recipes

by

Kale and Potato Soup – Recipe No 136

1940skalesoup1

Here is another recipe for the Central England Co-op’s Easy Eating Campaign! It is indeed easy to make and packed with goodness!

Yes it does come out a lovely shade of green… much like a savoury green smoothie! A whole bags worth of Kale went into this soup which made enough for six people served with bread.

I know it tastes good as Mr Tiddles (Richard) gobbled his down when he came over for supper – I was WELL impressed!

So here is the recipe for wartime ‘Kale and Potato Soup’ which comes from The Ministry of Food’s wartime leaflet No 15, ‘Easy to Make Soups and Broths’.

Enjoy!

Kale and Potato Soup

  • 2 pints of vegetable stock
  • 1-1/2 lbs of potatoes washed and chopped
  • 1 onion or leek chopped
  • 4 oz kale, shredded
  • Chopped parsley
  • 4 tablespoons of dried milk (I used a nut milk as I don’t use cows milk)
  • Lots of salt and pepper to taste (just add extra herbs and spices to your own taste if too bland)

 

Method

  1. Put half the vegetable stock into a large pan, bring to boil and add the chopped onion/leek and potato and cook until vegetables are soft then mash everything up together.
  2. Bring to the boil again and add the washed and shredded kale
  3. Cook for a further 20 minutes
  4. Add the milk and remaining vegetable stock together and add and reheat
  5. Season with salt and pepper (and spices and herbs of your choice)
  6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving

 

Serves 6 with bread

Total cost of soup £2.50 (41.5p per bowl)

 

1940skalesoup2

by

Baked Chips with Thyme – Recipe No 133

1940chips1withtext

Here’s a very tasty side dish I made tonight for supper out of just two potatoes with their skins on, some fat, thyme and salt. Infact I ate these with a salad and quite honestly they were simply delicious… Baked chips with thyme.

As fat was rationed during the war, deep frying was out of the question but this recipe uses little fat. I used a bit of oil and a blob of margarine but lard or vegetable shortening would work well too.

1940schips2

Baked Chips with Thyme

  • 2 large potatoes, washed but with skins left on
  • Fresh or dried thyme
  • Salt
  • Clove of fresh garlic or garlic powder
  • Oil, lard or vegetable shortening

Method

  1. Slice each potato into chunky chip size pieces
  2. Drizzle oil or place lard in pan
  3. Heat in oven until warm or melted
  4. Put in the potato and toss until covered in oil/fat
  5. Sprinkle with salt and thyme and garlic powder/salt or cut a clove of garlic in half and add these to the pan also
  6. Bake in the oven at about 230 C for 20 minutes or so until potato is cooked and edges are nice and brown

 

Makes enough for two side portions with a main meal or for one person with a side salad

Total cost: 30 p

1940schips3

 

by

Pea and Potato Stew – Recipe No 132

1940speaandpotatostew

The cupboards were bare this morning. I need to go grocery shopping this evening but as I have an appointment this afternoon in the city it was a case of whipping up something for lunch that was quick, nutritious, tasty and above all, using what little ingredients I had left in the fridge.

I created a Pea and Potato Stew using food that the 1940s larder would have had available

I’ve already eaten it all up and it was indeed delightfully robust, yummy tummy moreish and working it out cost me less than £1 to make- way less!

Pea and Potato Stew

  • 2 handfuls of peas in edible pods (mine were on the turn)
  • 1 large potato skin on
  • 1 celery stick (again on the turn)
  • 1 leek (or 1 onion)
  • Couple handful of soft, on the turn tomatoes (or a can of tomatoes)
  • Any leafy veg that needs using up- I used a small handful of lettuce leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Thyme to your own taste
  • Clove of garlic

Method

  1. Chop leeks or onion, cube potato into small pieces (about 1 cm in size) and chop garlic and saute these in a little margarine or butter until they smell delicious
  2. Add in the chopped celery stick, the while peas in pods and any other leafy veg that needs using up and continue to saute for a few more minutes
  3. Add in the soft tomatoes or can of tomatoes, thyme, salt and pepper and stir and taste and adjust seasoning
  4. Add some veg stock if too dry or some thickener such as a little Bisto gravy browning if too wet.
  5. Cook until potato pieces are tender (20 minutes ish)

Serves two with a chunk of crusty bread or 1 hungry person

Total cost: Less than £1

PS: Also watch this space! Vintage Cooking … 

by

Vinegar Cake – Recipe No 130

1940svinegarcake

Apart from being a bit crumbly, the vinegar cake was quite delicious! It was lovely with warm custard!

The vinegar cake was one of the recipes I re-created for the photo-shoot that took place last Sunday but I had forgotten to take a photo until I saw Sue’s comment and request today so quickly took a photo of the few slices I had left to add it to the wartime recipe archives.

And YES the vinegar cake really does have vinegar in it!

Vinegar Cake

  • 6 oz self-raising flour
  • 3 oz margarine
  • 3 oz sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/4 pint milk
  • 4 oz dried mixed fruit

Method

  1. Cream the margarine and sugar
  2. Sift the flour
  3. Pour milk into a basin and add the vinegar and bicarb of soda and the mixture will froth a bit
  4. Add this mixture and the sifted flour a bit at a time into the sugar/margarine mixture until all blended then add the dried fruit
  5. Pour into a greased and floured 1lb loaf tin and cook for about 45 minutes at 180C until golden brown all over.
by

Vegetable pie – Recipe No 118

1940svegpie

This was DELISH- seriously!  If you love simple plain, nourishing, affordable comfort food you’ll love this. I served mine with vegan sausages.. (part of my meat ration!)

ab

Vegetable Pie

Put some mixed cooked vegetables into a pie type dish and season well with lots of salt and pepper. Make a thick gravy with 1 oz of fat and 1 oz of cornflour/cornstarch and 1/2 pint of vegetable stock and seasoning. Pour this over the vegetables then place a thick crust of mashed potatoes over the top, sprinkle with cheese (I didn’t) and bake on medium heat for about 30 minutes until the potato is browned.

1940svegpie2

by

Mock cream 3 – Recipe No 117

1940smockcream3

This is the BEST wartime mock cream recipe I have made to date and it’s very simple to make too! Even better used nice and cool from the fridge

I dolloped it on scones yesterday and just now (topped with summer berry jam) for a late morning nibble with a nice cup of tea!

Mock cream 3

  • 1 tablespoon (English tablespoon) of cornflour
  • 1 oz margarine
  • 1 oz sugar (fine)
  • 1/4 pint milk

Slowly blend the cornflour and milk together and add to saucepan and stir over a low heat until thickened. Remove and allow to cool completely.

Cream margarine and sugar together until light and soft and then gradually add in the cold cornflour/milk mixture a teaspoon at a time until all of it is mixed together to make a smooth, thick cream which stiffens further when stored in the fridge.

Click here for all 117 of my re-created wartime recipes

 

by

Potato Cakes No 107

1940spotatocakes
Thank you to Paul and Wendy Savage who used this recipe successfully at their WWII themed New Year’s Party and were kind enough to share it with me. I used 1/3 rd of the ingredients below using some left over mash and that made several potato cakes which I pan fried. They were DELICIOUS!! I loved my lunch today!!
Potato Cakes
  • 3 smallish onions, chopped finely
  • 7oz margarine – or vegan substitute.
  • 3lbs cooked and mashed potato
  • 1lb self raising flour (or plain flour with 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder added)
  • salt & pepper to season (herbs can be added too)
 Method
  1. Fry onion in 1/2 oz margarine until soft
  2. Mash potato with remaining margarine and beat together with the onion & flour. Season to taste.
  3. Knead onto a floured surface (it should be similar consistancy to bread dough)
  4. Form into 3-4 inch sausage. Cut into 1 inch slices (make them thicker if baking in the oven)
  5. Cook in oven at 200 c or gas mark 6  for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown) or alternatively pan fry.

pc1

pc2

by

Chocolate Oat Cakes No 97

These are excellent biscuits/cookies for children. As cookies go they are low in fat, relatively low in sugar and have lots of rolled oats in them. My grown up kids all enjoyed them, and the dog… and as I share this recipe with you, I’m enjoying my second one and thinking I should wrap them up and stick them in the freezer before I eat the 25 that are left.

I like recipes that are easy peasy, quick and tasty and utilize ingredients most of us would find in our kitchen cupboards at anytime. This one fulfills that criteria..

Chocolate Oat Cakes

  • 2 oz (56g) margarine
  • 2 oz (56g) sugar
  • 8 oz (225g) self-raising flour (if using plain add 2 teaspoons of baking powder)
  • 1 breakfast cup (95g) of rolled oats
  • pinch salt
  • 1.5 oz (42g) of cocoa powder
  • milk and water

Method

  1. Rub the margarine into the flour
  2. Add the rolled oats, sugar, pinch of salt and cocoa powder
  3. Mix well and add a little milk and water to moisten and stick the mixture together
  4. Roll into balls and press down until very thin with the back of a fork or alternatively roll out until thin, cut into rounds and prick all over with a fork
  5. Bake in an oven at 190C (380F) for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
  6. Sprinkle with sugar and cool on a wire rack

Makes 30

by

Cheese, tomato and potato loaf/pie – No 77

This was nice today for my dinner. I served it on a bed of spinach as I love my greens! I used the leftover cheese sauce I made last week and being vegan I used a dairy free cheese..

Cheese, tomato and potato loaf

  • 1 lb (450g) cooked new potatoes
  • 12 oz (350g) tomatoes
  • Cheese sauce (click here for recipe)
  • A little grated cheese (Daiya is a great vegan alternative here in Canada as it melts and tastes good!)

Method

  1. Cut potatoes into slices about 1/4 inch thick
  2. Cut the tomatoes into slightly thicker slices
  3. Grease a 2lb loaf tin or an deep pie dish
  4. Pre-heat oven to 180c (350F)
  5. Arrange a third of the potatoes in a neat layer in the dish and cover with some of the cheese sauce and then half the tomatoes
  6. Put in half the remaining potatoes with the rest of the sauce and tomatoes and finally cover with the rest of the potato slices
  7. Season, add onion slices, dried herbs and a little grated cheese
  8. Cover and cook for 45 minutes
  9. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes until brownedServes 4
by

Mock Goose


This is a WEIRD recipe…  even with my eyes shut, this didn’t taste anything like goose BUT there is one element that could possibly, with some great imagination, remind you of eating stuffed goose. (the sage/bread stuffing in the middle)

I’ve seen two or three different versions of the recipe for mock goose but I chose the one without cheese and with lentils as I of course had to eat it for my lunch and as a vegan there wasn’t really a wartime alternative for cheese..

The recipe was quite nice and I’d make it again but I can’t see it being very popular with children!

Mock Goose

  • 1 cup dried split lentils
  • 2 slices of wholemeal/wholewheat bread breadcrumbs
  • 1 onion
  • sage chopped
  • a little butter (or vegan alternative)
  • some veggie or chicken stock
  • salt, pepper
  • garlic if you like
  • lemon

Method

  1. Place 1 cup of rinsed dried lentils and 3 cups of hot water into a saucepan and cook for 15 mins, drain and squeeze some lemon juice and sprinkle salt and mix together
  2. Chop onion and place in a pan with a little butter and saute lightly, add a little chicken/veggie stock (about 100 mls) and continue to cook and reduce a little. Mix in breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, chopped sage and mix thoroughly
  3. Spread half of lentils in a shallow dish and press down
  4. Spread the breadcrumbs/sage mixture over the lentils and press down a little
  5. Finally cover with the remaining lentils
  6. Cook in over at about 200 C for 30 minutes or so until the top is lightly browned
(serves 2-4)