The news just keeps getting worse about this economic downfall that we can safely call a recession. It's hit many people that we know, and although it is no where near the scope of The Great Depression I wanted to find out how they made it through and try and apply those tactics to my daily living. I did some searching and found very interesting recipes and ideas that many families including my own used to get by.
When Foodbuzz sent out the call for another 24, 24, 24 event I jumped at the chance to have a ladies luncheon. I wanted to celebrate not only the foods and techniques of the 30's but to remind ourselves of how blessed we are these days and forget about the economic woes knocking on our doors. I also wanted to know how others families got through, and what sort of food they ate.
My girls came over all decked out for the occasion, and we had such a wonderful meal. I love any excuse to get together and eat.
What better way to start out a lunch than with a decent cocktail. Prohibition ended on March 23, 1933 after Franklin Roosevelt signed an amendment allowing the manufacturing and sale of certain alcohols. So who cares if no one had any money, now we can drink! Oh, America. I thought I would celebrate this overlooked right with a lovely Tom Collins.
Tom Collins
1 part lemon juice
2 parts gin
1 part simple syrup
3 parts club soda
garnishes lemon and orange slices, maraschino cherry
Mix all ingredients together and serve over ice. I used an equal ratio of sugar and water when I made my simple syrup.
I understand that times were rough, but check out the prices on some of these cocktails on this menu from the Globe Coffee Shop in LA 6/1/1937.
You could have ordered a Tom Collins for a mere 25 cents. It cost me way more to make one of these in 2009. However a weeks pay back in 1937 could have easily been around $2.
If alcohol wasn't your beverage of choice you could go for a nice pitcher of Kool-aid. When it first came out they only had 6 flavors strawberry, cherry, lemon-lime, grape, orange and raspberry.
It was just one of the many products that came out during the Depression that were very popular and managed to stay popular even during economic disaster. Other products include; Ritz crackers, Twinkies, Fritos, Gerber baby food, and Bisquick just to name a few.
Not everyone during the Depression was hurting for money and there were many places catering to this crowd of well to do's. Here is a wine list from the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco, 1936. Just in case you were fortunate enough to have the money to frequent such establishments.
Many restaurants were flourishing and devising new food trends. One such food trend of the time was making food that looked like something else. I give you - pigs in a blanket.
I didn't find much information as to why this was a trend, but who cares it tastes good. I fine tuned these appetizers from the ones of my child hood. Not that there's anything wrong with Vienna sausages and Pillsbury crescent rolls (we will dive in to meat in a can later). I used Italian sausages and a sheet of puff pastry. These were very easy to make and tasted wonderful. In the spirit of thriftiness I used the remaining puff pastry to make bread sticks.
To round out our appetizers I included some good cheeses. There are some foods that just scream indulgence and imported cheeses would probably be the first to go on any food budget.
If you lived in a larger city during the 30's you were familiar with the concept of a soup kitchen. Once you received a ticket you could go to a neighborhood soup kitchen and get a rather small meal. However some soup kitchens provided better food than others depending on the surrounding neighborhoods and what they were donated. Some were fortunate enough to hand out actual meals, while others could only provide a cup of coffee and some bread.
Al Capone ran a soup kitchen in Chicago that apparently gave out the good stuff. His was worth the wait in the long lines that most found themselves standing in.
This was Capone's KitchenThere was no line in my kitchen, but the soup was good. I made classic Tuscan Bread soup. It was rustic with very few ingredients and extremely filling.
Tuscan Bread soup
1 small onion diced
3 garlic cloves minces
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 can peel whole tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock (or water)
1/2 loaf of bread (preferably stale)
Basil
Saute the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the tomatoes with the juices and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Just before serving add stale cubed bread to the stock or water. Squeeze out the liquid from the bread and add to tomato mixture. Add the leftover stock or water. Tear basil over top of soup and serve.
Aunty T's family is from Cuba and they make an even easier bread soup using just garlic, water, day old bread and an egg. I'm going to give that one a try soon. She said you add the garlic to the water and stir in the bread giving the soup a thicker consistency. Then stir in the egg.
Sandwiches were also a nice staple during the 30's as it was an easy meal to take on the go and you could put just about anything in between 2 slices of bread and call it a day. Shannon recalls her family favorite of Wonderbread, bologna, Velveta, and ketchup. Umm, I think I'll take a grilled cheese please. Gruyere and prosciutto to be exact.
Your typical sandwich during the depression may have been a bit more humble, leftover beans and onion, 1 slice of meat, or even just margarine and sugar (this is one of my mom's favorite in a pinch sweet). Or, I can't hold it off any longer, Spam.
I bought a can to try out, but honestly we didn't eat much. Ok any. But it was fun to extract it from the can. They even give you precise instructions.
My mom keeps telling me I ate it when I was little, and that it's very good in baked beans. I think I have blocked it all from memory because this just doesn't ring a bell.
And maybe that makes me a food snob, but you know what? I'm ok with that for now.
Let's move on to a more appetizing creation of the 1930's. Casseroles were extremely popular and very economical. This casserole takes advantage of whatever you could grow in your garden and perhaps would have canned for later. Many areas created neighborhood gardens and used what was planted, but left them open for other needy families so they wouldn't have to feel embarrassed and ask for food.
I found the recipe for this Zucchini bake here. I didn't add the MSG however. If you're interested in other Depression Era food, they have compiled an entire book here.
Jamie brought an very interesting cook book to browse that chronicles the savviness of the Depression Era.
It has become wildly popular today to rearrange your leftovers into entirely new menus, but this theory is hardly new. This book is filled with wonderful ideas from croquettes with leftover potatoes and meat, to cookies made with your soured milk (perhaps not recommended now). The author's intro to the book is also a treat with her general malaise for home economics, and seemingly abundant annoyance with her husband and his overbearing requests. Talk about passive aggressive issues.
Every good luncheon must come to an end, but not before dessert. Sweets were actually in abundance during the Depression. Sugar was quite cheap before it was rationed and it was used excessively. Never before has the country consumed as much sugar as during this time. Pies and puddings were very popular perhaps reusing staple ingredients found in other meals; bread, rice, meats and fruit.
I was intrigued with one recipe I found for Mock apple pie and had to give it a try. Apples weren't easy to find out of season, and weren't very affordable if you didn't live close to where they were grown. So of course you grab a box of Ritz cracker instead.
This wins my award for the greatest feat of kitchen engineering. It tastes amazingly close to an apple pie. It even looks like and apple pie. Not an apple in sight.
I sent my girls home with a couple of treats to remember the day and how wonderfully blessed we are in these times. First some preserved lemons to use for later and inspire more thriftiness. And I couldn't let them go with out a little luxury. After all this recession does sorta suck, and doesn't seem to be ending soon. So I gave them chocolate truffles.
I had such a wonderful time both learning about this era and sharing stories and food with my friends. During the 1930's many people had found themselves struggling for the first time and not wanting to swallow their pride and ask for help. But it was the fact that many Americans were so willing to help each other out, that gave me a greater insight into the times. I would hope that even now we still hold on to this compassion for each other.
I kept my food costs fairly low and am glad because I am able to donate my leftover money to Share our Strength. There is still a great need in this country to feed our children and I am very privileged to be able to have more than enough everyday. I want to thank Foodbuzz again for this opportunity to share my love of food, and the ties it brings between family, friends and eras.
Thank you to my girls and their wonderful stories and thoughts on this occasion. I love being able to share good times and food with you!
Stay tuned in the next coming weeks and I will share more of my favorite family recipes from this thrifty time. They may have not made the luncheon cut, but they are still tasty.
Menus found here courtesy of the Los Angles Public Library.
