To cook the corned beef, soak the meat in cold water for an hour (longer if very salty). Place in a kettle and cover well with cold water, adding for each quart of water one teaspoon of vinegar. For 6 pounds of meat, add also a carrot and an onion. Simmer gently until tender, allowing 20 to 30 minutes per pound.

About 20 minutes before the meat is done, wash the cabbage (a large head for the average family), quarter it, and add, cooking right in the broth. To serve, lift the meat from the liquor and drain well. Place on a large platter, surround with drained cooked cabbage, and top generously with melted butter.

Remove skin and gristle from cooked corned beef, then chop the meat. When meat is very fat, discard most of the fat. To two cups chopped meat add an equal quantity of cold boiled chopped potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, moisten with milk or cream, put into a hot buttered frying pan, stir until well mixed, spread evenly, then slowly brown underneath, the time required being from forty to forty-five minutes. Turn and fold on a hot platter.

Comes with sliced, not "very small" potatoes.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage or turnips
1 cup sliced potatoes
1 cup diced onions
Salt and pepper, to taste
Water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the beef, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions, salt and pepper in a baking dish with a cover. Add water to cover. Bake, covered, for 2 or 3 hours, adding water as necessary.

Cuts for roast beef: tip or middle of sirloin, back of rump, or first three ribs.

Wipe roast, put on a rack in dripping pan, skin side down, rub over with salt and dredge meat and pan with flour. Place in hot oven that the surface may be quickly seared, thus preventing escape of inner juices. After flour in pan is browned, reduce heat and baste with fat which has escaped. If meat is quite lean, it may be necessary to put trimmings of fat in pan. Baste every ten minutes for a juicy roast. When meat is about half done, turn it over and dredge with flour, that skin side may be uppermost for final browning. Do not allow flour in pan to burn; if there is danger of this, add a small quantity of water.

Gravy: Remove some of the fat from pan, leaving four tablespoons. Place on range, add five tablespoons flour and stir until well browned. The flour, dredged and browned in pan, should give additional color to gravy. Add gradually one and one-half cups boiling water, cook five minutes, season with salt and pepper and strain.

For the times when you're trying to annoy a sponsor.

4 cups stale bread, diced
2 cups hot milk
2 tablespoons vegetable fat
4 tablespoons chopped onion
Scant 1/2 teaspoon sago
2 cups well cooked brown beans or lentils, well drained
4 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
Salt
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Put the onion, the savory, and the fat into a small saucepan, and let simmer for a few minutes to soften the onion, but do not brown. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the milk. Bring to a boil and pour over the diced bread. Sift the flour into a frying pan and stir continuously over the fire until a light brown color. Add the chopped nuts and continue stirring until they are warmed through, but not browned at all. Beat the eggs slightly and add to the mixture; then add the browned flour and nuts, mix. Have the cooked beans or lentils drained and mashed very fine or put through a colander, and blend with the above mixture, with salt to taste. Pack in a well oiled 2-pound bread tin, and bake in a medium oven until set and a nice brown. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool partially; then turn out in an oiled baking pan, and pour over it a thin brown gravy and bake in a good oven for 1/2 hour, basting it over the top occasionally with the gravy. Serve with cranberry sauce or baked apple.

Clams for steaming should be bought in the shell and always be alive. Wash clams thoroughly, scrubbing with a brush, changing the water several times. Put into a large kettle, allowing one-half cup hot water to four quarts of clams; cover closely and steam until shells partially open, care being taken that they are not overdone. Serve with individual dishes of melted butter. Some prefer a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar added to the butter—or here's a butter sauce recipe:

6 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
½ tsp salt and pepper
1½ cups hot water
1 tsp lemon juice

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and blend with flour. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in hot water gradually. Let sauce boil for 5 minutes; then stir in 3 tablespoons butter, bit by bit, alternately with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Especially appreciated by radio engineers.

4 to 5 lb fresh spareribs
1 cup tomato catsup
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne
1 or 2 finely chopped onions
1½ cups water

Especially appreciated over ribs by radio engineers.

¾ cup tomato catsup
2½ tsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp granulated sugar
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
½ cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp melted butter or margarine
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ cup sweet pickles, finely chopped
½ tsp lemon juice

Mix the catsup, mustard, and sugar; add the Worcestershire and vinegar and place in saucepan over low flame. Allow the mixture to simmer, but not to boil, for about 10 minutes. In another pan gently brown the pepper, onion, and pickles in the melted butter. Add liquid contents of the first pan and allow the whole to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice about 1 minute before removing from the fire. This goes well with any type of pork. Makes about 2½ cups.

Appropriate for serving to Ted E. Peck.

3 thin slices ham
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp soft bread crumbs
½ cup pineapple juice
Sautéed apple rings
Parsley or water cress

Cut the slices of ham in halves and parboil for 10 minutes in water just to cover. Drain and arrange in a shallow buttered baking dish, sprinkling with the blended sugar and crumbs. Pour the pineapple juice all over and bake uncovered in a moderate oven (350°F) about half an hour. Serve with sautéed apple rings; garnish with parsley or watercress. Serves 6.

Perfect for "white sheep of the family" and old vaudeville buddies.

2 lb breast of lamb
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 tbsp drippings
1/3 cup chopped onions
10 peppercorns
1 cup diced white turnip
1 stalk celery, diced
½ cup carrots, diced
3 medium-sized potatoes
2 small tomatoes
1 cup shredded cabbage
5 cups cold water

Cut the lamb into 2-inch pieces. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper, and dredge the pieces of meat. Heat the drippings in a stew pan. Add the meat and sear lightly, turning to brown on all sides. Add the onions, peppercorns, turnip, celery, carrots, the potatoes peeled and cut in quarters, the tomatoes peeled and quartered, the cabbage, and the cold water. Cover the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for an hour and a half. Taste and correct the seasoning if required. Serve very hot.

From the chefs at Bella's Restaurant.

6 thin escalopes (veal cutlets pounded and cut into ovals)
½ cup melted butter or margarine
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup thinly sliced mushroom caps
Salt and pepper
1 beef bouillon cube
2 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp sherry

Dip the veal slices into the melted butter and then into the grated cheese. Heat the remaining butter and sauté the veal until browned on both sides. In a separate pan, melt a little butter or margarine and cook the mushrooms, stirring and turning them frequently. When the mushrooms are tender, add the bouillon cube, boiling water, butter, and sherry, and bring just to the boiling point. Do not allow to boil! Season the veal with salt and pepper and serve with the mushroom sauce. Serves 6.

For taking supper with radio divas.

1½ cups finely chopped raw potatoes
½ cup half and half
Dash each of cayenne, nutmeg and thyme
½ tsp salt
2 cups flaked crabmeat, fresh cooked or canned
2 eggs

Cook the potatoes in the half and half over boiling water (double boiler) just until tender. Add seasonings, then the crabmeat and the eggs, slightly beaten. When blended, drop froma tablespoon onto a hot well-greased griddle or heavy frying pan, brown slowly on both sides and serve hot with tartare sauce.

Do not make into sandwiches for men of a thousand voices.

2 small fresh mackerel
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup chopped pickle
½ cup chopped onions
1 tbsp minced parsley
2/3 cup water

Place the mackerel in a greased baking dish. Melt the butter and combine with all remaining ingredients except the water. Spread over the fish, pour the water around, and bake in a moderately hot oven (375°F) about 30 minutes, basting two or three times with the liquid in the pan. Serves 4.

A Grace Cavendish favorite!

2-1/2 pounds well-trimmed beef brisket
1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery including leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon dry wine vinegar
1 pound potatoes, quartered
2 carrots, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1 parsnips, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
Chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in roasting pan or a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add beef brisket; brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove brisket; reserve. Add onions, celery and green pepper to the same pan; cook 4 minutes or until crisp and tender, stirring occasionally. Place brisket over vegetables; sprinkle with garlic, dill, bouillon granules, paprika, salt and pepper. Top with bay leaves; spoon half of vegetables from pan over brisket. Add wine and vinegar.

Cover tightly and cook in a 325°F oven 3 hours. Add potatoes, carrots and parsnips; spoon pan juices over vegetables and brisket. Cover and continue cooking 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Carve brisket diagonally across the grain into thin slices; transfer to serving platter with vegetables. Skim and discard fat from pan juices; spoon over brisket and vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley.

Both Victor and Jeff may have eaten something like this in London; certainly for "white sheep" of the family as well.

Shoulder of mutton
2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 cups chopped celery, stalks, and leaves
1 tsp thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
12 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
1 blade of mace
Claret
Stock

Something to do with all that liver and onion that Mr. Medwick chopped up. A great recipe to cope with meat shortages!

¼ lb calves' liver, ground
2 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 cup soft bread crumbs
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups boiling salted water (or beef stock)

Combine all the above ingredients, except the water, in the order given. Form into small balls and cook in boiling, salted water or beef stock for three minutes. Add to the soup, or serve with spaghetti, noodles, mashed potatoes, or other vegetables.

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 tsp garlic or three minced garlic cloves
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 cup tomato ketchup

Mix all ingredients and bake in a bread-loaf size pan. Top with more tomato ketchup. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

Tough cuts of meat cost fewer points than did steak; pot roasts were an invaluable way to add beef to your diet without waste.

2½  lb rump of beef
2 tbsp beef drippings
1 cup hot water or beef stock
2 medium-sized onions
Salt and pepper
2 medium-sized tomatoes
Pinch of ground ginger

Heat the drippings in a heavy pan or Dutch oven. Slice the onions and brown them in the drippings. Then add the meat and brown it well on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into chunks and add to the meat. Add the ginger. Cover the pot tightly and simmer very slowly for 3 hours or until the meat is tender.

Referred to by the servicemen by a more scatological name which we won't use for Eugenia's sake.

2 cups boiling water
2 cups chipped (dried) beef, chaopped a little
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups half-and-half (a.k.a. "rich milk" in the 1930s)

Beef should already be salted, so there is no need to add salt.

Pour the boiling water over the beef, then drain immediately. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it foams, stir in the beef, letting the edges frizzle a little. Stir in the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 5 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the half-and-half. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Don't let it boil or the half-and-half will develop a scalded taste. Cook another 5 minutes. Serve over toast, split baking powder biscutis, or waffles. Serves 4 to 6 people.

More stretchin' of those ration points.

¾ pound ground beef, veal, or lamb
2 large onions, chopped
1 large egg
½ cup bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Biscuit dough made with 2 cups all purpose flour (use Bisquick if you've spent all your shortening ration points!)

Preheat your oven to 450°F. Brown the meat in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove the meat to a bowl. Pour off (and save, of course) all but 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan. Sauté the onions in the fat over low heat until soft. Add the onions to the meat in the bowl. Mix in the egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning. Cook 1 teaspoon of the mixture in the pan and taste for seasonings. Correct the seasonings.

Roll out the biscuit dough to a 6 X 12-inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the meat mixture, leaving at least ¾ inch clear at the edges. Roll the dough lengthwise like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam to seal. Put the roll seam side down on a baking sheet or in loaf pan. Bake until golden brown, 20  to 25 minutes. Cut into thick slices and, if you wish, serve with cream gravy made from leftover drippings, flour, and milk. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

A cheap Depression dish as well. Probably what Hilary wants to cook after one of Gertie's retorts.

1 3-pound beef tongue (smoked, if you can find it)
2 teaspoons salt (only if tongue is fresh, not smoked)
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 lemon, sliced

Wash the tongue thoroughly. Place in a large kettle and cover with cold water. Add salt if using it and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot, and let the tongue cook until tender, about 3 hours (tongue takes approximately 1 hour per pound to cook). Let cool in the cooking water. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and any small bones or connective tissue. Slice crosswise against the grain. Serve with mustard or a mustardy mayonnaise. Makes 6 servings.

1 fresh beef tongue
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup stewed cranberries
¼ cup butter
1 tablespoon whole cloves
½ lemon, sliced

Scrub tongue and simmer in water to cover, until tender, 3 to 4 hours. Remove skin and trim root end. To 1 cup of liquid in which the tongue was cooked, add remaining ingredients. Simmer tongue in mixture 15 minutes. Serves 6.

Another Depression recipe which came in handy during the war.

4 tbsp butter or margarine
5 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
½ cup chicken broth
3 cups ground cooked chicken
1 tsp finely chopped onion
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp water
Dry bread crumbs
Fat for deep frying

Make a thick cream sauce with the fat, flour, milk and broth, and let it stand until cold. When the sauce is cold, add the chicken, onion and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Mold the mixture into croqueette shape (a rectangular shape about 2"x2"x6"). Beat the egg with the water. Dip the croquettes into this mixture, roll in the bread crumbs and let stand until ready to fry.

Heat the fat in a deep kettle to 350°F. Carefully place several croquettes at a time in a frying basket, lower slowly into the fat, and fry until brown. Remove the fried croquettes and drain on soft crumpled paper. Serve hot with a cream or mushroom sauce. Serves 5 or 6.

Here's a meat that wasn't rationed…

1 rabbit or hare
Vinegar
Water
3 slices of onion
1 doz whole cloves
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp lard
1 cup heavy sour cream
Fried bread triangles

Skin, clean, wipe, and cut up the rabbit or hare. Place in a bowl and cover with vinegar and water in equal parts. Add the onion, cloves, bay leaves, and seasonings. Marinate for two days, turning the meat frequently but keeping it entirely covered with the liquid. Lift out the meat, pat dry, sear on all sides in the hot lard, drain off the fat, and add enough of the marinade to cover the pieces of meat. Cover and simmer until tender, about half an hour. Just before serving, add the sour cream, bring to a rapid boil, discard the bay leaves, pour the sauce over, and serve on a hot platter, garnished with the bread triangles.

4 frankfurters
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Split frankfurters lengthwise. Combine bread, onion, butter, and parsley. Divide into frankfurters. Bake in 375°F oven for 30 minutes.

Something to do with the fare from Kemper's Meat Market—which has ample parking.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2½ lbs beef brisket
2 cups water
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved crosswise
1 medium head cabbage, cut into 6 wedges

Heat oil in 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until golden. Remove onions with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add brisket to Dutch oven and brown on all sides. Return onions and any drippings from bowl to Dutch oven. Add water, ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Cover Dutch oven and simmer 1 to 1½ hours or until brisket is almost tender, addding water occasionally if necessary. Add sweet potatoes and cook 20 minutes. Add cabbage and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; cook until meat and vegetables reach desired doneness, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

To serve, transfer brisket to serving platter, slice crosswise. Add sweet potatoes and cabbage to platter. Skim off any fat from broth in Dutch oven. Transfer broth and onions to gravy boat and serve with brisket and vegetables. If desired, broth and onions may be pureed in blender. Serves 6.