Wartime Chop Suey (1943)

 Cooking on a Ration; cooking is still fun! (1943), by Marjorie Mills 

“What’s the plan for dinner?” asked my husband. “Wartime Chop Suey!” I said. 

 “In… in what way is it ‘wartime?’”

“It’s full of secrets?”

“What is chop suey?” asked 10 year old. 

“It’s a Chinese-American dish.  I don’t think you’ve ever had it.” 

“Oh. If it’s bad, do we have to eat it?” 

“Nope.” 

“Okay!” 

 Above: 12 year old makes sure the dog is in the picture. Also, 3x as much meat as the recipe calls for. It was the smallest package I could find. 

Wartime Chop Suey 

2 tablespoons fat (I used bacon fat, to give it the best possible chance) 

1 cup sliced onion 

1/2 pound fresh pork, cut into strips 

1/4 cup uncooked rice 

4 bouillon cubes 

4 cups water 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1 cup green pepper 

1 cup celery strips 

1 1/2 teaspoon Soy Sauce, or 2 tablespoons ketchup (I used both!  Wheeee!) 

2 cups ready to eat rice cereal 

1 tablespoon butter

Hear fat in heavy frying pan. Add onions and meat; cook until lightly browned. Add rice and stock (made by dissolving bouillon cubes in hot water). Add salt; cover and simmer about 20 minutes.  Add green pepper, celery, and Soy Sauce or ketchup.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes longer. Serve at once with rice cereal which has been heated in butter. 

Mmm, fried in butter 

Why is there only 1/4 cup of rice to a quart of liquid? And WHY COOK THE RICE FOR 40 MINUTES

Verdict: Not… actually that bad?  With the ratio of liquid to rice, it’s really on the soup or stew side. Everyone finished their servings, unforced.  Kids said it was better than most of their school lunches, and then argued with each other over whether the school’s chili was good or not.   Afterwards, I saved the leftovers and said it was fair game for someone to pick the tasty bits out of later, by which I meant the pork, as the rice was almost dissolved and bell peppers are meh. Both kids scampered over to the pan of butter fried generic Rice Krispies, and polished them off. Because they were DELICIOUS. 10 year old said she would like a bowl full of butter fried Rice Krispies in broth, like a cereal soup. 

V(ictory) Loaf (1943)

 Cooking on a Ration: Food is Still Fun Marjorie Mills, 1943 

V Loaf 

2 cups cooked rice 

½ cup fine dry bread crumbs

½ cup chopped nut meats 

1 cup cooked tomatoes 

1 egg

1 small onion, chopped 

½ teaspoon salt 

⅛ teaspoon black pepper 

2 tablespoons chopped green pepper

4 tablespoons melted butter or margarine 

Mix all together to form loaf. Bake in greased loaf pan in moderate oven (350 degrees) 30 minutes.  Cover with mashed potatoes; put back in oven to brown. Serve with Tomato Sauce. Serves 6. This defies detection as a substitute meat loaf and is very good. 

Ever since the apple Brown Betty recipe, we keep a breadcrumb bag in the freezer

Weirdly meatloaf colored?  

Cover your sins with mashed potatoes! 

Verdict:  Much better than expected, actually?? Visually, it’s pretty spot-on. Texturally, also reasonably close, but mushier. Reminds me of porcupine meatballs.  All agreed that if someone whose meatloaf they weren’t familiar with served them this meatloaf, the first thought upon tasting wouldn’t be “this isn’t meat” but rather “this person does not make very good meatloaf.”  When I told my husband it was Victory Loaf and he asked what it was made of, I told him victory.  The person who guessed the most ingredients was promised a prize. The prize was another helping. 

If you are one of those vegetarians who swears that black bean burgers, tofu, and seitan are just like meat, you will be blown away by this recipe. It’s very bland, but hey, it’s the 1940s!  The cuisine of the 1940s is not known for seasoning. With some more seasoning, this could go from “Huh.  Okay.” to “Well that’s kind of neat!” 75% of those polled agreed they would rather have this than just rice, walnuts, a piece of bread, part of an egg, a potato, etc.  and would rather have this than a tv dinner meatloaf.  100% rated it “inoffensive” and remained emotionally resilient. One child finished off seconds (because she was hungry, she hastens to add, not because it was that good).  

Macaroni and Cheese Custard (1943)

Cooking on a Ration: Food is Still Fun Marjorie Mills, 1943

It’s not necessary to be grim and determined about food; the nutrition pronouncements we try to follow aren’t an endless task or substituting something “good for you” for something you would rather eat. 

Macaroni and Cheese Custard

3 cups cooked macaroni 

2 ½ cups milk 

1 ½  t salt 

¼ t paprika 

1 T melted butter or margarine

2 eggs 

1 cup finely cut cheese 

Heat milk; add butter, cheese, and seasonings, and pour into slightly beaten eggs. Put macaroni in greased baking dish and pour over the milk mixture. Let stand in pan of hot water and bake gently about 30 minutes in a moderate oven (350 degrees), or until firm in the middle. Serves 6.   

Method: I microwaved the milk and butter together, then whisked everything else in and poured it over the noodles. I didn’t do the water bath, because my modern oven has more even heat than a 1940’s one. 

Verdict: This took about as long to prep as boxed macaroni and cheese, although there was a half hour of oven time as well. Everyone liked it!  It isn’t as good as homemade macaroni and cheese, but I think it’s better than boxed. My family said they slightly preferred boxed, but it was close enough that could be down to familiarity and nostalgia value. It’s certainly healthier than either, with only a tablespoon of butter and a cup of cheese (extra sharp cheddar, of course!) As a bonus, making this helps fight Hitler, and you can’t argue with that. 

In conclusion: give it a try!  See what you think. Is it worth it for you?  

Rhubarb Jam (1948)

 Inglenook Cookbook (1948 Ed.)

Rhubarb Jam

5 C. Rhubarb 

1 lb. Orange slice candy

5 C. Sugar 

Cut the candy in pieces. Cook until thick. Stir to prevent scorching. Seal while hot. —Mrs. D. L. Thompson, Marshalltown, Iowa 

Note: Use extreme caution when canning vintage recipes. Always use recipes that have been tested by trusted sources, which here means people with a lab and oversight, not your grandma.  Err on the side of using vintage canning recipes fresh  

My rhubarb plant is lush and ready to help

It was at this moment that I regretted my choice of vessel

But it was fine. 

Verdict: It’s great!  If you, like me, enjoy 1.) rhubarb and 2.) orange slice candies, you will love it.  It is kind of like rhubarb with a zing or orange sherbet or orange soda.  It’d be easy to make a cheap shot at how sugary it is because there’s literally candy added, ha ha, but those jokes are a little silly to anyone who has made jam. You know what jam is?  It’s sugar. With some fruit in it. It’s just spreadable candy, so you might as well put pre-made candy in it and give it a head start. Mrs. D. L. Thompson of Marshalltown, Iowa, your creativity intrigued me, and you followed through with a great product.  I bet you’re in heaven now, where you belong for gifting this recipe to the world. 

Be sure to chop the orange slices pretty small, because although you might think they will melt, they do not at this temperature. 

1940 Murder Mystery Party

I found a murder mystery game at the thrift store!  And that means an opportunity to inflict period food on friends and loved ones. "Last Train from Paris" takes place in 1940, on the last train... uh... leaving... Paris.  Fortunately for me, my grandma was a home ec major in 1940, and I have all her books.  Oh yes.

This is the face that will feed you ham and peanut butter sandwiches with 0 guilt or regret

I'm going to kick myself now, because once the party started rolling, I was having too much fun to remember to take pictures of all the food!

 "There are so many responsibilities on a person's mind when they're keeping house, isn't there?"

*Cucumber water (I felt a palate cleanser was the humane thing to do)
*Sandwiches
     -Ham and peanut butter
     -Cottage cheese and watercress
     -Beet and egg
     -Chipped beef and cream cheese
     -Vegetable bean
*Stuffed cabbage head
*Cheese carrots
*Watercress
*Deviled eggs (no recipe)
*Peach Macaroon Mold
*Sharlotka with Never-Fail Caramel Icing (I just really like this cake, recipe is not period that I know of.)
*Husband cake with cream cheese frosting filling

Ham and Peanut Butter [[500 Tasty Sandwiches, 1941, Culinary Arts Institute)]
1/2 cup Smithfield ham paste
1/3 cup peanut butter

Blend ingredients or spread separately on buttered bread.  Serves 4 to 6.


Cottage Cheese and Watercress  [500 Tasty Sandwiches, 1941, Culinary Arts Institute)]
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup chopped watercress

Beet and Egg  [500 Tasty Sandwiches, 1941, Culinary Arts Institute)]
Combine 1/2 cup chopped cooked beets and 4 chopped hard-cooked eggs with mayonnaise or salad dressing.

Chipped Beef and Cream Cheese  [500 Tasty Sandwiches, 1941, Culinary Arts Institute)]
1/3 cup chipped beef, chopped
3 oz. cream cheese

Vegetable Bean  [500 Tasty Sandwiches, 1941, Culinary Arts Institute)]
1 (16 oz.) can pork and beans
1 can condensed vegetable soup
6 tablespoons mayonnaise

Mash pork and beans.  Add vegetable soup and mayonnaise.  Mix thoroughly.  Makes 2 3/4 cups.

I'm the most sad about not getting a good picture of this!  It was like a beautiful cabbage sputnik.

Stuffed Cabbage Head  [500 Tasty Snacks, 1940, Culinary Arts Institute]
1 head cabbage
Sour cream dressing
16 gherkins
16 cocktail frankfurters

Wash cabbage and remove outside leaves.  Cut a slice from top and remove center leaving a shell.  Shred cabbage from center, mix thoroughly with cream dressing, and chill.  WHen ready to serve fill center with shredded cabbage.  Spear gherkins and sausages on hors d'oeuvres picks and stick pics on outside of cabbage head, alternating gherkins and frankfurters.  Serve with butter crackers or salted wafers.
Use cooked shrimp marinated in French dressing instead of frankfurters.
Fill centger with chicken, shrimp, or crab-meat salad, saving center cabbage to be served creamed or fried.  Garnish with stuffed or ripe olives on picks.

Cheese Carrots  [500 Tasty Snacks, 1940, Culinary Arts Institute]
3 ounces cream cheese [full fat!]
1/3 cup grated carrots
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne
4 drops Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chopped chives or onion
Parsley sprigs

Mix cream cheese and carrot, season with salt, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, and chives.  Roll into miniature carrot shapes.  Chill until firm.  Stick a tiny sprig of parsley into each "carrot" to resemble tops.  Makes 8 "carrots."

Watercress
A large glass bowl of well washed and dried watercress to be picked up and eaten with the fingers should be on every hors d-oeuvre table.

Peach Macaroon Mold/Apricot Macaroon Pudding   [Lunching and Dining at Home, by Jeanne Owen.  1942]
Use 1 can of apricots--2 1/2 size.  Drain juice and set aside.  Mash apricots and mix 3/4 cup of macaroon crumbs with the fruit.
Soften 2 tablespoons of gelatin in 1/2 cup of cold water.  Then heat the juice from the fruit and add to the softened gelatin.  When well dissolved and blended, cool a little and add the fruit.  Allow to set a little, then fold in 1 cup of cream which has been whipped.
Pour in a mold and place in refrigerator to set.
Just before using, turn out of the mold, dipping the mold carefully in hot water and removing quickly.

Sharlotka with Never-Fail Caramel Icing  [High Altitude Recipes: Presented by the Millers of Pikes Peak All Purpose Flour, 1948, Colorado Milling & Elevator Company]
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put all ingredients into sauce pan and cook until forms soft ball, then beat till of spreading consistency.

Husband Cake  [High Altitude Recipes: Presented by the Millers of Pikes Peak All Purpose Flour, 1948, Colorado Milling & Elevator Company]
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup tomato soup
3/4 cup water
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
3 cups sifted PIKES PEAK ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup seeded raisins
1 cup nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the shortening and sugar well.  Combine the soup, soda, and water. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the dry ingredients.  Add raisins and nuts and bake in layers or loaf pan as desired about 45 minutes in moderate oven (350 F.).  Frost with your favorite icing.


Verdict:

Ham and peanut butter: So horrific.  It tastes of salty tears and a cat's breath.  It was easily the least popular thing on the table.  One person liked it, though.  I don't think a single other person finished their tiny tea sandwich.  The weird thing for me was that the combo of canned ham and peanut butter confused my mouth so much, I was able to get it down before my brain caught up.

Cottage cheese and watercress: Second most popular.  Because it tasted of nothing.  Watercress on its own is kind of spicy.  Watercress mixed with cottage cheese tastes of... cottage cheese.  A mystery.
Beet and egg:  It's a pretty color! I thought it was okay.  I like egg salad and beets.  Also not terribly popular.  

Chipped beef and cream cheese:  A surprise hit!  Everyone liked these.  One person claimed it was her new favorite sandwich.

Vegetable bean:  It looked like diarrhea, and tasted of... uh... mushed up pork and beans and condensed vegetable soup.  Second least popular.

Stuffed cabbage head:  So beautiful.  So strange.  Like an alien spacecraft that has landed on a buffet table by accident.  So many regrets that I did not capture its full glory.  Magnificent.

Cheese carrots:  Another surprise hit.  These were really good.  The next day, I used the leftover mix as a sandwich filling, and it was delightful.  This would make a good bagel schmear, too.  Yum.  We made the carrot shape by using two spoons to form rough quenelles.

Watercress: Look, it's watercress.  Yup.  There it is.

Peach Macaroon Mold:  Harmless.  I substituted apricots with peaches, because that is what I had.  It was fine.  Not much personality.

Sharlotka with Never-Fail Caramel Icing:  This caramel icing is amazing. It kind of melted into the cake overnight because the cake had so much moisture, but still good.

Husband cake with cream cheese frosting filling:  Yes, it has tomato soup!  My expectations were low.  But it was really nice.  It doesn't taste like tomato, it tastes like spice cake.  Which makes me wonder about the purpose of the tomato soup in the first place.  Extra leavening from when you mix the acidic tomato soup with baking soda?  It gave the cake a nice color, I suppose.

Woolton Pie with Potato Pastry

We'll Eat Again: A collection of recipes from the war years selected by Marguerite Patten

Woolton pie was named after the Minister of Food in WWII, Lord Woolton.  It is designed to work with severe rationing, with vast amounts of vegetables, no meat, and very little wheat flour.

Woolton Pie
Cooking time: about 1 hour    Quantity: 4 helpings

Dice and cook about 1 lb of each of the following in salted water: potatoes (you could use parsnips if topping the pie with mashed potatoes), cauliflower, swedes, carrots--you could add turnips too.  [I used turnip instead of swede/rutabaga.]  Strain but keep 3/4 pint of the vegetable water.

I halved the recipe.  This is 1/2 lb. of each.

Arrange the vegetables in a large pie dish or casserole.  Add a little vegetable extract and about 1 oz rolled oats or oatmeal to the vegetable liquid.  Cook until thickened and pour over the vegetables; add 3-4 chopped spring onions [I used a lot of chives.]

Top with Potato Pastry or with mashed potatoes and a very little grated cheese [I used two adult people's cheese ration for the week- 4 oz. total.  I'm American, so it should be allowed under cultural exceptions] and heat in the centre of a moderately hot oven [375 F.] until golden brown. [half an hour-ish.  Depends on how thick the pastry is.]  Serve with brown gravy.

This is at its best with tender young vegetables. [Nope.  Turnips and parsnips are so unpopular, the only ones around look pretty beat-up. Oh well.  There's a war on.]

Potato Pastry
This is a pastry that should be used a great deal as it helps to lighten the flour and makes our rations of fat go much further.
Sift 6 oz. self raising flour with a pinch of salt.  Rub in 2-3 oz cooking fat, add 2 oz grated raw potato.  Mix well and bind with water.  Roll out on a floured board and use as ordinary shortcrust pastry.


Verdict: 

Well that isn't the wartime spirit I was looking for.  Husband and I thought it was actually pretty darn good.  Especially with the aid of a large amount of vegetable flavored "Better Than Bouillon" to serve as the vegetable extract.  Mmmm.  Husband even said he'd like to see it again!  It could use some more color, though.  Parsnips, rutabagas, potatoes, cauliflower and turnips do not have very striking contrast.

2-year-old, who had just been woken up from a sorely needed nap prematurely, was so offended that she wouldn't touch it and instead tried to knock over the precious ration of orange juice to which she, as a child, is entitled. Upon failing, she flowed off her chair and onto the floor like syrup and assumed the position shown in picture 2, to prevent me holding a carrot near her face on a fork.  An hour later, she ate half her serving and liked it.

WWII: Pigs in Clover and Honey Oatmeal Buns

Usually, the WWII rationing recipes are horrid.  It is to the point where the mention of WWII food brings a certain terrified glint to Husband's eye.  He is really a terribly good sport.  Besides, after the aspic, any comparison is bound to be advantageous.

Pigs in Clover
For this wholesome and economical dish you will need 6 medium, well-scrubbed potatoes, 6 skinned sausages and some cabbage.  With an apple corer, remove a center core lengthways from each potato and stuff the cavity with sausage meat.  Bake the potatoes in the usual way and serve on a bed of lightly chopped, cooked cabbage.

...

Try These For a Change
CABBAGE.  All sorts of additions may be made to steam-boiled cabbage.  A few bacon rinds chopped small; or a few teaspoons of vinegar and a sprinkle of nutmeg or a shake of caraway seeds, and you have something novel and nice.
TOPS. Broccoli tops, turnip tops, and beetroot tops are all excellent if cooked as described above.

 

Honey Oatmeal Buns

These nourishing buns are extremely popular in most homes.  Try them on your family.  This recipe makes 18 medium-sized or 12 larger buns.

Sift 4 oz white flour, 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder and some salt.  Then rub in 2 1/2 oz margarine or clarified cooking fat.  When evenly mixed, add 4 oz fine oatmeal and a level teaspoon ground ginger.  Mix a little beaten-up egg with 3 dessertspoons honey (loosened by slight warming if necessary) and mix to a stiff consistency with a fork.  You may need a little milk here.  Divide the mixture into roughly piled heaps.  Bake in a hot oven for quick rising, then reduce the heat slightly for crisp, even browning.  The whole baking should take about 20 minutes. 

Verdict:

Pigs in Clover: In the absence of an apple corer, I bored a hole through the middle of each potato with a paring knife and stuffed with bulk sausage.  I should really get an apple corer.  Extremely useful for baked apples, which are delicious.  Anyway, this was... good!  Basically a baked potato with a vein of sausage in it.  The sausage lends some flavor to the potato around it, and baked potatoes are nice anyway.  The taste was improved further with some ketchup.  This is an excellent way to stretch a small amount of meat a looooooooong way, and might well be a good freezer meal for lunches.  Additionally, it is sort of cute.  At least if you squint and use some imagination.  Or Photoshop.

Look how winsome!

In place of cabbage, I used swiss chard (otherwise known as silverbeet).  Swiss chard and beets are actually pretty much the same plant; chard is just bred for the tops where beets are bred for the roots.  I put some nutmeg on top, as recommended, but it just made it taste weird.  I don't know why I planted it, because I hate chard.  I think I was lured by the pretty colors.  It was in hopes that it would finally die that I harvested such a huge pile of it, but to no avail.  (Oops!  Aw, I guess I accidentally hacked so much off, it just couldn't carry on!  Alas, now we won't be able to eat even one more single meal with it.  Shucks! Oh I could just kick myself.)  It continues lush and verdant... even perky.  Husband offered to make an assassination attempt of his own, with guaranteed results.

I feel Baby most appropriately expressed her feelings towards the "clover":

Honey Oatmeal Buns:  If you think of these as a dessert, they are not very good.  If you think of them as a biscuit (the American kind, o confused Brits), they are just fine.  Little bit crumbly.  Not bad though.  Benefits from some jam.

Stuffed Cubed Steaks, Beet Soup, Swedish Hardtack

This menu is compiled from 500 Wartime Recipes, an American booklet on rationing from WWII. Before now, I have always done British recipes. Having compared the two, I can say that the Brits had it a lot worse, culinarily speaking. I have heard that is usually the case though.

Stuffed Cubed Steaks

4 cubed steaks (1 lb.)
1/4 t. salt
pepper
2 T. flour
1 C. soft bread crumbs
1/4 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. minced onion
4 T. melted butter
2 T. water
1/3 C. cooked rice
2 1/2 C. canned tomatoes
1/4 t. salt

Wipe steaks with a damp cloth, roll in mixture of salt, pepper and flour. Combine crumbs, poultry seasoning, onion, 2 T of butter and water to make a stuffing. Place steaks with cut side up, and cover each with a fourth of stuffing. Fold steaks over stuffing, fasten with skewers or toothpicks and place in greased shallow baking dish. Place rice around meat rolls and add tomatoes, salt and remaining butter. Cover dish and bake in moderate oven (350 F.) about 1 hour or until steaks are tender. Serves 2 or 4.

Beet Soup

6 beets, pared and grated
1 large potato, pared and grated
1/2 C. chopped celery
1 t. salt
2 C. cold water
3 T. butter
1 1/2 C. milk

Cook first 5 ingredients together 10 minutes. Force through sieve. Add butter and milk and heat thoroughly. Serves 6.

Swedish Hardtack

1 pint buttermilk
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. shortening, melted
1 t. salt
7/8 t. baking soda
coarse rye flour

Mix ingredients to make a thick dough and shape into 24 balls, dipping them into flour. Roll out very thin with a special peg rolling pin that pricks dough as it rolls. Bake on cookie sheet in hot oven (425 F.) until browned, about 15 min. Very crisp and tender.


Verdict:

Stuffed Cubed Steaks: Watery, tasteless, and horrid. The stuffing was slimy and bland. Were this a British WWII recipe, there would be no butter, 10x the rice, and 1/10 the meat. This is expecting each person to eat 1/4-1/2 lb. of beef per person! During rationing! Insane. I do not know why people were afraid of onion, either. At least this has actual chopped onion instead of onion juice, which is a little sad. Maybe if you went bananas and put a whole onion in, it might taste like a flavor.

Beet Soup: While the recipe says this serves 6, we found it could easily serve around 50. The beautiful, deep color fools you into thinking it is going to be delicious, like something berry flavored. No. It tastes of blended beets. As well it might. There is no other flavor but blended beets. The same results could be obtained by adding water to baby food.

Swedish Hardtack: Very nice! Lovely and crisp, comparable to a very tasty cracker. Because it is. Husband allowed as how he would not mind it appearing in the future, especially on camping trips or emergency snacks to supplement MREs. Due to their flavor, thinness, and relative sturdiness, they are ideal for the transference of jam to one's mouth, second only to a spoon.

Cress grown on a bit of flannel

Ministry of Food War Cookery Leaflet Number 14 Grow your own! Even if you have no garden, you can have fresh-picked parsley or mustard and cress, for these both grow well in window-boxes or flower-pots. Or mustard and cress can be grown on damp flannel. Remember--the fresher the better for you--and the better the flavor!

I've been working on the old Victory Garden recently (Can you picture 7 cubic yards of manure? Neither could I. I can now. Really, really well.), and managed to find a packet of cress. I put half of the seeds on flannel that used to be pajamas with sock monkeys on them, and half of them on an old terrycloth washcloth, so I could see which was better. For victory!

March 3

After watering responsibly and giving the cloths plenty of sun, this was the result:

April 5

Welp.
Result: Buy some potting mix, for goodness sake. Aw, geez. If growing cress on your windowsill helps fight Hitler, what does failing this miserably do?

If anyone has any helpful hints, or has been able to do this successfully, let me know! You will receive all the gold stars in my possession.

Update: apparently, I should have kept them in a darker place until they sprouted. Curses! I wonder how many WWII folk made similar frustrating mistakes?

American Mince and American Pinwheels

We'll Eat Again [reprinted recipes from WWII]

I am American, and I have never had anything like either of these recipes. And yet, the British Ministry of Food says it is so. I suspect these recipes are American like nachos are Mexican. But less delicious. How about you, Other Americans? Anyone?

And just sit quietly, Canadians. I have a recipe for Canadian Bake that I'll get to in the future, never fear.

Or fear. Fear is probably the more reasonable response.

That's right, Mrs. Smith. We're getting a seventh of our meat now in corned beef--twopence in the 1s. 2d. as you might say. Lord Woolton's watching his stocks--he likes to be sure he's got a bit in hand. I don't mind telling you I was rather afraid the whole ration would be cut down. It's lucky for everyone there is this corned beef to help out with. Cold or hot, you can dish it up in a dozen different ways--and very tasty, too. No, Mrs. Smith, I don't want any points coupons, it's all part of the meat ration.

American Mince

Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Quantity: 4 helpings

6 oz. corned beef, minced or finely chopped
8 oz. cooked pearl barley
1/2 pint tomato pulp or white sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 oz cheese, grated
1 oz breadcrumbs
1/2 oz dripping or margarine
2 tomatoes (if available)

For a while during the war, 1 oz. of cheese per week was the ration for one person

Method: Place the beef, barley, tomato pulp or white sauce, seasoning, cheese, and breadcrumbs in layers in a greased pie dish. Finish with a layer of cheese and dot with the dripping or margarine. Bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes.

Yes. That is 1/2 oz. cheese there. Do you know how hard it is to make two layers out of 1 oz. of cheese? Answer: very.

Slice the whole tomatoes and spread over the top. Return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.

American Pinwheels

Pastry:
8 oz. flour
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
or 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 oz margarine
milk to mix

Chocolate mixture:
2 oz margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 dessertspoon Bournville cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Pastry: Put flour, salt, soda and cream of tartar in a bowl. Mix together, rub in margarine and bind to a stiff paste with milk.

Chocolate mixture: Cream margarine and sugar together, stir in cocoa, add essence, and if necessary a tablespoonful of milk; do not make too soft or the mixture will run during cooking. Roll out pastry into an oblong and spread with chocolate mixture. Roll up as for jam roll and cut into 3/4 inch rounds. Pack into a baking tin and bake in a moderately hot oven 20 to 30 minutes.


Verdict:

American Mince: Okay, first of all, this is corned beef from a can:

Yes. That speaks for itself. I also had to call my mom on the phone so she could tell me how to open a can with a key. The recipe calls for only half of it, so I put the other half thriftily away to use another day. Hooray! While I was measuring and putting out ingredients, Husband came by and tried to snitch a pinch of cheese. "NOOOOOOOO!" I said. "THAT IS ALL THE CHEESE WE GET PUT IT BACK PUT IT BACK WE ONLY GET AN OUNCE UNLESS YOU WANT TO HIT THE BLACK MARKET AND HELP HITLER DO YOU WANT TO HELP HITLER AHHHHHHHH!"

He put it back.

It took some careful placement to get two layers out of that cheese. In the end, you could not taste the cheese at all, and seeing the occasional shred just felt like a mockery. I would rather have just eaten my ration straight up. At least that way I could have tasted it.

It wasn't terrible though. It was kind of fine. Were I on rations, and corned beef in a can was what I could get, I'd make this. I'd feel kind of sad while eating it, but I would indeed eat it.

My sister came over that day, and I cleverly trapped her into eating dinner with us. This is her plate after dinner.

I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE, KRISTIN. I'm telling mom.

American Pinwheels: Holy HECK is that a tiny amount of filling! It is almost impossible to spread it over all the dough. It does look bigger when it is baked though, which is something I suppose. These are dry biscuits with "essence of chocolate" to tease your mouth. My sister had an excellent idea for improvement, though!

Much better!


Now I need some nachos.

Save That Fat!

Courtesy of Shorpy.com

June 1942. "Why greases must be saved. A soldier of the home front -- and there's one in every American kitchen -- saves all waste fats and greases so that they can be processed into ammunition for America's soldiers on the battlefronts. Pan and broiler drippings, deep fats, renderings from bacon rinds: These are some of the fats which should be put through a strainer to remove meat scraps and other solids, and poured into wide-mouthed cans such as coffee or fat cans." 4x5 safety negative by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information.

And if you don't give your leftover fat to the government, at least make a veggie-filled pastry!

WWII Rationing: Mock Goose, Beetroot Pudding, and Mock Whipped Cream

We'll Eat Again [reprinted recipes from 1940's]

Phew! Sorry about that break, but the kitchen of Time Travel Kitchen is now both larger, and closer to willing victims. HOORAY. I promised you goose, didn't I? I did. And you, poor things, have been waiting with bated breath. Wait no longer!

"Man-about-Kitchen"
Now that thousands of wives and mothers are helping in the factories, or evacuated to the country, many men are having to do their own cooking. No wonder they ask their women-folk for easy recipes! Here are a few suggestions. [Well, one.]

Mock Goose

Cooking time: 1 hour Quantity: 4 helpings

1 1/2 lb. potatoes
2 large cooking apples
4 oz. cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
salt and pepper
3/4 pint vegetable stock
1 tablespoon flour

Method: Scrub and slice potatoes thinly, slice apples, grate cheese. Grease a fireproof dish, place a layer of potatoes in it, cover with apple and a little sage, season lightly and sprinkle with cheese, repeat layers leaving potatoes and cheese to cover. Pour in 1/2 pint of the stock, cook in a moderate oven for 3/4 of an hour. Blend flour with remainder of stock, pour into dish and cook for another 1/4 of an hour. Serve as a main dish with a green vegetable.

Dig for your dinner
When salvage is all that remains of the joint
And there isn't a tin and you haven't a 'point'
Instead of creating a dance and a ballad
Just raid the allotment and dig up a salad!

Beetroot Pudding
Here is a new notion for using the sweetness of beetroot to make a nice sweet pudding with very little sugar.

First mix 6 oz wheatmeal flour with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Rub in 1/2 oz fat and add 1 oz sugar and 4 oz cooked or raw beetroot very finely grated.

Now mix all the ingredients to a soft cake consistency with 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk. Add a few drops of flavouring essence if you have it. Turn the mixture into a greased pie dish or square tin and bake immediately in a moderate oven for 35-40 minutes. This pudding tastes equally good hot or cold. Enough for 4.

Reflect, whenever you indulge
It is not beautiful to bulge
A large, untidy corporation
Is far from helpful to the Nation.

Mock Whipped Cream
1/2 oz cornflour [cornstarch]
1/4 pint milk
1 1/2 oz margarine
3 teaspoons sugar
few drops vanilla essence

Method: Mix cornflour to a paste with a little milk, heat remainder and when boiling add to the blended cornflour, stirring well. Return to saucepan bring to boil and cook 3 minutes. Cream the margarine and sugar. Whisk in the cornflour mixture gradually. Add vanilla essence.


***

Verdict:

Mock Goose: In... in what manner is this a goose? The duck, the duck I could see. It looks sort of ducky, and there's meat. This? This is a DANG POTATO CASSEROLE. It wasn't cooked for long enough, so it was still kind of crunchy, and the vegetable broth did not thicken in any way. It was more like wet potato discs with oddly flavored apples and surprising tiny globlets of soggy cheese. Were it cooked for longer, the vegetable broth thickened, and more herbs added, this would probably be fine. Troll your vegetarian friends. Invite them over for dinner. When they arrive, tell them you made goose. Hilarity cannot fail to ensue.

Beetroot Pudding: Gahhh. I am undecided on this one. A list must happen.

Good:
*Beets are pretty sweet, so this actually sort of worked as far as sweetness goes.
*It's pink!
*It's really good for you

Bad:
*It was gritty. Like sand. And I like whole wheat.
*A shred of beet got stuck in my teeth.
*It's density is similar to that of brick.
*It's really good for you.

I will have to revisit this one, and see if it can be improved on. What made it quite palatable was the-

Mock Whipped Cream: Mmmmm. If you think about it, this recipe actually makes mathematical sense.

Given that:
Cream = Milk + Butterfat
Butter ≈ Margarine

Therefore:
Margarine + Milk ≈ Cream

Ta da! With the addition of some cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla, a reasonable approximation of whipped cream can be made. It's more like a pastry cream than whipped cream, but let us not quibble. A sweet, creamy topping can be made. Let he who is without Kool Whip among you cast the first stone. Besides, it helps the sandy pink beet grit slide down much easier.

***

Bonus propaganda! Have you wondered how much soy flour is needed to make a loaf big enough to fill Red Square? Wonder no longer.