staple of American Thanksgiving celebrations.
While you sit around the table this holiday season, those who appreciated and gained a taste for that veggie-based, deep-dish concoction will be giving thanks to Dorcas Reilly. Reilly, who lived the majority of her life in Haddonfield, passed away at the age of 92 on Oct. 15, but her recipe will live on in the hearts and minds of generations to come.
According to Jane Freiman, director, Consumer Test Kitchen of Campbell Soup Company, the origins of the one of the most lasting recipes in America stemmed from the unique casserole dish, which evolved in the 1940s and 1950s.
“Dorcas’ mother was a very good family cook. Her father, who was originally from Boston, also had an influence on her cooking experiences. He loved to make his favorite foods — oyster stew and clam chowder,” said Thomas H. Reilly, Dorcas’ husband.
During the Second World War, with women joining the workforce, simple, lighter, easier-to-prepare meals were key to allow women more freedom to manage their lives. Casseroles proved effective to stretch limited supplies, use leftovers, and get a wholesome home-cooked meal on the table as quickly as possible.
“Grandmom Webb Bates (Dorcas’ mom) was a working woman (RCA inspector) and her sister-in-law, my mother, Eve Widzenas Bates, was a riveter at the Camden shipyard during the war years, then a ‘cub reporter’ and author later after the war. There were role models surrounding her as she grew up, and she probably felt working was the natural thing to do. There was already an established work ethic within the immediate family members. Dottie was a professional career woman long before being a wife and mother,” said Eve Bates Stoklosa, Reilly’s niece.
Reilly studied home economics at Drexel University, and after graduation, she went to work at the Campbell Soup test kitchen in Camden. According to a New York Times article from Oct. 24, Reilly left Campbell in 1961 to raise her two children, but returned years later as a manager, a position she held until she retired in 1988. In her first tenure there, she was primarily involved in developing recipes for Campbell products. During the second, she focused on developing microwavable foods.
“She often mentioned one of the earliest perks of her job was the location of the Campbell’s test kitchens in the ‘Penthouse’ at the Front and Market headquarters. From there she was able to view the Philadelphia skyline and the colorful sunsets year round,” Thomas Reilly said.
Once ensconced in the test kitchen, Reilly tried a variety of vegetables in the casserole dish to no avail — corn, lima beans and peas — but it was green beans that made the final cut. Binding was provided by adding cream of mushroom soup to the dish. The original version of the soon-to-be-famous recipe did not receive the highest score in Campbell’s internal rating system. She tested a few more ingredients to give it more crunch, finally hitting upon fried onions which gave the casserole its trademark texture and color, Freiman said.
“It was a super delicious side dish at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and other times too. Dorcas was an indescribable cook. The simplest of dishes became a banquet — all emanating from a small kitchen in the Reilly family home,” noted Dorcas Tarbell, Reilly’s daughter.
The recipe was originally called Green Bean Bake, but in the 1960s, Campbell changed the name to “Green Bean Casserole” and put the recipe on its Cream of Mushroom Soup label, thereby cementing its place in popular culture.
“My dad and I don’t remember any significant reaction by the town,” recalled Tarbell. “Campbell Soup Company sent her to Peoria, Ill. in 1995 for the 40th anniversary celebration of the creation of the Green Bean Casserole. It was this year that Campbell realized it was the most popular and most requested recipe created in the company’s test kitchens. A large Green Bean Casserole was prepared and shared by a large assembly of children and senior citizens.”
Though her impact on American culinary culture was cemented through long hours away from home, Dorcas Reilly was a woman of varied interests and prestigious lineage outside of her profession.
“Dottie loved to sing and act, and was a contestant in the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in New York City in the 1950s. She also acted and sang in many local productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. It’s only fitting that a descendent of a pilgrim father (Edward Bates c.1632) would serve up comfort food for the holidays,” Stoklosa explained.
In 2002, Campbell’s donated the original recipe card for the Green Bean Casserole, written by Reilly, to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. For those interested in serving up the classic dish for the upcoming holidays, the recipe can be found at: www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/classic-green-bean-casserole/.
