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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

WWII Rationing: Golden Barley Soup and Mock Duck

We'll Eat Again [1990, reprinted recipes from WWII]

Darn rationing. Darn war! Oh well. Onwards to victory!



It is once again my patriotic duty to try and make my family think they are eating tasty food, when they really aren't!



Can you give me a new soup recipe?
Here's a delicious one: Golden Barley Soup. Grate or mince 2 lb. of carrots, put with 1 small teacup of barley into 1 quart of water and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Roll a piece of margarine the size of a walnut in 1 tablespoonful of flour and stir it into the soup. Cook fast for 8 minutes, season. Serves 4 or 5 helpings.





"I made duck for dinner, sweetie!"

"Neat! Where did you find duck??"

"No no, it is WWII duck."

"Wait. Wait, no! WHAT IS IT REALLY."

"...meat."

"WHAT IS IT MADE OF"

"Shhhhhh."

Mock Duck

Cooking time: 45 minutes Quantity: 4 helpings

1 lb. sausagemeat
8 oz cooking apples, peeled and grated
8 oz onions, grated
1 teaspoon chopped sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Method: Spread half the sausagemeat into a flat layer in a well greased baking tin or shallow casserole. Top with the apples, onions, and sage. Add the rest of the sausagemeat and shape this top layer to look as much like a duck as possible. Cover with well greased paper and bake in the center of a moderately hot oven.


Verdict:

Golden Barley Soup: Have you noticed that this is made of massive amounts of carrot, with water and barley? Guess what it tastes like? Massive amounts of carrot. With a little bit of water and some chewy bits of barley. Just... a great big pile o' carrot. Now, I like carrot, but really. Really?

I crammed down a few bites, then dumped a duck head in the middle of it to help it go down easier. It did not help. Even the tastiness of sausage did nothing. Besides the attractive goldeny color, this is a very depressing soup.

Mock Duck: Ha HA! You thought it was a real duck when you looked at the picture, did you not? Of course you did, no doubt due in no small part to my cunning carrot duck bill. Well it isn't! What it is, though, is... really really good.

WHAT.

Yes. A "mock" whatever from WWII is delicious. I could hardly believe it my own self. The oniony appley interior sounds a little strange (although not, of course, to fans of apples n' onions), but it is great! All parties in attendance agreed that this was so. I will even, contrary to all expectations, recommend this. It's about time those living under WWII rationing restrictions had a bit of cheer.


Tune in next week for the results of this conversation:

"I'm making goose for dinner!"

"Cool! Where'd you find a g... WAIT. IS THE GOOSE MADE OF GOOSE."

"Nope!"

"Well, at least it's made of meat."

"Nope!"

"..."

"...Chuck Testa?"

14 comments:

  1. When do you add the barley to the carrot soup? It isn't listed in the recipe.

    The "bill" was genius - and you definitely had enough carrots on hand. :) What kind of sausage did you use?

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  2. That was fun Jana ! Cute take on the recipe. They actually made Mock duck with horse meat when sausage meat wasn't available ( my Mom hated horse meat and wouldn't eat it during WWII...it looked kind of purple red raw at the butcher shop !

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  3. This is Jana.

    Lisa- I added it right in with the carrots at the beginning of the cooking time.

    NB- If wishes were horses, we'd all have sausage. :)

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  4. Sausage meat as in sausage out of its casings or that comes out of a Bob Evans tube?
    If so, which kind of sausage did you use? I'm rather intrigued.

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  5. Bulk sausage. So... Bob Evans-esque? I used regular flavored breakfast sausage, although mine happened to come in a little foam container thingy from the butcher section.

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  6. I don't think they have that at my Safeway.
    Did I even need to say that?

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  7. Any 1 lb. chunk of sausage would work just fine, in true WWII spirit. I did require the extra tiny bit of meat in my package to make a head, though. ;D

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  8. LOVE it! Your posts always crack me up! I would classify this as "April Fool's Duck". When you said it was duck made out of not-duck, I was afraid...but sausage is doable :).

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  9. Pssssst...Jana....

    **I think you actually added parley, not barley, to your soup**

    ;)

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  10. I love what I've seen so far. I've been curious about WWII food. Do you have a Facebook page?

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  11. How many degrees Fahrenheit is "moderately hot" and how long do you need to cook it for?

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    Replies
    1. About 375 F. As for how long... Until it is done. You can do it!

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