Connect with a Veteran in your life via video chat, head to the kitchen and then show us your creations using #NVMMHolidays. We can’t wait to see what you make! It is important to note, that during both World Wars the American public was asked to ration food. For some this rationing meant using less sugar, consuming less meat, switching out wheat for rye or barley, or the growth of victory gardens.

Apricot and Prune Marmalade: World War I

Bean and Potato Stew: World War I

Gingerbread: World War I

Potato Bread: World War I

Potato Latkes: World War I

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
• 1 tablespoon grated onion
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ oil for frying

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in cheese cloth and wring to extract moisture
2. In medium bowl stir potatoes, eggs, flour, and salt together.
3. Heat oil until hot in skillet over medium to high heat.
4. Place large spoonful of the potato mixture into the oil and press down to form ¼ to ½ inch thick patties
5. Allow to brown on both sides before drying

Trench Stew: World War I and World War II

Ingredients:

• 1 Turnip or potato
• 1 parsnip
• 2 carrots
• ½ tin of corned beef
• ½ stock cube
• 1-2 biscuits or stale bread
• 1 pint of water

Directions:

1. Boil water adding in stock cube
2. Chop vegetables into small pieces and add to boiling water
3. When the vegetables are tender add in ½ tin of corned beef and crumble in biscuits or bread and let simmer

Chestnut Soup: World War II

Ingredients:

• ½ pound of chestnuts
• 1-ounce margarine
•  4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 Teaspoon sugar
• 1 Chopped onion
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Shell, blanch, and peel chestnuts
2. Melt margarine in pan and add in onion with lid, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes, or until soft enough to mash
3. Add vegetable stock and sugar, simmering for 5 minutes
4. Stir in lemon juice and serve

Apple Pudding: World War II

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of apples
• 3-ounces sugar
• 6-ounces of flour with 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder added
• pinch salt
• 1 level teaspoon of mixed spice (cinnamon and nutmeg)
• 1/2-ounce margarine
• 1 1/2 teacups of milk and water
• 1/2-ounce sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon essence

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, salt and spice, rub in the 1/2 ounce of margarine and then mix in the 1/2 ounce of sugar.
2. Beat in half the liquid gradually
3. Beat thoroughly then add the rest of the liquid and lemon essence and beat again
4. Peel the apples and cut into small pieces and mix with 2.5 ounces of sugar
5. Put in a greased pan and pour the batter
6. Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes
7. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and serve hot with custard or jam sauce

Vegetable and Oatmeal Stew: World War II

Ingredients:

• 1-ounce cooking fat (or butter)
• 1 small cup each of diced carrots, peas, leeks, beans
• 2-ounces rolled oats
• 2 cups strong vegetable stock

Directions:

1. Melt fat (butter) in saucepan and add in oats and fry until golden brown
2. Add in stock and boil gently
3. Add vegetables, cover, cook in oven for 1 ½-2 hours adding more stock as needed
4. Add seasoning to taste

Sausage Stovies: World War II

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 4 large potatoes
• 6 sausages
• 1 teaspoon of sage
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 to 2 beef stock cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel and slice the potatoes and peel and chop the onions.
2. Dice the sausages.
3. In a baking dish put a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions and a layer of sausage.
4. Season to taste and sprinkle over half the herbs.
5. Continue the layers until you have used up all the ingredients, ending with a layer of potatoes.
6. Sprinkle on the rest of the herbs.
7. Dissolve the stock cubes in 1/2 pint (300ml) of hot water and pour into the baking dish (thicken with flour if wanted)
8. Bake in a medium oven 350F for 40 Minutes.

Chocolate Layer Cake and Spread: World War II

Ingredients:

• 3-ounces margarine
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 8-ounces flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-ounce cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2-ounces sugar
• ½ pint water

Directions:

1. Allow margarine and syrup to dissolve in pan
2. Mix dry ingredients together and then stir in the warm water to smooth consistency
3. Pour the mixtures into baking trays cooking for 30 minutes at 350 F
4. Allow to cool after cooking

Ingredients

• 1-ounce cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tablespoon of sugar
• 1 spoonful of flour
• ½ cup of milk

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients
2. Add milk and bring the mixture to a boil
3. Beat until smooth
4. Allow to cool and use

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

• 2lbs pumpkin
• 1 onion
• 1 oz margarine
• salt and pepper
• milk
• 1 litre of vegetable stock

Recipe:

1. Cut open pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy insides
2. Slice and chop into medium/large chunks
3. Place on baking tray and dot butter or marg over the top (if you had garlic in your cupboard you can add 1 or 2 whole cloves to roast on tray too)
4. Roast for 45 minutes or so, turning over once or twice (oven moderate/hot about 22o c )
5. Meanwhile chop onion, place 1 oz margarine into large saucepan and cook onions gently until soft
6. When pumpkin has roasted remove skin and place pumpkin pieces into saucepan (and cloves of garlic if available)
7. Add vegetable stock
8. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally
9. Place all the contents of the saucepan into a liquidizer (or rub through a sieve like they did in the old days!) and pulse until a thick puree is achieved
10. Put puree back into the saucepan, add lots of salt and pepper to taste and reheat adding milk to achieve desired consistency (if you are wanting to store soup then put it into containers straight from the liquidizer. Just add seasoning and milk when you come to use it)
11. Makes about 8 bowls

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• 8 oz flour
• 3 oz sugar
• 3 oz margarine
• 4 oz grated carrot
• 2 oz sultanas
• 1 tsp of dried eggs
• A little milk

Recipe:

1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl
2. Rub in the margarine or cooking fat
3. Add sugar, carrots, sultanas, and egg
4. Mix well and then add sufficient milk or water to make sticky
5. Pour into a lined baking tray and cook until golden in color

Eggless Fruitcake

Ingredients:

• 10 oz self raising flour (or plain flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder added)
• 1 teaspoon of mixed/all spice
• 1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• pinch salt
• 1/2 pint of well strained tea
• 3 oz margarine
• 3 oz sugar
• 3 oz dried fruit

Recipe:

1. Grease and flour a 7 inch cake tin or a large loaf tin
2. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and spice together into a bowl
3. Pour the tea into a saucepan and add the sugar, margarine and dried fruit
4. Heat until the fat and sugar melt and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring
5. Set aside to cool a little
6. Pour over flour mixture and beat well and spoon into cake tin
7. Bake in the centre of oven at 180 C for about an hour
8. Remove and leave to cool for a while before removing from tin
9. The texture of mine was rather like a tea bread… totally lovely by itself or served sliced and buttered if you wish

Eggless Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 large carrot finely grated
• 2-3 tablespoons of golden syrup
• 3 oz sugar
• 4 oz margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
• ½ teaspoon of almond essence (or 1 teaspoon of rum extract)
• 6 oz dried fruit (I used mixed)
• 12 oz self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 small teacup of slightly warm tea or coffee (with milk in)

Recipe:

1. Cook the grated carrot and syrup over a low heat for a few minutes
2. Cream the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy
3. Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the syrup mixture and then beat it into the sugar and margarine as if adding an egg, bit by bit
4. Add the vanilla and almond essence (or vanilla and rum extract)
5. Add the dried mixed fruit
6. Fold in the sieved flour and cinnamon
7. Add some of the tea or coffee if needs be as the batter needs to be thick but moist
8. Put the mixture into a greased meatloaf tin
9. Smooth the top leaving a slight depression in the centre to stop the cake from rising too much during cooking
10. Place into the pre-heated oven at 200C for 15 minutes
11. Reduce temperature to 160C and cook for 45 minutes (cover with foil if cake is getting too dark)
12. Cool and decorate with your choice of edible toppings

Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:

• 2 oz plain flour
• 4 oz breadcrumbs (about 6 slices)
• 4 oz melted fat or suet (I used margarine suitable for vegans)
• 1 oz marmalade
• 1 lb of mixed dried fruit
• 3 oz sugar (I used brown)
• 1/4 pint of brandy, rum, ale, stout or milk (I used hemp milk and will feed it with alcohol afterwards)
• 0.5 teaspoon of baking powder
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• 0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of mixed or all spice

Recipe:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt together
2. Add the sugar, dried fruit and breadcrumbs and mix
3. Melt that fat if using margarine and drizzle over and mix
4. Add the marmalade and 1/4 pint of liquid and mix very thoroughly
5. Put in a greased 2 pint basin (I used a large deep dessert bowl)
6. Cover with greased paper and foil and steam for 4 hours- click here
7. Remove basin and let pudding stand for 15 minutes to cool a little before removing from basin
8. Leave to cool, wrap in clean paper or cloth and store in a cool pantry or fridge. Will keep for a month.
9. Steam for an hour before serving or microwave in original container for 2-3 minutes