Depression Dishes

When money was tight in our home, my grandmother would start making what she called “Depression Dishes.”  These were meals similar to the ones she had that were prepared by her mother during the Great Depression.  Usually when my mother came home and saw what was cooking, she usually turned her nosed up, but by the end of the evening, and she was having second helpings.  These dishes were economical, but they were also comfort food and they were filling.  Also, during tight times, she would go to the butcher to purchase meat, one place that she liked to go is Piquette market, http://www.meatdeal.com/.  I haven’t been there in years, but their website name is correct.  They always had some type of meat package deal going on.  It can be a good way to save money on meat, instead of going to a grocery store.  Depending on the size of your family a $50 package can feed the family for a month. 

What is funny is that in today’s economy some of the healthy cheaper meals that she made are no longer cheap.  For example, oxtails are now pricey.  Once or twice a year, we would have oxtail stew or soup, and it was very good and filling.  In this blog, I am going to discuss, economical dishes and how to obtain some of the more expensive ingredients.

I wanted to do the Depression Dishes blog right.  So I did some research.  I wanted to find meals that were still economical and healthy.  And, I thought it may be smart to review some of the recipes of America’s past during the depression.  I found a few sites: http://www.homeeverafter.com/printable-menu-plan-great-depression-recipes/, http://www.homeeverafter.com/printable-menu-plan-great-depression-recipes/ and http://community.tasteofhome.com/community_forums/f/30/t/44025.aspx.  Then, low and behold I found this site:  http://www.greatdepressioncooking.com/Episodes.html .  The cook and show’s host is Clara.  Clara is 96 years old now.  Anyway, there is a cookbook and a youtube series of Clara with her recipes and stories during the depression.  A lot of things that she makes, you can buy at the store for a reasonable price.  But, I really do believe, that non-processed food is better.  Clara is Italian, and even during the depression, when people pretty much had the same ingredients, you could tell the difference in the cooking, she uses a lot of Olive Oil.  As an African American whose family is from Texas, our Depression Dishes were Southern and Southwestern based.  One recipe book that my grandmother had was Big Mama's Old Black Pot by Ethel Dixon.  You can get it on Amazon.  For health reasons, you should make some changes (smoked turkey instead of pork, oil instead of lard, replace some salt with sea salt and etc…), but there are some economical meals and recipes in that cookbook.  One thing that you will notice in a lot of the meals is that there wasn’t a lot of meat.  People either purchased cheaper cuts or very thin cuts of meats.  Protein usually came in the form of beans, lentils and eggs.  Also, there were a lot of meals that were prepared in one pot or pan.  There were some casserole dishes but not that many.  I have added some other Depression dishes that you may want to consider.

Easy Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes from About.com

By Diana Rattray

An easy ground beef *casserole with potatoes and cheese.

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

·        1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, browned (ground turkey can be substituted)

·        1/2 cup chopped onion

·        salt and pepper

·        3 large potatoes, sliced

·        2 Carrots, shredded

·        1 can cream of mushroom soup

·        1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Brown ground beef in a skillet with chopped onions; cook until onions are tender. Drain off excess fat; transfer ground beef and onion to casserole dish. Add layer of sliced raw potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper; shred carrots to cover potatoes. Put soup over carrots. Bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top and bake for about 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

Tamale Pie Recipe from About.com

This tamale pie recipe is made with ground beef, onion, peppers, tomatoes, corn, olives, and cheese, and has a cornmeal and cheese crust.

Ingredients:

·        1 pound lean ground beef (ground turkey or a vegetarian version - black beans)

·        1 cup chopped onion

·        1 large green bell pepper, chopped

·        1 large can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

·        1 large can (28 ounces) tomatoes, cut up

·        1 can (16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained

·        1 small can (4 ounces) sliced ripe olives (optional)

·        2 cloves garlic, minced

·        1 tablespoon sugar

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        2 teaspoons chili powder

·        dash black pepper

·        1 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Crust:

·        3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        2 cups cold water

·        1/2 teaspoon chili powder

·        1 tablespoon butter or margarine

·        1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, for topping (optional)

Preparation:

Brown ground beef with onions and green pepper; drain well. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, corn, olives, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder and black pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until thickened. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Set filling aside.
In a saucepan, combine cornmeal, salt, water and chili powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in butter. Spread half of the mixture into a baking dish, about 12- x 8-inches. Spoon filling over bottom crust; spoon remaining cornmeal mixture over filling. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. If desired, sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the crust about 5 minutes before casserole is done.
Serves 6.

Chilli Beans

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 (1.25 ounce) packages chili seasoning mix
• 3 cups dried pinto beans

Directions

1.      Rinse the pinto beans and soak them in a bowl of water overnight.

2.      The next day, rinse the pinto beans and pour them into the pot. Add a piece of a smoked turkey wing or turkey leg.  Pour in enough water to cover the beans and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, adding extra water as needed.

3.      Add diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, yellow onion, garlic powder, ground cumin and chili seasoning mix.

4.      Cover and simmer for 30 minutes

Chilli beans can be served alone or over rice.

Crock Pot

If you have a crock pot, you can place all of the ingredients in the crock pot after you have soaked the beans overnight.  Usually, I place all of the ingredients in the pot in the morning and set the crock pot to medium or low.  When I come home from work, my meal is ready.