WW2 Rationing Recipes - American

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm guessing it will be an epic fail for frying since it's not all fat.

That's my guess too - but I'll sacrifice an egg to find out, lol!

 

[Marianne]

Who has all the carrots? hahahaaha

Carrot Croquettes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes including cooking
Number of servings: 3 servings

This recipe dates from WW2. The Ministry of Agriculture promoted carrots as a substitute for other, scarcer, vegetables. It was promoted as a healthy food with slogans such as 'Carrots help you see in the blackout'. To improve its blandness, people were encouraged to enjoy the healthy carrot in different ways.
Today we have carrot cake, but in wartime people experimented with recipes for carrot pie, carrot jam, carrot sandwich fillings, carrot fruit substitutes and even a homemade drink called Carrolade, made up from the juices of grated carrots and swede squeezed through a piece of muslin. Carrots also took the place of dried fruits in many puddings.

Ingredients

• 6 carrots
• 1 oz (30g) margarine
• 10 oz (300g) corn flour
• 4oz (120g) oatmeal
• fat for frying
• seasoning to taste
• 1 gill of milk (around ¼ pint or 0.14 litres of milk)

1 oz = 28.35g rounded up in this recipe to 30g
1 UK pint = 0.568 Litres
Making and cooking it

1. Boil the carrots until tender
2. Drain and mash through a sieve
3. Add seasoning to taste
4. Make a thick white sauce with the corn flour, margarine and milk
5. Add the sieved carrot and leave to cool
6. Shape into croquettes
7. Roll in oatmeal
8. Fry in deep hot fat
9. Drain well and serve

Credit:
http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/printview-101-carrot-croquettes.html

Making smoothies with carrots is good stuff, but what is swede??
Edited to add: I had to google it, its a rutabaga.

 

[Marianne]

That's my guess too - but I'll sacrifice an egg to find out, lol!

hahaha It can't be any worse than bad. And there's always a chicken that will eat it.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

And there's always a chicken that will eat it.

True - at my house there is zero food waste. Dogs, pigs, chickens or compost!

 

[Marianne]

Syrup Loaf

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Number of servings: 1 Loaf, 8-12 slices approx.
Serving suggestions: On its own or with custard.

This recipe is from World War 2. It was economical as it used only a little milk and no eggs, both of which were rationed during the war.

Ingredients

• 4 ozs (115g) self raising flour or plain flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons warmed golden syrup
• ¼ of a pint of milk or milk and water

1 oz = 28.35g
Making and cooking it

1. Sift flour (or flour and baking powder), bicarbonate of soda and salt
2. Heat syrup and milk (or milk and water), pour over the flour and beat well
3. Pour into a greased 1 lb loaf tin and bake in the centre of a moderately hot oven to cook for 30 minutes or until firm

Credit: http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/printview-100-syrup-loaf.html

 

[Marianne]

Golden Syrup

Sugar, water and a slice of lemon are all you need to make this buttery caramel flavored syrup!

• 3 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 lemon slice

1. Pour 3 Tbsp water and 1/2 cup sugar into a saucepan.
   
   
2. Bring to a simmer over medium-low to medium heat.
   
   
3. Once the mixture turns a caramel color, slowly and carefully add 1 1/4 cups boiling water (I pre-heated the water my countertop hot water kettle).
   
   
4. Add 2 1/2 cups sugar and bring to a low simmer.
   
   
5. Add a slice of lemon to the mixture. The lemon will keep the mixture from crystalizing at is simmers.
   
   
6. Turn the heat down to low and let the syrup simmer for about 45 minutes.
   
   
7. When the syrup is ready, remove the candied lemon slice. Let the mixture cool down for a few minutes before pouring it into a sterilized glass jar (I poured boiling water into my jar and let it sit for a couple minutes). The syrup will be thin at this point but will thicken up as it sits in the jar.
   
   
8. Store in a cool, dry place.
   

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh yum - the syrup sounds divine!

 

[Marianne]

And one they said you'd like to avoid:

Reconstituted Egg on Toast

Serving suggestions: With brown sauce

In WW2, eggs were rationed and people in the towns and cities used reconstituted or dried egg mix in tins. The mix was made from whole eggs, non-fat milk, vegetable oil and salt. The mix was used to make scrambled eggs and omelettes, French toast and also used in place of fresh eggs in baked foods. The mixture during WW2 apparently made a thick, rather rubbery omelette.

Ingredients

• reconstituted egg
• water
• 2 slices of bread

Making and cooking it

1. Mix the reconstituted egg with a little water
2. Place a small amount of fat in a pan
3. Place the reconstituted egg in the pan and heat gently
4. After a couple of minutes turn the mixture so that it cooks on the other side
5. Brown some toast under a grill or in a toaster
6. Add a small amount of butter to the toast and place the egg mixture on top

 

[Marianne]

Oh yum - the syrup sounds divine!

It does!! Years ago I used to make Wicked Buttermilk Syrup. Awesome stuff. We aren't talking health food here, it's pure indulgence. But I think I'm going to give the Golden Syrup a go.
I'm kind of surprised to see this recipe since sugar was rationed in Britain.

 

[Mini Horses]

I love butter. But don't think I'd try to use anything to change it. Fortunately, I have goats & a separator so, cream is plentiful here. Hope to freeze some of the butter this year. You have to let the cream set out to begin a ferment before you get a good taste of butter with goat cream, IMO. And, it is white -- get used to it.

Personally I feel fortunate to have the ability to supply myself with most all the dairy I want because of my lovely goats! Milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, caramel sauce...yum! Thank you girls!! I tell you, chickens, a goat & a garden -- with just an acre or two you can be happily self sufficient! Couple fruit trees, berry bushes -- buy coffee and not much else. Free fertilizer, too.

During the wartime, those simple assets saved many families. Still true today. The rest is just icing on the cake. My grands lived this way and didn't even know there were problems, it was life as usual.