Nettle Soup:
*Pick nettle tops wearing rubber gloves and discard any tough stalks; wash thoroughly.
*Melt a little butter in a pan and gently cook finely sliced onion until transparent.
*Add a clove of garlic - peeled and crushed - a large peeled and diced potato and a litre of chicken stock (stock from rabbit bones would do fine!)
*Simmer for 20 minutes or so then add the nettles and simmer for another 5 minutes.
*Season with salt and pepper.
*Puree the soup in a blender, return to a clean saucepan, stir in a little cream, serve in bowls with an added swirl of cream and snips of chives cut with scissors.
Blackberry & Apple Pudding:
*Stir 225g (8 oz) self-raising flour and a teaspoon salt in a bowl;
add 115g (4 oz) suet and mix;
slowly add 2 - 3 tablespoons cold water until the dough holds together.
*Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line a greased pudding basin cutting out a wedge to fit.
(Save some pastry for a lid.)
*Add apples and blackberries in layers, sprinkling each layer with sugar.
*Brush the edges of the pastry with water, put on the lid and seal.
*Cover the basin with greaseproof paper or foil and tie down with string. Place basin in a saucepan and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up. Boil for 2.5 hours, topping up with water from the kettle as necessary. *Remove paper or foil, ease a knife down the sides of the basin to loosen the pudding, put a deep plate or shallow dish over the top and up-end the pudding basin without getting Burnt! Tap basin sharply if necessary. *Eat with custard or thick cream.
FEEL FREE TO USE ANY FRUIT IN SEASON.
Suet in its original form was the fat found an animal's kidneys.
Eggless, Fatless Walnut Cake
4 cups flour; 1 cup chopped walnuts; 1 good cup milk; 1 cup sugar; 4 teasp baking powder; 1 good pinch salt.
*Mix flour, sugar and chopped walnuts together.
*Add salt and baking powder, then the milk. (It should be slightly wetter than an ordinary cake mixture.)
*Leave to rise for 10 mins.
*Bake in a greased cake tin in a slow oven till risen and brown.
Cheese Muffins
1 +1/2 cups flour; 1/2 cup grated cheese; 1/4 teasp salt; 4 teasp baking powder; 1 egg; 3/4 cup milk
*Beat the egg lightly, add salt and milk.
*Sift flour + baking powder together, then add the grated cheese.
*Make into a dough with the liquid, beat well and roll out. Bread
*Cut into rounds, brush with beaten egg, and bake for 10 mins in a sharp oven.
*Spread with butter and eat hot.
Health Bread
1+1/2 lb self-raising flour, 1 teacup granulated sugar; 1 breakfast cup syrup; 1 egg; 1 breakfast cup large raisins (stoned); 1 breakfast cup milk; pinch of salt.
*Mix flour, sugar & salt then add raisins.
*Beat the egg well and add to milk and syrup.
*Thoroughly mix all ingredients (sufficient for 2 loaves)
*Bake in well greased bread tins in a moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.
After a couple of days, the loaf can be buttered and cut into slices, wafer-thin, or as required for the menfolk.
If kept in a tin cake-bin, the loaves will retain their flavour and moisture for at least a month.
Wartime Christmas Cake without Eggs
1/2 lb plain flour; 1/2 lb ground rice; 1/2 lb granulated sugar; 1/2 lb currants; 1/2 lb sultanas,
1/4 lb mixed peel; 3/4 lb butter or good margarine; 1 teasp bicarbonate of soda; 12 drops essence of almonds; 1/2 pint boiling milk.
* Mix the flour, rice, sugar, fruit and peel altogether.
*Cream the butter, and stir it well into the mixture.
*Put the soda into a tablesp of cold milk, then bring to the boil the remainder of the milk - add the soda to the hot milk.
*Gradually blend the milk into the mixture while boiling hot.
*Beat well and put in a fairly large tin.
*Bake in a good oven for 4 hours.
This cake will keep for months and improve with time!
Fish Soup
a handful spinach or sorrel; 1 or 2 small onions; 1 carrot; 1 potato, 2 oz butter; parsley, mint & chives; 2 small whiting or whatever meat you can catch or buy.
*Chop the spinach, onions, carrot, potato, parsley, mint & chives.
*Brown these in butter and add boiling water, salt & pepper.
*Add the whiting or other fish whole and cook for about 20 mins.
*Take out the fish and remove the skins and bones.
*Strain soup and serve with pieces of fish and vegetables in it.
The Oslo Meal (a vegetarian meal which was found to be so nutritious that the health of school-children who were given it daily was much improved. They grew taller, learnt faster and were better tempered.)
4 oz any raw mixed vegetable (e.g. shredded cabbage, lettuce, chopped parsley)
Grated carrot if available
sliced tomato
grated betroot, cooked or raw
salad dressing
2 tbs dried milk powder
2 tbs vinegar
water
salt, pepper and mustard.
*Mix well together
*Accompany with wholemeal bread and butter, 2 oz cheese, apple and as much milk as rations allow.
Ham Bone Puree
3/4 pint haricot beans, butter beans, lentils, split peas or dried green peas
1 small peeled turnip
1 peeled potato
1/2 oz dripping
pinch baking soda
1 ham bone
1 peeled onion
1 stalk celery
1/4 pint hot milk
1 sprig parsley
1 quart cold water
salt & pepper
*Rinse the beans, lentils or peas in a colander under the cold water tap, and drain well. Place in a basin. Cover with 2 quarts boiling water. Add a pinch baking soda and soak overnight. Strain and rinse again under the cold water tap, then drain well.
*Cut the vegetables into small pieces (add sliced carrot when making a ham bone soup of any pulse except haricot bean).
*Melt dripping in the soup pan, and add the sliced vegetables. Cook over slow heat until all the fat is absorbed.
*Add the ham bone, water, the pulses, parsley and salt. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.
Stir occasionally during that time.
*Now rub the contents of the pan, except for the bone, through a wire sieve, then rinse the pan and pour in the puree.
*Reheat the puree, stirring occasionally, then add the milk, salt & pepper to taste.
*Pour into a hot soup tureen and serve with croutons.
Tops (allow 1 1/2 lb for 4 portions)
Broccoli tips, turnip tops, and beetroot tops have good food value, as do the broad bean tops.
*Shred with a sharp knife after removing any coarse bits for soups and stews.
*Cook quickly in a little water.
*You may add a few bacon rinds chopped small, a few teasp of vinegar and a sprinkling of nutmeg or a shake of caraway seeds for a new and intriguing addition to a meal.
Oatmeal and Herb Sausages
*Boil 3/4 pint salted water, and stir in 1 cup oatmeal - cook for 1/2 hour stirring frequently.
*In a bowl, place 1 medium onion chopped finely, 1 teasp mixed herbs, salt & pepper, chopped parsley and tomato sauce. Add a well-beaten egg and enough fine bread-crumbs to make a stiff dough.
*Add the oatmeal to this bowl, then flour the hands and roll the mixture into sausage shapes. Dip the "sausages" into flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fry a golden brown.
*Serve with hot sauce.
Potato Pastry
4 oz mashed and sieved potato; 1/2 teasp salt; 8 oz plain flour; 3 oz fat; 2 tablesp baking powder.
*Sieve dry ingredients then rub fat into flour and lightly mix in potato.
Mix with a little water into a dry dough.
Knead well and roll out.
Mock Marzipan
1/2 lb haricot beans; 4 tablesp sugar; 2 tablesp ground rice; 1 teasp almond essence; 1 tablesp margarine.
*Soak the beans for 24 hours, then rinse. Cook until tender in fresh, unsalted water.
*Put beans on a tin in a warm oven to get dry and floury. Rub them through a sieve.
*Beat the sugar into the bean puree, add the ground rice, warmed margarine and finally the flavouring.
*Beat until quite smooth and well mixed.
Use for cake covering or sweet making. Any kind of flavouring and a few drops of colouring matter may be added.
Toad in the Hole
See some extra recipes on this link:
http://www.allthatwomenwant.co.uk/wartimerecipes.htm
HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO
MY LIFE?
I look forward to trying out some wartime recipes in the year to come.