Madeira Cake

I have always enjoyed baking and I was hopeful that dried egg would have a real use in baking. The ‘powdered egg’ meals really will have had to be reserved for desperate times. I still haven’t finished all of them, but I am taking a little break before I try the bacon and egg pie. However, baking must have been a challenge on rations. The principle key elements of cake making are fat, sugar and eggs all of which were rationed. This must have made cake making the reserve for special occasions, if at all. 

At first glance at the recommended recipe, I could tell this was not going to have the consistency of a ‘normal’ cake. Firstly, this was going to be a dense batter, due to the small amount of fat and sugar to flour ratio. Secondly, there was not a lot of moisture in the recipe. Using powdered eggs, means that you are losing quite a lot from the egg whites and due to the low fat content I could not picture how this would turn out. The recipe also calls for ‘National Flour.’

Nation Flour was the name given to the 85% extraction flour which was introduced in the UK in February 1941, it was later called wheatmeal flour and then production discontinued in 1956. Now, it took me a month to get hold of powdered egg, so finding ‘National Flour’ was probably not going to be an option, so I decided to go with all purpose.

I followed the recipe exactly, however the consistency was so thick that my poor mixer could have used the dough hook (this may be rationing, but I'm still using my modern appliances). To resolve this I went my own way and thinned down the consistency with milk. The baking time also seemed a little excessive of 1 ½ to 2 hours in a moderate oven? I only baked this for ½ an hour as I would with most sponges of this size in a 23 cm tin. If I had cooked this in a loaf tin, I would have increased this to 50 minutes but not much longer.

Once cooled, I chiselled out the Madeira cake from the tin and although it wasn’t the best cake I have ever made, it was not unpleasant at all. Due to the thickness of the mixture it pretty much tasted of scone (one big giant scone). However, cut into slices, you could quite happily eat this with Jam, butter or cream (like a scone) and it is so stodgy that it would keep you going for ever!   

'Egg Cutlet'

‘Egg Cutlet’

I spoke to my grandmother this weekend and asked her about the powdered egg ‘meals’ as they are not great. However, she did say that although they did use them, they didn’t eat them as per the recipes I am re-creating. Instead, they mainly used them in baking etc, which does make sense. She did tell me though how her mother used to preserved real eggs in isinglass, which is from the swimbladders of fish. Fresh eggs were placed in a bucket with water and isinglass which would keep them from going bad over winter. I wonder if there is anyone out there still doing this? Keeping eggs that little bit longer, is a really good idea.

The egg cutlet, consisted off powdered egg, mixed cook vegetables and oatmeal, formed into patties and fried. 

Mock Fried Egg

After a week at work where the last thing I was thinking about was food, due to extreme business and general stress, tonight it was ‘Mock Fried Egg.’ In our organic, anti-additives age the word ‘mock’ in any recipe or on any package would not be popular. However, this is rationing and the ministry of food was working with what they had. I need to ask my grandmothers if they actually made ‘mock fried egg’ or just went without. To be fair, this wasn’t that bad and just tasted like bread dipped in egg and fried.

Recipe:

Cut a hole in a slice of bread, (I used a pastry cutter), dip in water and fry on one side until golden brown. Reconstitute an egg (working out the lumps) and once the bread is brown, flip over and pour the egg into the hole. Once the other side of the bread has browned, flip back over briefly so the reconstituted egg cooks through.

Scrambled Egg (1 Egg, reconstituted)

The potatoes have run out (for now), so tonight it is the turn of the famous powdered egg. As previously mentioned the egg ration was one egg per week per person or powdered egg which made up to 12 eggs. The issues surrounding eggs today are how chickens are treated and how little cheap eggs can be purchased for. The range in the shops is extensive from ‘caged hen eggs’ (never a good thing) or field reared, corn fed roaming hens’ eggs. During WW2 it was whether there were any eggs available at all. 

My paternal grandmother lived on a farm during WW2 so eggs were generally in plentiful supply. However, she has often told me a story regarding a mysterious woman knocking on the door to barter for eggs. Apparently, my great-grandparents had never seen this woman before and were such innocent country folk, that they refused to barter in fear of being prosecuted for participating in the egg black market. Eggs are such a crucial part of our daily diet, probably as much then as now, that it is not surprising people were desperate to get hold of them. I can really understand why after tonight’s experience with powdered egg. 

The Ministry of Food Leaflet Number 11, states that ‘dried eggs are just as good as fresh eggs and should be used in the same way. They are very useful for main dishes.’ Now, I understand that the government had to sell powdered egg to the people and maybe they are useful in baking (we shall see) but eating them as an egg replacement you really can tell the difference.

Today, it was scrambled egg with powdered egg. The direction goes as follows add 1 tablespoon of milk to 1 egg (reconstituted)* and season. Melt ½ Oz of fat in a pan and pour in the mixture, stirring as little as possible until it just sets.

To set the record straight, this does not taste like scrambled egg. Scrambled egg is buttery, light and fluffy, this has a more solid consistency and tastes as if it is flavour of scrambled egg. This really is not as ‘good as fresh eggs.’

However, I should count myself lucky that I have the equivalent of 12 eggs rather than the one. I probably would have foregone scrambled egg during the war if all I had was the dried version and would have saved this for when I was lucky enough to have a real egg. I am hopeful that the dried egg will be useful in baking as I can really see a use for it in this field as it would solve the egg problem. Not sure how cakes will turn out, but I will be giving this a go.

To reconstitute the egg, it is one tablespoon of egg powder to two tablespoons water, working out the lumps.  

Potato & Bacon Cakes

Due to the fact that I am on the benefits of potato at the moment, I have found a copy of the Ministry of Food’s leaflet Number 27 and tonight’s dinner has been Potato and Bacon cakes. Luckily, I had a couple of rashers of bacon spare and the potatoes. The recipe goes as follows: Peel, boil and then mash 1lb of potatoes and add 6 tablespoons of fried onion, 1 ½-3 Oz fried Bacon, 2 teaspoons of meat extract,  ½-1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Form this mixture into cakes and cover with milk and breadcrumbs and bake in a medium oven until firm.

The results for me were mixed but this was a very economical and quite satisfying dinner. Firstly, after working a ten hour day I did not have the inclination to convert the measurements so pretty much used my culinary judgment. Secondly, I didn’t have milk, breadcrumbs or meat extract so went without. However, I believe this is in the spirit of rationing as I am sure our predecessors in the war went without most things and had to work with what they had.  To be fair they tasted like potato cooked with bacon and onion, but I quite enjoyed them. The main thing also was that I was starving after returning to work and these were really filling.

Now, I know their appearance is questionable on reflection, but I am sure they could be made to look much more picturesque if you wanted to take the time to mould them into proper cakes. The recipe makes 8, or 4 if you want to be greedy like me and my partner. 

Going to Bed Hungry

Going to bed hungry.

Today there has been another story reported by the BBC regarding families not able to afford food. Not surprisingly this appears to be a reality where inflation is as at 4.1%, unemployment high and fuel prices astronomical. The article does make you think where the increasing food prices will end? I am sure for families who are struggling, they would not throw food away, but for everyone else who is not sure about that bit of cheese or bacon that has gone past its ‘use by date’ maybe it can be used for something? The article is in the following link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13765820

A reasonable food option for me is still the potato! They are still good value in the supermarket and as the government during WW2 realised, they are very versatile. Tonight I created my favourite soup of all time, which of course contains ‘potatoes’.

Leek and Potato soup really is a thing of amazement, from the ingredients above (none of which were rationed) you can have a really fulfilling and satisfying dinner. Again, it is also a great soup for using up old potatoes or leeks and is very quick to make. I make the soup as follows:

Wash and chop four leeks and an onion (which I think helps boost the flavour of the leeks) and throw into a sauce pan. Roughly dice two large potatoes (baking) or four smaller ones without peeling, (there is no need to peel and a lot of goodness is in the skin). To preserve the flavour of leek as much as possible, I believe two parts leek to one part potato is a good ratio. Season generously with salt and pepper and add boiling water so that the vegetables are barely covered. To achieve the best results you want to add the least amount of water as possible.  At this point I add a chicken stock cube and leave to simmer until the potatoes are soft. Once the potatoes are soft, put into a blender and add two tablespoons of milk. Blend, correct seasoning to taste and serve.

This soup is a simple, frugal, low in fat and tasty soup. The quantities above would serve four as a starter or two for a main meal. I am such a great lover of leeks and this will taste even better if you grown your own. I used some really old leeks out of my grandmother’s garden a couple of months ago and it gave the soup a whole other dimension. Once I have dug up the dead and mouldy courgette plants from my balcony, leeks will be put in their place! 

The Potato

Luckily in the war, vegetables were not rationed, (although most could be hard to come by), people were encouraged to dig up their back gardens and ‘Dig for Victory’. I love to grow things and even though I live in a one bedroom flat, I am currently growing all sorts on a 1 metre by 5 metre balcony, (despite the fact that my courgettes have contracted some horrible fungal disease and died). Although I am never going to grow enough to live off in a ‘Good life’ kind of way, it is nice to just eat something you have grown from scratch.

Understandably, the potato was a war staple and it is still a massive part of our diet today. Although we do not necessarily eat the standard meat and potatoes like generations before us, I probably like most, still eat them in various forms.  I can understand why potatoes were so popular and promoted by the government, they were not alien to the British people like other foods, they are easy to grow at home, nutritious and have that comforting air about them. Sometimes only potatoes will do.

Potatoes are naturally fat-free, have many vitamins and minerals, do not contain cholesterol and are high in Vitamin C. Putting the word potato into Google and you are guided to many sites promoting the virtues of the potato and the lists and lists of goodness that is contained within them.

However, in an era where butter, cream and fats were rationed, substitutes to the usual potato favourites were offered by the Ministry of Food. The potato was also thrown into other foods such as potato pastry and biscuits, which sound intriguing in themselves.

Today though, it has been Roast Potatoes ‘without fat.’ Roast potatoes are something special in their own right and their crispy golden skins with soft middles cannot be rivaled. I was puzzled by the idea of cooking them without fat, but as many families had limited fat rations, this would not have been a choice. My Nan has told me on many occasions that her mother (my great-grandmother) was so short of fat that she would scrape the fat off tinned meats and keep it by for cakes or cooking.

The recipe for roast potatoes, without using any fat is as follows: peeled potatoes cut into roast potato sized pieces placed in a roasting tin so they are not touching. Then, add a tablespoon of salt to water and poor over so that the water reaches half way up the potatoes. Cook for one and a half hours at 200C The results are in the picture below. I was surprised at how good these actually are. Maybe a little too salty, but they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can’t beat the real thing, but I would eat them again………