Clara's Kitchen - Cooking with Clara

[Tradd]

You might remember Clara, the great-grandmother who had the YouTube videos of her recipes and Depression stories a few years back.

I found the book her grandson put together of her stories and recipes (in her voice) on Amazon used for very cheap.

It is a very good. With our current economy, it's good to have a first-person perspective on the Depression and how people actually survived. The recipes are mostly vegetarian, since the family didn't have much money for meat. There are eggs, cheese, and milk in recipes.

Eggplant burgers are an example. Fry thick slices of eggplant in oil until golden brown. Put between slices of Italian bread, with all the trimmings - lettuce, ketchup (recipe for homemade included!), tomato, etc.

[Tussiemussies]

Sounds really interesting since I am vegetarian and may be a way to eat cheaper. Is the name of the book the title of your thread? Thanks. Chris


PS I found the book on Amazon and it looks very good, warm stories from an interesting woman. I may order it... Thanks.

[Tradd]

Clara's Kitchen is the name of the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Claras-Kitchen-Memories-Recipes-Depression/dp/0312608276

[Amaranth]

Thanks for letting us know about the book, Tradd.

A bunch of the videos of her recipes are here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking

[Stella]

Thanks for reminding me of her. My big girls are into the "Kitt" series from American Girl about a girl growing up in the depression. This would be a fun project to do as an extra study tool.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks for reminding me of her. My big girls are into the "Kitt" series from American Girl about a girl growing up in the depression. This would be a fun project to do as an extra study tool.


What a great idea!

[Tiam]

I was looking at some youtube cooking sites and found this one. It reminds me of Clara. The Grandma is 79 years old and cooks traditional Mexican cuisine. But the ingredients are so simple and basic. Just the most basic ingredients. Very little processed foods. Very healthy, very frugal. She cuts the veggies with with a little knife in her hands just like Clara also. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0I88OuTQ6o


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0I88OuTQ6o

[lessisbest]

Thanks for the Clara up-date. :) I enjoyed her so much on her video.

When it comes to budget food, we have so many more choices than Clara did during the depression/WWII, and we have more healthy choices than she did. The food in her recipes may have been filling, but lacked a wide variety of nutrients. Out here in farm country during that time, the food choice was better because they raised their own food/animals and ate a healthier diet.

I have cookbooks from WWI and WWII for rationing, as well as a file full of information about rationing and recipes when I did research on the subject, and for the most part, they were using a completely different variety of foods than what we commonly choose today. Things that were inexpensive then, are expensive or unavailable today. Recipes using oxtail, liver, kidney, tongue and heart. The only people I know who regularly eat lamb or rabbit are people who raise them, otherwise it's an expensive meat choice.

In the past I've taught a class about $1 meals and $3 meals, and with only a few exceptions, the recipes have little in common with the budget-friendly recipes like Clara used. For those who are interested in vegetarian/vegan choices, I think modern cookbooks on the subject will be more helpful then depression/WWII fare. I made a lot of "wheat meat" before going gluten-free, and that's a great vegetarian meal maker. I always made gluten sausage and a high-protein gluten cereal, and I used homemade ground gluten as a meat extender mixed with ground beef or turkey.

[Tiam]

Well, this isn't Clara. Just someone who reminded me of her style. I thought this Abuela's food and recipes hit a wider range and nutrition scale, using much more fresh ingredients and less reliant on potatoes and pasta than Clara. She's not cooking from a time period, but contemporary, using the methods and foods of her culture. Rice, beans, lentils, hominy, tomatoes, onions, chiles, tuna, fish, meats, vegetables, tortillas, breads, seeds and nuts. But a lot of the foods are so basic it reminded me of her style. Clara died a few years ago.

[Tiam]

I also remember Clara talking about gathering and cooking nettles that are considered a "super food" now. This Mexican woman includes a soup using greens and crucifereous vegetables.

[awakenedsoul]

I love Clara's videos. I learned how to make tomato paste from her Youtube video. It looks like a good book. You might also like a book called Little Heathens. It was written during that time. It talks about what they cooked and ate on the farm.