Instead of Meat, in WW I.

I was going to change topics today, but it seems that the stories from the last couple of days have touched a chord for many of you, so I will have one more little dip into the wartime leaflet published by the USDA, in 1917.

Naturally, meatless meals were heavily promoted during WW I, and this little leaflet did its best. I thought the following three dishes were interesting, especially the creamed peanut dish. I am also intrigued by the naming of the Calcutta Rice dish.

Pea Soufflé.

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons fat

1 cup skim milk

1 cup mashed cooked peas (any kind)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Few drops of onion juice

Make a white sauce from flour, fat, and milk, as in preceding recipe. Mash the cooked peas to a pulp. Beat white and yolks of eggs separately. Mix vegetable pulp, seasonings, sauce, and well-beaten yolks. Fold in stiffly-beaten whites, put in greased baking dish and bake in slow oven until firm. Lima beans, split peas, or fresh or canned green peas may be used.

Creamed Peanuts and Rice.

1 cup rice (uncooked)

2 cups chopped peanuts

½ teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

White Sauce: 3 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons fat, 3 cups milk (whole or skim), place in baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

Peppers and celery may be added, if desired.

Boil rice. Make white sauce by mixing flour in melted fat and mixing with milk. Stir over fire till it thickens, Mix rice, peanuts, and seasoning with sauce

Calcutta Rice.

2 cups rice

2 cups tomatoes

½ pound cheese

1 tablespoon salt

Peppers or celery or onions may be added if desired.

Boil rice. Mix it with tomatoes, grated cheese, and seasoning, and pour into baking dish. Bake half an hour. If peppers or celery are used, cut up and boil with rice.

CHEESE IS A FINE MEAT-SAVER. There is a great deal of food in a little piece of it. Don’t eat it at the end of a meal when you have already had enough. You would not eat a piece of meat then. An inch cube of American cheese contains a third more protein than the same sized piece of lean meat. Cheese is excellent food if eaten at the right time.