Wartime recipes, substitutions and other related austerity hints

[Deleted User]

Sounds like a winner Basketcase, it would certainly be very useful as we gradually use up what we've got in the house and have to be inventive with what we have left in all areas of our lives.  I don't think this crisis is likely to be over for quite some time, unspecified amount of time until a vaccine is found or the virus burns itself out because there's no one left in circulation who hasn't had it that can't possibly be estimated or guessed at because no one knows or can know how long that will be.

We try to live simply and frugally anyway because that's what we think is right in light of climate change and responsible citizenship.  We live beneath our means, always have and it means we have less materially in life that others hold as necessities but we also have no debts and never have.  We try to be as environmentally aware and acting as possible and that's all part and parcel of living like it's wartime.  To be honest I think we ARE at war against this virus the difficulty being it's an unseen foe with no weapons as yet to use against it other than social distancing and the dedication of those wonderful people on the front line of the emergency services.

Many very useful tools in the 'make do and mend' philosophy that was part of the dealing with WW2 on the home front and I think a thread that puts them back into circulation again today would be a very useful addition to our armoury.

I think I wouldn't just limit it to a months usage either, just put the information and ideas online and let it run xxx.

[Deleted User]

Treats to cheer up shut in families!

Chocolate Crunch

1oz margarine
4 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
pinch of salt
4oz rolled oats.

Warm the margarine and golden syrup in a pan and beat well, add the cocoa and salt and beat again, gradually work in the oats.  When mixed spread in a shallow greased ovenproof tin about 6" x 4" or a circular sponge sandwich tin. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes.  Mark into fingers or wedges (depending on shape of tin) leave to cool and cut when cold.


Welsh Cakes   makes 12

2oz margarine
6oz S/R flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2oz sugar
2oz mixed dried fruit
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

Rub the fat into the   flour and add the spice, sugar and dried fruit.  Mix to a stiff dough with the egg and milk.  Treat the dough as you would pastry and roll out on a floured board to 1 cm thick.  Cut the dough into 2" rounds, re-roll trimmings and keep cutting rounds.  Preheat and grease a griddle/heavy based frying pan.  Put in the cakes and cook for 4 or so minutes on each side until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.  Dredge with a little sugar to serve.


Honeycombe Toffee 

4oz golden syrup
2oz sugar (demerara if possible but any will work)
2 level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda.

Taking great care because it may spit, will be very hot and can easily catch on the bottom of the pan bring the golden syrup and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, keeping a very close eye on it and stirring with the longest handled spoon you have until it is a rich brown colour.  While still boiling stir in the bicarbonate of soda very quickly.  IT WILL FOAM SO MAKE SURE YOUR PAN IN DEEP AND LARGE ENOUGH. Pour into a well greased sandwich tin and allow to cool and set.  When almost firm, loosen the edge with a knife and turn out onto a plate.  Break into pieces.  Like the inside of a crunchie bar! also known as cinder toffee/ honeycombe.


Chocolate Spread

1 1/2 teaspoonfuls cocoa powder
1oz icing sugar
1oz margarine
1 teaspoon very strong coffee

Cream together the margarine and the icing sugar until very light and fluffy.  Gradually work in the cocoa powder and then stir in the strong coffee.  Beat well and store in a sterilized jar in the fridge.


Scone Donut Rings

8oz S/R flour
2oz margarine
2oz sugar
up to 1/4 pint milk soured with vinegar or lemon juice

Rub the margarine into the flour, add the sugar and mix to a scone dough with the milk, you may not need the whole of the milk.  Knead slightly to form a dough and then roll out 1/2" thick on a floured board. Cut into rounds with your smallest cutter and then find something to cut out the middles of the rounds to make circles you can cook the middles as little round donuts.  Heat some oil in a frying pan and cook the donuts until golden brown, turning to ensure even cooking.  Drain on kitchen paper and toss in a little extra sugar while still warm.


These are naughty but NICE and should cheer up gloomy days and gloomy families xxx.
 

Brambling

I remember using something similar to chocolate crunch recipe to make rice crispies or cornflake cakes although they weren't put in the oven, but no chocolate involved.  It definitely brought back a taste and a memory from my childhood so thanks MrsLW  

ToastLady

Saw a recipe for water cake which uses no butter or eggs, and thought it might fit the wartime recipe bill.  https://www.thepetitecook.com/water-cake/  

[Deleted User]

Some of my recipes today, tried and enjoyed over the years all based on pulses.....rather like Variations on a Bean.....

Baked Bean Soup   serves 4

2 x 400g tins baked beans ( I left whole and 1 pureed)
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion peeled and chopped
100g bacon bits chopped fine
2 cloves garlic crushed or 1 teaspoon garlic granules
300ml chicken stock 1
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 x tablespoons Worcester sauce

Heat the oil in a pan, add bacon and onion and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more then add all other ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

Nice as it is or you can add grated cheese to serve


Indian Buttered rice with baked beans

Rice
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups of cooked rice
salt
pepper
fresh chopped parsley if you have it

Heat the butter in a heavy based pan and add in everything else and cook over a medium heat for a coupe of minutes to re-heat.

Baked Beans
1 400g tin baked beans
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 a chopped onion
1 clove garlic crushed or 1 teaspoon garlic granules
1/2 a green pepper chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder or chilli flakes
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
salt
grated cheese

Heat oil in a heavy based pan and fry onions over a gentle heat for a couple of minutes then add the garlic and pepper and cook for a couple more minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and heat through, stirring occasionally until warmed to your liking.

Put rice in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, pour beans over it, .sprinkle with cheese, cover with foil and heat in a warm oven for 15/20 minutes.



Lentil and cheese bake


I cup red split lentils picked over and rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
90g grated cheddar cheese
1 red or green pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed or heaped teaspoon of garlic granules
coriander leaf fresh if you have it but dried will work too
salt
pepper
3 eggs
oil spray

Pre-heat oven 180degC/160deg Fan/350deg F/ Gas mk4

Put the lentils and stock in a pan, bring to the boil and then simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and put on a lid and leave 10 minutes.

Spray a frying pan with oil spray and gently fry the pepper, onion and garlic for 5 minutes.  Add to the lentils with the coriander and season well.  Add the cheese and the eggs and mix well.  Spray  an ovenproof dish with oil spray/or grease it and turn the lentil mix into it, put in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes until golden and set.  Serve with salad or with home made soup for a nice meal.


Baked bean curry.


1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed or a heaped teaspoon garlic granules
sliced fresh chilli to taste or 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
2 teaspoons dried coriander leaf
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 400g tin chopped tomatoes 
2 x 400g tins baked beans oil

Put oil in a saucepan and add onion, garlic, spices and chilli and cook until onion is soft over a medium heat.  Add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes then add in beans and cook until heated through and well mixed.  Season to taste and serve with mashed potato, cooked rice or Naan bread.


All easy, all ingredients we're likely to have in and all tasty, enjoy xxx.

[Deleted User]

Morning everyone, colder today here and just the kind of day to stay warm by being in the kitchen cooking.

An old fashioned but delicious pudding first today

Chocolate Apple Stirabout

4 oz S/R flour
3 apples (use up old ones)peeled, cored and diced
1 1/2oz sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2oz margarine
pinch of salt
milk to mix

Heat the oven to hot 200deg C ish and grease an ovenproof dish.

Mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl, rub in the margarine.  Add the sugar and the diced apple and mix with enough milk to give the consistency of a batter.  Pour into the greased dish and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes to half an hour.

Economical Chocolate Cake

2oz margarine
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
6oz plain flour
2oz sugar
2 dessertspoons cocoa powder mixed to a paste with water
1/2 a teacup of treacle filled up with warm milk

Cream the fat and sugar and add the beaten egg, then the cocoa paste and then add alternately the rest of the dry and wet ingredients until it is completely mixed in. Pour into a shallow greased cake tin and bake in a moderate oven for 30 - 45 minutes, taking great care not to let it burn.  When cooked remove from the oven and grate some chocolate over the top of the hot cake which will melt and form a delicious topping.  Turn out when cold.

Crunchy Chocolate Slab

1/2lb broken/stale sweet biscuits (broken small)
2oz sugar
1 egg
2oz margarine
1oz cocoa powder

Melt the margarine over a slow heat in a saucepan, add the sugar and cocoa and stir until dissolved then whisk in the beaten egg and stir slowly for 2 minutes. Add biscuits to the saucepan and mix thoroughly.  Turn into a greased tin and level the top.  Put into the fridge to set when cold.  Cut into fingers to serve. 


Some yummy things to make life a little sweeter today xxx.

Pyxis

I just made a cheese sauce with porridge oats and oat milk (instead of dairy milk, butter and flour)! 😁

caroc

I made Mrs Lurcherwalkers welsh cakes yesterday and was astonished at the speed and ease of making  them, literally 4 minutes each side, in fact as I flipped them they nearly burned. I got rid of a griddle last year as I didn't use it, so just used my biggest frying pan and a teaspoon of butter to fry which gets absorbed into the cake. 

[Deleted User]

I've  looked up some odd sounding 'when there's nothing left in the fridge' recipes today as I know there is a problem getting slots for food deliveries from the supermarkets and we may be thrown back on our store cupboard items.  No reason to not make food that tastes appealing even if it's a little out of the ordinary range of what we're used to...who knows the taste buds might even thing 'this is OK!'

Barbecued Spaghetti   serves 4

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion peeled and chopped small
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon tomato puree/ketchup
1/2 pint chicken stock (any will do if you don't have chicken)
splash of bottled lemon juice
salt
pepper
12oz pasta (spaghetti for preference but any will do).

Heat the oil in a saucepan add the onion and cook until just beginning to be golden over a low heat.  Stir in the curry powder and fry for a few seconds, add the peanut butter. tomato puree/ketchup, stock, lemon juice and seasoning to taste, bring to the boil stirring constantly and then turn the heat down to the lowest simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Cook pasta, drain well add to the sauce and mix until well coated.  Check for seasoning and sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese if you have it and serve hot.  Can be used on it's own, on toast or served with sausages or burgers as a side dish.


Sausage Kedgeree   serves 4


a couple of leftover cooked sausages( a tin of tuna drained is nice instead)
1 small onion peeled and chopped finely
2 eggs
6oz rice
1oz margarine/butter
salt
pepper
fresh parsley if you have it

chop the sausages into small pieces.  Hard boil the eggs and leave to cool then peel them and chop roughly.  Cook the onion in half the margarine until softened, add the rice and boiling water and cook until the rice is done.  Drain well. Heat the rest of the margarine in a frying pan add the rice, sausage and egg and season to taste and heat for a few minutes until the sausage and egg are heated through.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley if you have it or a little curry powder if not.  Serve hot.


Fritters of all sorts

Batter

4oz S/R flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pint milk

Mix all to a thick batter.

add any of the alternatives
 2oz chopped bacon
2oz grated cheese
2 - 3 oz cooked meat 
2 - 3 os flaked cooked fish

Add the flavouring ingredient of your choice to the batter and mix well, heat some fat/oil in a frying pan and drop in tablespoons of the batter mix and fry until golden on both sides and cooked through.

Sweet batter for fruit, add 1 tablespoon sugar to the basic mix

add in chopped apple dice
chopped plum slivers
thinly sliced rhubarb
really small pieces of any fruit you have
2 tablespoons dried currants/sultanas/raisins

Fry as for savoury fritters and dust with sugar before serving.


All helps make things stretch a bit in tight times xxx.

boultdj

Other half was asking about battered food, and could I do any, I was thinking I needed a deep fat fryer, so thank you for the recipes and information on the fact a frying pan will be deep enough.