During the CV-19
Pandemic, we are eating frugally to
prolong our food supply. As of this
writing, day 8 of our confinement, we have only been outside twice, to the post office. As I dug through the pantry, I found plenty
of staples and we are using the oldest foods first.
During the Great
Depression, which lasted in the United States from August of 1929 through March
of 1933, Americans had to make do with what they had. Food supplies were limited and families
created recipes to help stretch their scarce resources. Families planted gardens and raised chickens.
They cut up old clothes and made quilts.
Women sewed dresses from flour and feed sacks!
Before the pandemic, I
became a fan of Clara Cannucciari, as I wanted to learn how to make tomato paste. I realized I do not have the patience for
that, but the Sunday Sugar Cookies were a hit. Delicious. I have been cooking Clara’s recipes
and have grown to appreciate the sacrifices and creativity of homemakers, who
utilized cheap foods like soups, beans, and pasta/noodles. Of course, Clara’s wisdom is timeless!
DEPRESSION COOKING with
Clara Cannucciari. This delightful series, created by her grandson, is not just
cooking. Born in 1915, Clara lived
through the depression surrounded by her large Italian family, friends,
coworkers, and neighbors. Her
experiences and pearls of wisdom are priceless.
I have been inspired by Clara and I hope you will find her as fascinating
as I have. Her cookbook is available on
Amazon and other outlets.
Depression Meals:
Cooking with 90+-year old Clara. This is
an introduction of her cooking series, An Afternoon With Clara. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gixLaiDv9rI
Clara’s Poorman’s Meal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OPQqH3YlHA
Poorman’s Feast – Lentils, rice, olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, very thin steak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXpouL9Q1iY
Dandelion Salad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51VhG8MKxJY
Egg Drop Soup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yREFkmrrYiw
Fried Fish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcqKwycMxg0
Eggplant Parmesan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGX8m8lAzOs
Sunday Depression Breakfast – Sugar Cookies and percolated coffee with evaporated milk.
Depression Fried Portobello
Mushrooms – with onion, vegetable oil, tomato sauce, salt, pepper. Served with bread.
Clara’s Depression Couscous
- Her father lived in Tunis, Africa and
lived there as a young man until he came to America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTZhrYSpXTU
Clara’s Depression
Pasta with Peas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8
Clara’s Depression
Pizza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8
Clara’s Depression
Italian Ice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4XPh5XTXcM
Clara’s Depression
Twice Baked Potato: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dr5TYyeEAg&list=RDCMUCRKls2LLMqU-uK2csT6FOKw&index=16
Clara’s Depression
Peppers and Eggs – Her mother’s recipe. Clara took this lunch to high school. Part 1 and Part 2:
Clara’s Holiday
Sicilian Fig Cookies – Cucidati- Part 1 and Part 2. Made after the depression because the
ingredients are too expensive. Also need
help to make them. Clara also reminisces about holidays during childhood.
Clara’s Holiday Stuffed
Artichokes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ5g9hfB72I
Clara’s Holiday
Biscotti. Her mother’s recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYEc0lOH_5E
Clara’s Last Show. “I’m pretty damn old.” Tomato paste and tomato sauce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFvs0hUNue0
Clara Answers Questions
from Viewers and Fans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br_rgE6Y3zU
An Afternoon with
Clara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gixLaiDv9rI
Clara in Memoriam. Aug 18, 1915- Nov 29, 2013. She passed away at age 98. This is a
heartfelt tribute from her grandson Christopher Cannucciari, who created and
filmed the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ZjKl-d2Tc
Below are more
resources and recipes for Depression cooking:
A
Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression
by Jane Ziegelman:
CREAMED CHIPPED BEEF
Made with dried and
salted beef, Creamed Chipped Beef was an easy and cheap dish that
originated in Eastern Pennsylvania Dutch Country, New Jersey, and the
Mid-Atlantic. To make if yourself, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot over a
medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Slowly whisk in 1.5
cups of milk until it thickens and boils. Later add 8 ounces of dried beef
(like Hormel). Serve over toast.
Affectionately called
S.O.S. (“Sh*t on a Shingle" or “Save Our Stomachs”), Creamed Chipped Beef
on Toast was also a staple of the U.S. military during World War I and
especially World War II.
HOOVER STEW
Hoovervilles—shantytowns
that sprang up during the Depression—weren't the only things named after our
31st president, who had the misfortune to be elected just before
the Crash. Hoover Stew was the name given to the soup from soup
kitchens or similarly thin broths. One recipe calls for cooking a 16-ounce box
of noodles like macaroni or spaghetti. While that's on the stove, slice hot
dogs into round shapes. Drain the pasta when it’s almost done and return to the
pot; drop in the sliced hot dogs. Add two cans of stewed tomatoes and one can
of corn or peas (with liquid) to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then
simmer until the pasta is finished cooking. No need to use corn or peas; you
can substitute those veggies for anything canned and inexpensive.
SPAGHETTI WITH CARROTS
AND WHITE SAUCE
One of the dishes
Eleanor Roosevelt recommended and promoted with the development of Home
Economics in schools and colleges during the Great Depression was Spaghetti with Boiled Carrots and White Sauce. It was
spaghetti cooked until mushy (about 25 minutes) and mixed with boiled carrots.
The white sauce was made from milk, flour, salt, butter or margarine, and a
little bit of pepper. After mixing, pour into a tray and bake to make a
casserole.
PRUNE PUDDING
Although he had a taste
for fancy meals, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was served a humble
seven-and-a-half-cent lunch, which included deviled eggs in tomato sauce,
mashed potatoes, coffee, and, for dessert, prune pudding.
Roosevelt’s White House ate modestly in “an act of culinary solidarity with the
people who were suffering,” Jane Ziegelman, the co-author of A Square Meal, told The New York Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment