WWII Ration Recipe - Tamale Pie Special
Yes, I've been a bit silent on here for awhile. I'm in the thick of my book edits, and boy are they hairy! I'm having to rearrange a few scenes, cut some chapters out, etc. Oh, the headache!
Despite the writing craziness, I've had the chance to cook another WWII ration recipe recently for Tamale Pie. It's from a newly acquired, rather fun-looking ration cookbook published in 1943 called Coupon Cookery by Prudence Penny. Ha!
The book is filled with clever, snappy little rhymes, including the foreword. Isn't it fun?
Inside there are several pages listing all of the foods that require ration stamps and because the prices and ration coupon requirements fluctuated, it helped you keep track of all that. From a food history standpoint, this alone is pretty valuable! It tells us what foods might have been available and which ones were rationed. It's actually not very easy to find this detailed of information.
And here is the Tamale Pie Special I made. It was quite tasty. What I liked is that they have you add chili powder to the cornmeal mush that you make for a bottom and top crust. I don't know if I baked it long enough, but the bottom was still like a mush/polenta while the top was nice and cooked. I actually liked it that way, though my husband didn't.
Despite the writing craziness, I've had the chance to cook another WWII ration recipe recently for Tamale Pie. It's from a newly acquired, rather fun-looking ration cookbook published in 1943 called Coupon Cookery by Prudence Penny. Ha!
I just love the cover. Very patriotic and colorful!
The book is filled with clever, snappy little rhymes, including the foreword. Isn't it fun?
The Table of Contents is revealing. Chapters include "How to Use Ration Books", "Home-Tried Victory Menus" (including shopping lists), "Quantities to Serve Fifty", "Meeting the Meat Problem", "The New Slants on Salads", and "Storing the Victory Harvest". Interesting stuff! This book seemed to be doing it all from helping with ration points, to teaching you how to preserve everything from your Victory Garden with recipes and menus in between.
 |
| What would have been even more valuable is if the chart had been filled in! Oh well. |
And of course, there's a list of rationing "commandments" that was recommended to the housewife to help her support the war and to make her time in the kitchen less stressful.
At the beginning of every chapter is a cute illustration and a little rhyme. They sure liked their rhymes back then. I see them in 1940s magazine advertisements too.
 |
| Tamale Pie Special |
Here's the recipe and enjoy!
