World War II Era Spaghetti Valentine's Day Recipe

A lot of my friends are amazing cooks and food enthusiasts but for this Valentine's Day dish I wanted something that even a beginner could feel confident about.  This is a one pot dish. No fancy cooking methods, no complex techniques or hard to find ingredients. Just everything in the pot and done in an hour. Cook with a loved one, for a loved one or just for something fun to do.

This is the final recipe of a full, simple WWII Valentine's Day dinner. Be sure to check out the period recipes for salad and dessert:

Cesar Salad 

Valentine's Day Candies

WWII Era Tomato Spaghetti 

This recipe is from The Searchlight Cookbook (1943)

Ingredients:

- 1/2 Pound of Spaghetti (1/2 a box)
- 2 Cups Canned Tomatoes, chopped (1, 28 Ounce Can)
- 1/2 Pound of Grated Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Oil
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup (Modern ketchup is really sweet so add a few Tablespoons of Vinegar if you want)
- 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms (2 small cans)
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Olives (1 small can)
- 2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
- 2 Small Chili Peppers, Chopped


Cook and drain Spaghetti according to the package. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 1 hour. Plate it and top with extra cheese. You're done!


I'm particular about my pasta but this is a surprisingly fun one as the flavor sits between spaghetti and pizza due to the toppings and what kind of cheese you use. I used Parmesan but if you chose to use mozzarella it would definitely still be good. There are a lot of olives and mushrooms which my grandma would call "fluffing" a recipe when her mother did it: adding more veggies so you can stretch it out to feed more people.

If you want to save time, tomatoes with garlic already included can be bought and crushed red chili pepper can be used. If you're cooking the full meal, I won't tell if you get a salad kit at the grocery store and buy your candies. :)

Happy Valentine's Day! I would love to hear from anyone who cooks any of these recipes.   

WWII Era Valentine's Day Candies Recipe

I'm posting some of these Valentine's Day ideas early so everyone has time to prepare if they want to make them. I thought it would be fun to post a whole WWII Era Valentine's Day dinner. I've already wrote about Cesar (Aviator's) Salad to start dinner, I will hopefully be posting a period spaghetti recipe and thought I'd start everyone off with dessert as you can make these in advance!

This recipe is from Making the Most of Your Servel Electrolux (1936). Just freeze them until you need them. Make sure you really like the person, this recipe is going to use 1/4 of your monthly US sugar ration. The recipe makes about 24 pieces.

I ended up making the Chocolate Peppermints and the Nut Cubes although the recipe suggested a bunch of different ideas that I'll include at the end of this post. The Chocolate Peppermints were pretty much peppermint patties. They are so good! The nut cubes taste like a square inch of Oreo cream filling dipped in chocolate, also not bad.


Fondant*:

- 1 Egg White
- 1/2 Tablespoon Water
- 3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract (I recommend a little more)
- 2 3/4 Cups Powdered Sugar (plus extra for dusting)

Combine egg white, water and vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar until you get a dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

Divide dough in half. Make sure the half you aren't working with is sitting on a heavily powdered surface.

Options:

Melting Chocolate
Peppermint Oil
Crushed Nuts


Take one half of the fondant dough and at 4 drops of peppermint oil and knead in, being careful not to get it on your skin. Roll into small balls and flatten. Let dry a few minutes on a piece of wax paper.

Take the other half of the dough, work in the crushed nuts, leaving extra for garnish. On a sugared surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle and cut into cubes. Smaller are better. Let dry on a piece of wax paper.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave according to the package instructions. Skewer candy pieces and coat in chocolate. Place on a clean piece of wax paper, top with nuts if desired. Harden them quickly in the freezer.


*You can find modern recipes online if you'd rather not use a recipe made with raw egg. The end product is very similar. 

Why will your candies look better than mine?

You're going to pay the $3.49 and get melting chocolate and not think the chocolate chips on hand are good enough. You also will let your shapes chill in the freezer for a bit before you dip them in chocolate. :) Moving on.


I hope everyone has a great holiday and stay tuned for the Spaghetti post!