Post by ntiveheart on Sept 5, 2006 10:33:19 GMT -5
Cooking from long-term food storage
by Jackie Clay
All self-reliant families know they should have at least a year's
worth of
food and essential supplies stored up in a large pantry.
Unfortunately,
actually eating from long-term food storage conjures up images of
consuming
endless tedious, tasteless meals of boiled rice and beans. You know-
"survival" food.
But this is not how my household works. If I were to serve such
meals, there
would be total rebellion. After all, we've had at least two years'
food
stored for twenty years, and we eat daily from this food. We are not
martyrs, and we do not eat tasteless food in order to be "healthy."
Instead,
we eat three meals a day from good tasting, comforting, healthy food,
much
of it home-raised, home-grown or harvested from the wild.
With a little practice and imagination, any family can quickly learn
to
produce meals, drawn from your food storage, that draw rave reviews
from
family members. And you do not need to spend hours in food
preparation time
either.
Buying for long-term food storage
A lot of problems arise when a family purchases foods they are not
used to
eating, and are not especially fond of in the first place. During hard
times, or in an emergency, are definitely not times to begin eating
such
"survival" food. When you're stressed out, worried, and depressed,
you need
a lift, not countless meals of boring, tasteless food.
Old-fashioned baked beans
2 cups dry navy beans¼ cup ham or bacon flavored TVPs or canned
ham½ cup
dehydrated chopped onions8 Tbsp. molasses4 Tbsp. honey1 Tbsp. dry
mustard3
Tbsp. vinegar½ cup tomato sauce¼ cup catsup Sort beans, soak
overnight in
water enough to cover. In the morning, drain beans, discarding water.
Place
beans in 6-quart or larger heavy pot with 12 cups water and simmer,
covered
for just long enough to get beans tender (older beans require longer
cooking). Drain and discard water. In a 3-quart or larger casserole,
mix
beans with other ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 1½ to 2
hours,
adding water if necessary to keep beans from drying out. Serve hot
with
fresh whole wheat bread for a comforting, hearty meal.
Take stock of the foods your family really likes. Then build your
storage
pantry on these preferences. Just about anything you regularly eat
can be
included. One notable exception is hamburgers and cheeseburgers. You
can
home can hamburgers, by lightly frying tiny patties, then stacking
them into
wide mouth jars. I do a few, just for novelty, layered with finely
chopped
onion. When ready to use, refry them, adding cheese if desired.
They're
good, but aren't the same as the regular hamburgers the family is
used to.
And there isn't an alternative to home canned hamburger available for
purchase.
Have your family go through the supermarket with you and take notes
as to
what interests them, even if you have not cooked it before, or
recently. You
need variety in your long-term storage foods. Meals are like
buildings. They
need foundation blocks like potatoes, rice or beans, but also windows
and
doorways like fruits, meats, vegetables, and spices.
Oriental chicken fried rice
2 cups cooked white rice, cooled½ cup finely diced onions (you may
substitute rehydrated dry)¼ cup rehydrated freeze dried or air
dried
green peas 1 cup rehydrated shredded carrots (or fresh)¼ cup oil or
shortening1 Tbsp. peanut butter½ cup chopped cooked chicken2 Tbsp. soy
sauce2 eggs, equivalent in dehydrated egg powderSpices to taste,
including
garlic, tumeric, hot pepper In a large, heavy frying pan, heat
oil. Add
rice, onions, chicken, and carrots. Stir frequently with spatula
until rice
begins to lightly brown. Add peanut butter (no, it doesn't
taste "weird"),
soy sauce, peas, and spices. Continue stirring while flavors mix. As
rice
mixture appears to be done, quickly add beaten egg mixture and
continue
stirring with spatula until egg is cooked. Serve at once with soy
sauce,
sweet and sour sauce, or hot mustard sauce.
Choose the foods carefully, taking into consideration those you use
daily or
would use, if you had the time....and had no alternatives. Two
frequently
overlooked items are shortening/margerine and eggs. And make sure
there are
plenty of opportunities for "goodies," such as cookies, pies,
puddings,
Jello, etc.
Introducing the family to seldom-used staples
There's a definite place in a long-term storage pantry for such
staples as
dried beans and rice, but instead of buying all navy beans and white
rice,
consider that there are over a dozen varieties of beans and perhaps
six
varieties of rice available, each with its own unique taste, texture,
appearance, and uses. In our pantry, I have many kinds of beans which
we
use: navy, red kidney, pinto, Anasazzi, black, and several varieties
of
Native American beans that we grow at home. You might include a
couple of
limas (which our family just does not like), cowpeas, Great
Northerns, or
others.
Tamale pie
½ cup cornmeal½ cup white flour or freshly ground whole wheat
flour¼ cup
honey or white sugar¼ cup shortening1 egg (equivalent in dry egg
powder,
rehydrated)1 cup rehydrated dry milk (+ or -)2 tsp. baking powder1
tsp.
salt½ cup cooked hamburger (I use home canned) or beef TVP2 cups
tomato
sauce½ cup dry chopped onions¼ cup dry chopped green peppers or chile
peppers2 tsp. mild chile powder¼ cup dry sweet corn or ½ cup canned
corn Mix
first eight ingredients well, making a medium batter (not runny or not
stiff). Then in medium sized cast iron frying pan or 8 x 8 cake pan,
mix the
last six ingredients well, then top with cornmeal batter. Bake at 350
degrees until top turns golden brown. Serve hot with cold salsa.
Then try a few really good recipes and gently ask all family members
to try
just one small serving with a meal they love.
Work your way into beans. Don't just cook up a huge pot and insist
everyone
eat them for a meal. You can "sneak" beans into meals by mashing
cooked
pintos in with taco filling, putting a few mashed beans in a layer of
casserole, or into a hearty vegetable stew or soup.
Old-fashioned baked beans, complete with ham or bacon chunks,
molasses and
catsup will usually do the trick on a cold winter's day.
When cooking from a long-term storage pantry, learn to buy or home-
can meat
in smaller cans and jars. This allows one to use the meat as
flavoring and
texture to a meal, making a little go a long way, and not give the
impression of "making do" or "surviving."
A couple of examples that we regularly use are Oriental Chicken Fried
Rice
and Tamale Pie. I never have leftovers.
Homemade pizza
Crust: 2 cups flour½ tsp. seasoning salt¼ cup olive oil2 tsp. dry
yeast1
cup, plus warm water Mix dry yeast and one cup warm water. While
softening,
mix other ingredients in medium bowl. Add softened yeast and enough
warm
water to make a soft, but not tacky, ball of dough. Work dough with
hands,
greased with a small bit of olive oil until elastic, then set aside
in bowl,
covered, for half an hour to rise. Oil baking pan with liberal olive
oil,
press out dough with hands. Prick dough with fork every few inches to
avoid
bubbles. Bake at 350 degrees until just barely done. It will not be
browned
but will lift easily from pan when picked up with a fork at corner.
Topping: 1 cup thick tomato sauce1 tsp. brown sugar1 Tbsp. rehydrated
green
peppers 1 Tbsp. dry onion¼ cup chopped olives¼ cup sausage TVPs1 tsp.
oregano ¼ tsp. garlic powder½ tsp. basil 1 cup mozzarella or½ cup
dried
grated parmesan cheese Spread tomato sauce evenly on baked crust and
sprinkle brown sugar, green peppers, olives, and spices on top. Top
with
cheese. Bake until cheese is barely golden brown and bubbly. This is
yummy,
and it is much in demand at our house. As a bonus, there are many
variations
including making a double batch of crust, using the second dough to be
formed as bread sticks, which can be brushed with tomato sauce,
herbs, and
sprinkled with cheese and baked at the same time as the pizza. The
bread
sticks, dipped in a warm herbed tomato sauce, make a great addition
to the
steaming pizza.
The same with rice. Few people like a big plate full of steamed white
rice.
"I don't like rice!" is the usual comment. My answer is get to know
rice and
all its uses.
Perhaps the easiest way to interest a family member in rice is to
serve
Oriental fried rice, complete with little chunks of chicken or pork.
Spanish
rice is another interesting way of introducing rice into a meal. The
point
is to introduce staples gently into meals, before called on to use
them
every day.
Fried tuna patties
2 cans light tuna, drained 1 cup crushed dried bread crumbs¼ cup
dehydrated
onion flakes 3 eggs, rehydrated equivalent ½ tsp. lemon pepperflour
to coat
patties oil to fry Mix drained tuna, bread crumbs, egg, onion flakes,
and
lemon pepper. Divide into golf ball-sized portions, pat into patties,
dip
both sides in flour. Heat oil to medium heat and gently place patties
into
frying pan. After one side is done, turn and finish cooking. This is
a quick
and easy alternative to "fish sticks."
The use of ethnic meals is a great way to introduce a family to
basics, as
most less-wealthy nations have fabulous recipes, using cheaper
staples as
the base for meals. You can learn to do wonders with corn flour and
corn
meal, beans and chiles, rice, vegetables, sauces, and bits of meat,
potatoes, and vegetables. I quickly learned that America is one of
the few
nations in the world where meat is used as the foundation of a meal.
(We had
adopted two older children from India and three from Korea, as well as
sponsoring a family of nine from Vietnam.)
Such goodies as homemade pizza are always hits at home, especially in
an
emergency or hard-times situation. Key ingredients, such as pepperoni
and
mozzarella cheese, are in few long-term storage pantries. When one
has their
own dairy animal, the cheese is a snap, and dry-cured pepperoni lasts
for
months without refrigeration under cool, dry conditions. I also have
canned
chunks of pepperoni and am going to try mozzarella cheese too. But
without
these options, pizza is still a definite "go". Check out recipe above.
Roast beef hash
1 pint (16 oz) canned roast beef (or wild meat)½ cup rehydrated onion
flakes1 quart (32 oz) canned potatoes, drained welloil to fry Grind
meat,
potatoes and onion together with hand meat grinder. Heat oil to
medium heat
in large frying pan. Slide hash into pan, being careful not to
spatter.
Arrange the hash in a shallow layer, covering the bottom of the
frying pan.
Allow to cook, turning and stirring with spatula. Add seasonings,
finish
frying to preference, and serve. Popular condiments include salsa and
catsup. Hash makes a satisfying one-dish meal. Leftovers are great for
breakfast with scrambled eggs.
But we'll miss fried foods!
I think one of the things a family misses most, living totally from a
long-term storage pantry, is simple fried foods. Now this can have an
up
side, as well as a down. The fewer the fried foods consumed, the
better
health we enjoy. But, honestly speaking, some fried foods do a lot to
boost
our morale during rough times.
Now, of course, if a family has their own garden, which a self-reliant
family should have anyway, they will have abundant potatoes, fresh or
in the
cellar. If not, you can fry up a batch of canned potatoes, from time
to
time, or make potato patties out of leftover mashed potatoes (adding
two
beaten eggs to hold them together). There are also dehydrated and
freeze-dried hashbrowns that are quite good.
Homemade noodles in chicken broth
1½ cup flour (either freshly ground whole wheat or white ¼ tsp.
salt2
eggs, reconstituted or fresh Place flour in mound on board, making
a nest
or well in the center of the mound. Pour eggs into nest. Beat the
eggs with
a fork, gradually bringing the flour into the mix. Work the dough
into a
ball with your hands, picking up only as much flour as it takes to
make a
stiff, but workable ball. Knead the dough for about five minutes. It
should
not stick to the board. If it seems too moist, add a little more
flour; if
too dry, dampen your hands and knead longer. Divide the ball into
quarters. Cover three and reserve one to work with immediately.
Lightly
sprinkle board with flour and roll out dough, pulling it into a
uniform
thickness oval. Make it as thin as workable and let rest in a warm,
dry
place. Repeat with other three quarters. When all dough is dry, but
not
stiff and brittle, roll like a jelly roll, cutting into desired
thickness
with a sharp knife. You can then either fluff out to separate and then
carefully hang to dry or lay it flat to air dry for an hour. Pour a
quart
of chicken broth (or use dry chicken granules to make a broth) into a
large
pot. Add diced, canned, or freeze dried chicken meat, if desired, as
well as
onion, carrots, and spices as wanted. Bring to a medium boil, then
carefully
add noodles, simmering just long enough to make them tender. The
flour on
the noodles provides natural thickening. You'll get raves for this
simple,
yet satisfying meal.
One satisfying, simple recipe we enjoy from our pantry is fried tuna
patties. This provides meat, as well as satisfying an occasional
craving for
"fried food."
Roast beef hash is another "alternative" fried food. Unless fresh
meat,
either home grown or wild, is available, there will be little fried
meat
available.
One of the home storage pantry's best capabilities is providing quick,
nutritious soups and stews at quick notice. These include those using
pasta
and noodles, as well as the more traditional.
One of our favorites is homemade noodles, cooked with chicken broth.
You can
use store-bought noodles, but there is absolutely no comparison in
taste or
texture. And noodles are very easy to make, only taking a few minutes
once
you get the hang of it. Even "mistakes" are very edible.
Breads
Don't forget the staff of life. Breads provide an endless base to home
meals, unlike their tasteless plastic wrapped cousins from the store.
On one
camping trip, we made an entire meal out of a crispy, fragrant loaf of
French bread, without a dab of butter.
Basic whole wheat bread
Heat 4 cups milk (rehydrated dry or fresh). Soften 4 Tbsp. dry
yeast in ¾
cup warm water. Add ¼ c. honey to warm milk, along with 1/3 cup oil or
melted shortening, 2 tsp. salt, and 2 eggs. Beat well, then as milk
cools
to luke warm, gently add yeast. Add about 14 c. fresh whole wheat
flour, one
cup at a time, mixing after each. When nearly stiff, mix with hands,
incorporating just enough flour to make an elastic, workable ball of
dough.
Don't stop if it's sticky, and don't get it too stiff. Knead on a
floured
board for 10 minutes. Grease a large mixing bowl, place ball into
bowl, and
grease top. Pull ball out and put back in, greased top up. Cover with
a
warm, damp kitchen towel and let rise in warm place until about
double.
Knock down and let rise again. Divide into two or three loaves and
place
into greased bread pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When loaves are
nearly
doubled in size, place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes until
tops are
golden brown. Grease tops with margarine to soften. Enjoy the best
bread you
've ever tasted.
Breads can be made of varying flours for entirely different tastes,
textures, and appearances. Aside from the "normal" white flour from
the
store, one can, and should, grind their own grains, producing a wide,
wonderful, array of fresh flours. This produces a wholesome taste
that most
folks have never even dreamed of.
As all grains store much longer as whole grains, it is wise to stock
up on
these grains and grind the flours as you need them. Some suggestions
are red
and golden hard wheat for bread, soft wheat for pastries, flour corn
for
cornmeal, hominy corn for corn flour, buckwheat for pancake flour,
rye for
rye and pumpernickel bread, and rice for Asian cooking.
You will find that when you are cooking solely from the long-term
storage
pantry under times of duress, just the milling of the flour and
baking of
bread will bring peace and contentment to the whole family.
While "plain" bread will probably be most often used, stretch your
creativity by expanding to more "exotic" breads such as pitas,
tortillas,
and sweet rolls, both for taste and variety. Most use about the same
simple
ingredients, and with just a little variation you can create a whole
spectrum of tastes and possibilities.
One of our favorite breads is a versatile quick roll recipe. This
recipe
makes soft, tender dinner rolls, but also free-form breads, hamburger
buns,
sweet rolls, and coffee cake with little change.
Tips for cooking from home storage
Cooking from a long-term storage pantry is easy, basic, and very
fulfilling.
But it is not something one learns to do overnight. It's sort of like
gardening. The time to learn to garden is not when the trucks stop
hauling
food to supermarkets and there are acute food shortages. It takes
time to
get into the rhythm of gardening, learning what works, what does not,
and
how to do the most work with the least effort.
Halftime spoon rolls
Dissolve 2 tsp. dry yeast in ½ cup warm water, and set aside. Combine
1/3
cup shortening, ¼ cup of sugar or honey, 1 tsp. salt with ¾ cup hot
milk
(reconstituted dry or fresh). Cool to lukewarm by adding ½ cup cold
water.
Add 1 egg (or equivalent reconstituted dry) and softened yeast. Mix
in 3½
cups sifted flour. Cover in same bowl, letting rise in a warm place
till
doubled. Stir dough with greased spoon. With an ice cream scoop (works
easiest) dip sticky batter into greased muffin tins, filling half
full. Let
rise and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown. Remove from oven and
brush
margarine on top to soften nicely. I promise raves from this one. And
you
can modify it easily. With the addition of just a little more flour
(about ½
cup), the dough will be firm enough to handle lightly, which makes
forming
hamburger buns on a greased cookie sheet easy, or forming into caramel
rolls, cinnamon rolls, or coffee cake.
When a person plunges into cooking solely from home storage, they are
quite
often frustrated by "all the hard work," the poor results from their
cooking, and the lack of enthusiasm from family members. Sort of like
when a
new young bride begins cooking for her husband for the first time. The
results are often ho-hum.
Try taking one day a week, at first, to practice cooking out of your
storage
pantry. Ease into it with a few of these recipes; they are easy and
basic.
Then expand to others, found in some of the books listed below.
Mennonite,
Amish, Mormon, and Seventh Day Adventist cookbooks usually provide a
good
start for comforting, tasty meals with basics, as these religions
stress
commonsense preparedness and good family eating from basic, healthy
ingredients.
It's well to mention at this time that it makes good sense to develop
a
small garden, at least, and learn to forage for wild foods (which are
great
tasting, by the way), while learning to cook meals from the food you
have
stored. Fresh foods are a very welcome change to dehydrated and
canned, and
they not only taste great, but provide extra nutrition, which could
conceivably be lacking in a few long-term storage foods.
Likewise, if it is at all possible, develop your own sourceof fresh
milk,
eggs, and meat. Grandmas all over the world raised a small flock of
chickens, even in town. It's funny that the U.S. is one of the few
countries
where this is not common today. Remember that variety is truly the
spice of
life; cultivate all the variety you can in your family's diet.
You'll find you get into the rhythm of this type of cooking easily.
And you'
ll quickly develop time-saving ways of doing things. For instance, it
didn't
take me long to decide that if I ground a week's worth of grains I
truly
saved time, and cleaning of the grain mill, and I always had the
grain I
needed on hand conveniently.
I can honestly say that it takes only minutes longer per meal to
prepare a
great dining experience from my pantry than it does to rip and pry
plastic
wrap from something that appears to be food. And it makes the whole
family
feel great. We believe in living, not just surviving!
by Jackie Clay
All self-reliant families know they should have at least a year's
worth of
food and essential supplies stored up in a large pantry.
Unfortunately,
actually eating from long-term food storage conjures up images of
consuming
endless tedious, tasteless meals of boiled rice and beans. You know-
"survival" food.
But this is not how my household works. If I were to serve such
meals, there
would be total rebellion. After all, we've had at least two years'
food
stored for twenty years, and we eat daily from this food. We are not
martyrs, and we do not eat tasteless food in order to be "healthy."
Instead,
we eat three meals a day from good tasting, comforting, healthy food,
much
of it home-raised, home-grown or harvested from the wild.
With a little practice and imagination, any family can quickly learn
to
produce meals, drawn from your food storage, that draw rave reviews
from
family members. And you do not need to spend hours in food
preparation time
either.
Buying for long-term food storage
A lot of problems arise when a family purchases foods they are not
used to
eating, and are not especially fond of in the first place. During hard
times, or in an emergency, are definitely not times to begin eating
such
"survival" food. When you're stressed out, worried, and depressed,
you need
a lift, not countless meals of boring, tasteless food.
Old-fashioned baked beans
2 cups dry navy beans¼ cup ham or bacon flavored TVPs or canned
ham½ cup
dehydrated chopped onions8 Tbsp. molasses4 Tbsp. honey1 Tbsp. dry
mustard3
Tbsp. vinegar½ cup tomato sauce¼ cup catsup Sort beans, soak
overnight in
water enough to cover. In the morning, drain beans, discarding water.
Place
beans in 6-quart or larger heavy pot with 12 cups water and simmer,
covered
for just long enough to get beans tender (older beans require longer
cooking). Drain and discard water. In a 3-quart or larger casserole,
mix
beans with other ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 1½ to 2
hours,
adding water if necessary to keep beans from drying out. Serve hot
with
fresh whole wheat bread for a comforting, hearty meal.
Take stock of the foods your family really likes. Then build your
storage
pantry on these preferences. Just about anything you regularly eat
can be
included. One notable exception is hamburgers and cheeseburgers. You
can
home can hamburgers, by lightly frying tiny patties, then stacking
them into
wide mouth jars. I do a few, just for novelty, layered with finely
chopped
onion. When ready to use, refry them, adding cheese if desired.
They're
good, but aren't the same as the regular hamburgers the family is
used to.
And there isn't an alternative to home canned hamburger available for
purchase.
Have your family go through the supermarket with you and take notes
as to
what interests them, even if you have not cooked it before, or
recently. You
need variety in your long-term storage foods. Meals are like
buildings. They
need foundation blocks like potatoes, rice or beans, but also windows
and
doorways like fruits, meats, vegetables, and spices.
Oriental chicken fried rice
2 cups cooked white rice, cooled½ cup finely diced onions (you may
substitute rehydrated dry)¼ cup rehydrated freeze dried or air
dried
green peas 1 cup rehydrated shredded carrots (or fresh)¼ cup oil or
shortening1 Tbsp. peanut butter½ cup chopped cooked chicken2 Tbsp. soy
sauce2 eggs, equivalent in dehydrated egg powderSpices to taste,
including
garlic, tumeric, hot pepper In a large, heavy frying pan, heat
oil. Add
rice, onions, chicken, and carrots. Stir frequently with spatula
until rice
begins to lightly brown. Add peanut butter (no, it doesn't
taste "weird"),
soy sauce, peas, and spices. Continue stirring while flavors mix. As
rice
mixture appears to be done, quickly add beaten egg mixture and
continue
stirring with spatula until egg is cooked. Serve at once with soy
sauce,
sweet and sour sauce, or hot mustard sauce.
Choose the foods carefully, taking into consideration those you use
daily or
would use, if you had the time....and had no alternatives. Two
frequently
overlooked items are shortening/margerine and eggs. And make sure
there are
plenty of opportunities for "goodies," such as cookies, pies,
puddings,
Jello, etc.
Introducing the family to seldom-used staples
There's a definite place in a long-term storage pantry for such
staples as
dried beans and rice, but instead of buying all navy beans and white
rice,
consider that there are over a dozen varieties of beans and perhaps
six
varieties of rice available, each with its own unique taste, texture,
appearance, and uses. In our pantry, I have many kinds of beans which
we
use: navy, red kidney, pinto, Anasazzi, black, and several varieties
of
Native American beans that we grow at home. You might include a
couple of
limas (which our family just does not like), cowpeas, Great
Northerns, or
others.
Tamale pie
½ cup cornmeal½ cup white flour or freshly ground whole wheat
flour¼ cup
honey or white sugar¼ cup shortening1 egg (equivalent in dry egg
powder,
rehydrated)1 cup rehydrated dry milk (+ or -)2 tsp. baking powder1
tsp.
salt½ cup cooked hamburger (I use home canned) or beef TVP2 cups
tomato
sauce½ cup dry chopped onions¼ cup dry chopped green peppers or chile
peppers2 tsp. mild chile powder¼ cup dry sweet corn or ½ cup canned
corn Mix
first eight ingredients well, making a medium batter (not runny or not
stiff). Then in medium sized cast iron frying pan or 8 x 8 cake pan,
mix the
last six ingredients well, then top with cornmeal batter. Bake at 350
degrees until top turns golden brown. Serve hot with cold salsa.
Then try a few really good recipes and gently ask all family members
to try
just one small serving with a meal they love.
Work your way into beans. Don't just cook up a huge pot and insist
everyone
eat them for a meal. You can "sneak" beans into meals by mashing
cooked
pintos in with taco filling, putting a few mashed beans in a layer of
casserole, or into a hearty vegetable stew or soup.
Old-fashioned baked beans, complete with ham or bacon chunks,
molasses and
catsup will usually do the trick on a cold winter's day.
When cooking from a long-term storage pantry, learn to buy or home-
can meat
in smaller cans and jars. This allows one to use the meat as
flavoring and
texture to a meal, making a little go a long way, and not give the
impression of "making do" or "surviving."
A couple of examples that we regularly use are Oriental Chicken Fried
Rice
and Tamale Pie. I never have leftovers.
Homemade pizza
Crust: 2 cups flour½ tsp. seasoning salt¼ cup olive oil2 tsp. dry
yeast1
cup, plus warm water Mix dry yeast and one cup warm water. While
softening,
mix other ingredients in medium bowl. Add softened yeast and enough
warm
water to make a soft, but not tacky, ball of dough. Work dough with
hands,
greased with a small bit of olive oil until elastic, then set aside
in bowl,
covered, for half an hour to rise. Oil baking pan with liberal olive
oil,
press out dough with hands. Prick dough with fork every few inches to
avoid
bubbles. Bake at 350 degrees until just barely done. It will not be
browned
but will lift easily from pan when picked up with a fork at corner.
Topping: 1 cup thick tomato sauce1 tsp. brown sugar1 Tbsp. rehydrated
green
peppers 1 Tbsp. dry onion¼ cup chopped olives¼ cup sausage TVPs1 tsp.
oregano ¼ tsp. garlic powder½ tsp. basil 1 cup mozzarella or½ cup
dried
grated parmesan cheese Spread tomato sauce evenly on baked crust and
sprinkle brown sugar, green peppers, olives, and spices on top. Top
with
cheese. Bake until cheese is barely golden brown and bubbly. This is
yummy,
and it is much in demand at our house. As a bonus, there are many
variations
including making a double batch of crust, using the second dough to be
formed as bread sticks, which can be brushed with tomato sauce,
herbs, and
sprinkled with cheese and baked at the same time as the pizza. The
bread
sticks, dipped in a warm herbed tomato sauce, make a great addition
to the
steaming pizza.
The same with rice. Few people like a big plate full of steamed white
rice.
"I don't like rice!" is the usual comment. My answer is get to know
rice and
all its uses.
Perhaps the easiest way to interest a family member in rice is to
serve
Oriental fried rice, complete with little chunks of chicken or pork.
Spanish
rice is another interesting way of introducing rice into a meal. The
point
is to introduce staples gently into meals, before called on to use
them
every day.
Fried tuna patties
2 cans light tuna, drained 1 cup crushed dried bread crumbs¼ cup
dehydrated
onion flakes 3 eggs, rehydrated equivalent ½ tsp. lemon pepperflour
to coat
patties oil to fry Mix drained tuna, bread crumbs, egg, onion flakes,
and
lemon pepper. Divide into golf ball-sized portions, pat into patties,
dip
both sides in flour. Heat oil to medium heat and gently place patties
into
frying pan. After one side is done, turn and finish cooking. This is
a quick
and easy alternative to "fish sticks."
The use of ethnic meals is a great way to introduce a family to
basics, as
most less-wealthy nations have fabulous recipes, using cheaper
staples as
the base for meals. You can learn to do wonders with corn flour and
corn
meal, beans and chiles, rice, vegetables, sauces, and bits of meat,
potatoes, and vegetables. I quickly learned that America is one of
the few
nations in the world where meat is used as the foundation of a meal.
(We had
adopted two older children from India and three from Korea, as well as
sponsoring a family of nine from Vietnam.)
Such goodies as homemade pizza are always hits at home, especially in
an
emergency or hard-times situation. Key ingredients, such as pepperoni
and
mozzarella cheese, are in few long-term storage pantries. When one
has their
own dairy animal, the cheese is a snap, and dry-cured pepperoni lasts
for
months without refrigeration under cool, dry conditions. I also have
canned
chunks of pepperoni and am going to try mozzarella cheese too. But
without
these options, pizza is still a definite "go". Check out recipe above.
Roast beef hash
1 pint (16 oz) canned roast beef (or wild meat)½ cup rehydrated onion
flakes1 quart (32 oz) canned potatoes, drained welloil to fry Grind
meat,
potatoes and onion together with hand meat grinder. Heat oil to
medium heat
in large frying pan. Slide hash into pan, being careful not to
spatter.
Arrange the hash in a shallow layer, covering the bottom of the
frying pan.
Allow to cook, turning and stirring with spatula. Add seasonings,
finish
frying to preference, and serve. Popular condiments include salsa and
catsup. Hash makes a satisfying one-dish meal. Leftovers are great for
breakfast with scrambled eggs.
But we'll miss fried foods!
I think one of the things a family misses most, living totally from a
long-term storage pantry, is simple fried foods. Now this can have an
up
side, as well as a down. The fewer the fried foods consumed, the
better
health we enjoy. But, honestly speaking, some fried foods do a lot to
boost
our morale during rough times.
Now, of course, if a family has their own garden, which a self-reliant
family should have anyway, they will have abundant potatoes, fresh or
in the
cellar. If not, you can fry up a batch of canned potatoes, from time
to
time, or make potato patties out of leftover mashed potatoes (adding
two
beaten eggs to hold them together). There are also dehydrated and
freeze-dried hashbrowns that are quite good.
Homemade noodles in chicken broth
1½ cup flour (either freshly ground whole wheat or white ¼ tsp.
salt2
eggs, reconstituted or fresh Place flour in mound on board, making
a nest
or well in the center of the mound. Pour eggs into nest. Beat the
eggs with
a fork, gradually bringing the flour into the mix. Work the dough
into a
ball with your hands, picking up only as much flour as it takes to
make a
stiff, but workable ball. Knead the dough for about five minutes. It
should
not stick to the board. If it seems too moist, add a little more
flour; if
too dry, dampen your hands and knead longer. Divide the ball into
quarters. Cover three and reserve one to work with immediately.
Lightly
sprinkle board with flour and roll out dough, pulling it into a
uniform
thickness oval. Make it as thin as workable and let rest in a warm,
dry
place. Repeat with other three quarters. When all dough is dry, but
not
stiff and brittle, roll like a jelly roll, cutting into desired
thickness
with a sharp knife. You can then either fluff out to separate and then
carefully hang to dry or lay it flat to air dry for an hour. Pour a
quart
of chicken broth (or use dry chicken granules to make a broth) into a
large
pot. Add diced, canned, or freeze dried chicken meat, if desired, as
well as
onion, carrots, and spices as wanted. Bring to a medium boil, then
carefully
add noodles, simmering just long enough to make them tender. The
flour on
the noodles provides natural thickening. You'll get raves for this
simple,
yet satisfying meal.
One satisfying, simple recipe we enjoy from our pantry is fried tuna
patties. This provides meat, as well as satisfying an occasional
craving for
"fried food."
Roast beef hash is another "alternative" fried food. Unless fresh
meat,
either home grown or wild, is available, there will be little fried
meat
available.
One of the home storage pantry's best capabilities is providing quick,
nutritious soups and stews at quick notice. These include those using
pasta
and noodles, as well as the more traditional.
One of our favorites is homemade noodles, cooked with chicken broth.
You can
use store-bought noodles, but there is absolutely no comparison in
taste or
texture. And noodles are very easy to make, only taking a few minutes
once
you get the hang of it. Even "mistakes" are very edible.
Breads
Don't forget the staff of life. Breads provide an endless base to home
meals, unlike their tasteless plastic wrapped cousins from the store.
On one
camping trip, we made an entire meal out of a crispy, fragrant loaf of
French bread, without a dab of butter.
Basic whole wheat bread
Heat 4 cups milk (rehydrated dry or fresh). Soften 4 Tbsp. dry
yeast in ¾
cup warm water. Add ¼ c. honey to warm milk, along with 1/3 cup oil or
melted shortening, 2 tsp. salt, and 2 eggs. Beat well, then as milk
cools
to luke warm, gently add yeast. Add about 14 c. fresh whole wheat
flour, one
cup at a time, mixing after each. When nearly stiff, mix with hands,
incorporating just enough flour to make an elastic, workable ball of
dough.
Don't stop if it's sticky, and don't get it too stiff. Knead on a
floured
board for 10 minutes. Grease a large mixing bowl, place ball into
bowl, and
grease top. Pull ball out and put back in, greased top up. Cover with
a
warm, damp kitchen towel and let rise in warm place until about
double.
Knock down and let rise again. Divide into two or three loaves and
place
into greased bread pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When loaves are
nearly
doubled in size, place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes until
tops are
golden brown. Grease tops with margarine to soften. Enjoy the best
bread you
've ever tasted.
Breads can be made of varying flours for entirely different tastes,
textures, and appearances. Aside from the "normal" white flour from
the
store, one can, and should, grind their own grains, producing a wide,
wonderful, array of fresh flours. This produces a wholesome taste
that most
folks have never even dreamed of.
As all grains store much longer as whole grains, it is wise to stock
up on
these grains and grind the flours as you need them. Some suggestions
are red
and golden hard wheat for bread, soft wheat for pastries, flour corn
for
cornmeal, hominy corn for corn flour, buckwheat for pancake flour,
rye for
rye and pumpernickel bread, and rice for Asian cooking.
You will find that when you are cooking solely from the long-term
storage
pantry under times of duress, just the milling of the flour and
baking of
bread will bring peace and contentment to the whole family.
While "plain" bread will probably be most often used, stretch your
creativity by expanding to more "exotic" breads such as pitas,
tortillas,
and sweet rolls, both for taste and variety. Most use about the same
simple
ingredients, and with just a little variation you can create a whole
spectrum of tastes and possibilities.
One of our favorite breads is a versatile quick roll recipe. This
recipe
makes soft, tender dinner rolls, but also free-form breads, hamburger
buns,
sweet rolls, and coffee cake with little change.
Tips for cooking from home storage
Cooking from a long-term storage pantry is easy, basic, and very
fulfilling.
But it is not something one learns to do overnight. It's sort of like
gardening. The time to learn to garden is not when the trucks stop
hauling
food to supermarkets and there are acute food shortages. It takes
time to
get into the rhythm of gardening, learning what works, what does not,
and
how to do the most work with the least effort.
Halftime spoon rolls
Dissolve 2 tsp. dry yeast in ½ cup warm water, and set aside. Combine
1/3
cup shortening, ¼ cup of sugar or honey, 1 tsp. salt with ¾ cup hot
milk
(reconstituted dry or fresh). Cool to lukewarm by adding ½ cup cold
water.
Add 1 egg (or equivalent reconstituted dry) and softened yeast. Mix
in 3½
cups sifted flour. Cover in same bowl, letting rise in a warm place
till
doubled. Stir dough with greased spoon. With an ice cream scoop (works
easiest) dip sticky batter into greased muffin tins, filling half
full. Let
rise and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown. Remove from oven and
brush
margarine on top to soften nicely. I promise raves from this one. And
you
can modify it easily. With the addition of just a little more flour
(about ½
cup), the dough will be firm enough to handle lightly, which makes
forming
hamburger buns on a greased cookie sheet easy, or forming into caramel
rolls, cinnamon rolls, or coffee cake.
When a person plunges into cooking solely from home storage, they are
quite
often frustrated by "all the hard work," the poor results from their
cooking, and the lack of enthusiasm from family members. Sort of like
when a
new young bride begins cooking for her husband for the first time. The
results are often ho-hum.
Try taking one day a week, at first, to practice cooking out of your
storage
pantry. Ease into it with a few of these recipes; they are easy and
basic.
Then expand to others, found in some of the books listed below.
Mennonite,
Amish, Mormon, and Seventh Day Adventist cookbooks usually provide a
good
start for comforting, tasty meals with basics, as these religions
stress
commonsense preparedness and good family eating from basic, healthy
ingredients.
It's well to mention at this time that it makes good sense to develop
a
small garden, at least, and learn to forage for wild foods (which are
great
tasting, by the way), while learning to cook meals from the food you
have
stored. Fresh foods are a very welcome change to dehydrated and
canned, and
they not only taste great, but provide extra nutrition, which could
conceivably be lacking in a few long-term storage foods.
Likewise, if it is at all possible, develop your own sourceof fresh
milk,
eggs, and meat. Grandmas all over the world raised a small flock of
chickens, even in town. It's funny that the U.S. is one of the few
countries
where this is not common today. Remember that variety is truly the
spice of
life; cultivate all the variety you can in your family's diet.
You'll find you get into the rhythm of this type of cooking easily.
And you'
ll quickly develop time-saving ways of doing things. For instance, it
didn't
take me long to decide that if I ground a week's worth of grains I
truly
saved time, and cleaning of the grain mill, and I always had the
grain I
needed on hand conveniently.
I can honestly say that it takes only minutes longer per meal to
prepare a
great dining experience from my pantry than it does to rip and pry
plastic
wrap from something that appears to be food. And it makes the whole
family
feel great. We believe in living, not just surviving!
