Toasted Carrots, a World War II U.S. rationing recipe

I'm continuing my exploration of WWII recipes, in particular about rationing.  Previously I tried Cuban Corn, which worked out well and was tasty.  Click here to view that post.

I'm still working from Prudence Penny's Coupon Cookery.  I'm intrigued by the vegetable recipes, mostly because they look good but simple.  I imagine a busy mom trying to manage the family and household and possibly a job while her husband was off fighting the war.  She would need simple recipes that were still providing a healthy diet.

Coupons are the ration stamps.

This time I tried Toasted Carrots on page 73.  It is a very basic, simple recipe.  I wanted to try it and take it to a family event.  So I did most of the prep at home but the last bit at another kitchen just before serving. 

Toasted Carrots

6 carrots
2 tablespoons butter or shortening
1 1/4 cups corn flakes, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
dash paprika

 

It doesn't get much simpler than this.

Roll whole cooked carrots in melted butter; then in cornflakes seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Place under broiler set moderately low for 10 minutes, turning frequently.

 My Notes

I was serving four people, so instead of 6 large carrots, I used what I considered the baby carrot equivalent of 6 large carrots.

That looks like six enthusiastic carrots, no?

 Then I steamed the carrots until they were tender.

While they were steaming, I crushed the corn flakes until they were finely crushed.  I wanted small bits, not big flakes, so I really put in the time to crush them well.

Fine!

Then I mixed the corn flakes with the spices in a bowl that had a lid.  The carrots went in one container, the corn flake mix in another, and the butter on the side.  This all traveled to the other house.

Corn flakes with spices.

Once there, I melted the butter in the microwave, rolled the carrots a few at a time in the butter, then in the corn flake mixture, then placed them on a sheet to go under the preheated broiler.  I kept this up until all were coated and ready to broil.

I was pleased that I had enough of the coating to cover all the pieces.

Having so many little carrots made it difficult to turn them "frequently."  The solution was to shake the pan every few minutes so the carrots rolled a little.  I'm not sure that made a difference, but I did try.  

I think they broiled for about 10 minutes, but basically I pulled them once they started looking browned and crisp in a few places.  They all went into a serving bowl and onto the table.

Shaken, not turned.  I pulled them when the crumbs got dark.

The Verdict

The carrots were well-received.  Everyone had some, some had seconds.  The family whose house it was wanted to keep all the leftovers, so they did.  

They were a very basic side dish.  But the tender carrots, the crunchy crust, and the very light spicing made them good.  They went well with the roast beef and garlic mashed potatoes. (And the Cuban corn.)

I think I would increase the paprika a bit, but hey, you do what's right for your taste buds.  Everyone thought they were just fine.  

Success!  Such a quick and easy dish to make.  I think the hardest part was crushing the corn flakes, and I had plenty of time to do that while the carrots were steaming.  

I found it interesting that the instructions call for six carrots but make no mention of cutting them up.  My mental image was serving each person a whole carrot, but I believe they assumed you would cut them up.  So it was possibly appropriate to have used the baby carrots instead.