Old Mother Hubbard

New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 317, 20 July 1945, Page 13

Old Mother Hubbard

(Written for "The Listener" by DR. MURIEL BELL, Nutritionist to the Department of Health)

be forgiven on account of her age and infirmity for forgetting that the bone which she thought was there had already been used for soup. : There is, however, no excuse for Young Mrs. Hubbard, for the days of unplanned meals should be over. With rationing we can no longer rush home and turn on grilled steak. Things take longer to prepare. Those recipes that are designed as "meat extenders" to "stretch" the meat ration, or to make the butter go further, involve more forethought in the preparation. Those measures mean long, slow cooking of the stewing steak, making noodles to eke out the meat allowance, making stuffing for fhe heart that has to be cooked slowly to make it tender, or pre-cooking of the tripe before it is done up with a batter for a change. Or else the macargni and the onion have to be cooked, prior to making the onion, tomato, and macaroni cheese, or the dried peas have to be MOTHER HUBBARD can ee ee ee ee SS SS ee NR SO

soaked in advance of the lentils prepared for -meat substitute dishes. Butter rationing has created more stir here than elsewhere, because there is no country in the. world where butter has been so extravagantly used as it has been in New Zealand-making us top the list as butter consumers. The bread then slips down without chewing, which is bad for our teeth and bad for our digestion. Any New Zealander who visited

England even in pre-war days always commented on the distance that his butter portion in a restaurant was expected to spread over his roll. The following methods help to make the ration go further: Melt two tablespoons of butter on a plate. Add two tablespoons of milk and two teaspoons of dried skim milk powder. Keep stirring with a knife until it forms a uniform mixture. Restaurants or institutions can use one pint of milk to one pound of butter, mixing with a potato masher. Make only one day’s supply at a time. Gelatine may be used in the proportion of % tablespoon (previously soaked in 1 tablespoon milk) added to 1 cup boiled milk. Warm lb. butter and beat into gelatine mixture.