In Hard Times: Cash-saving lessons of the past useful for today's cooks

Times may be tough, but are they tough enough to tempt you with roasted veal's head?

It may seem small consolation in these rough economic times, but our country has been through this before. And each time, food writers and cooks have offered up their wisdom for keeping food affordable.

To see how many of those lessons still apply today, we peeked at some famous -- and not so -- budget cookbooks from years past for timeless tips on how to stretch a dollar.

You can thank the great food writer M.F.K. Fisher for the veal's head idea. In her 1942 book, How to Cook a Wolf, she navigated the tricky culinary territory that marked the end of the Great Depression and the start of World War II.

At a time when rationing was de rigueur, Fisher suggested creative economizing. To save energy and time, she suggested cooking twice the amount of rice or pasta needed. The energy cost of cooking a double batch is about the same as a single, plus you have leftovers on hand for easy meals later.

She even suggests saving the starchy water leftover from cooking pasta. Simmer it with onions and stock to make a "nutritious broth that would shame nobody," she wrote.

Fisher's recipes use cheap, available ingredients, yet still have a culinary dignity to them. She reminds us of the value of slowly savoring what she calls simple, honest foods, such as her Parisian onion soup and Chinese consomme.

Many of us, though, probably would skip the chance to savor her two ways with veal head (simmered with carrots, celery, onion and lemon or cooked with lemon and white wine, then formed into a loaf).

Food-legend James Beard and his friend Sam Aaron filled their 1953 book, How to Eat Better for Less Money, with practical tips for eating well without spending a lot. And much of the advice holds today.

Buy in bulk, but only if you'll actually use everything you buy, they advised. Put your competitive side to work and do plenty of comparison shopping. And buy store brands whenever possible.

Beard and Aaron also praised what then was still a novel concept at home -- the freezer. They called it a "food bank" for making creative meals from leftovers, saving money by cooking in large batches, and saving time by cooking in advance.

Not all their advice was quite so timeless, and some of the recipes are more involved than what most modern cooks want to tackle on a weeknight.

But most cooks today would find the sections on making gourmet hamburgers and "instant meals" entirely approachable. Ideas include a quick tamale pie with canned chili, beans, olives, a box of corn-bread mix, an egg and some tomato juice.

Beard and Aaron also are fans of a cost-saving technique that really should come back in vogue: using whole birds.

They have a guide for stretching a 16-pound turkey into six meals, including scalloped turkey, curried turkey wings, turkey divan and turkey Reuben sandwiches.

And starting with a whole chicken is definitely the cheapest way to go when making their paprika chicken.

The economic slowdown of the early 1960s gave us Sylvia Vaughn Thompson's Economy Gastronomy and Ann Rogers' A Cookbook for Poor Poets and Others. In this case, the poets fare better than the gastronomes.

Thompson, the daughter of a screenwriter and actress, grew up in Hollywood and had a privileged sense of what it means to economize. According to the jacket copy, she uses "wit, flair and enthusiasm" instead of costly cuts of meat.

The results aren't satisfying as a whole. But Thompson does include an economical recipe for pot-roasted brisket from her friend Groucho Marx. She also has lots of good advice for dressing up humble food with simple garnishes, such as using pimientos, capers, citrus slices and jellies.

Which brings back that old adage that we eat as much with our eyes as our mouths. A little effort spent gussying up a plate can go a long way to making affordable food feel like an indulgence.

Rogers focuses on creating elegant, satisfying meals from inexpensive foods, while striving to keep enough of the budget left over for good bread and wine.

One tip that still holds true is that if you don't already have a fully stocked spice cabinet, it can be cheaper to buy pre-seasoned ingredients, such as many canned beans, soup bases and sauces.

Her recipes include red-flannel hamburgers made with mashed potatoes and pickled beets. The recipes as a whole are humble, appealing and feel right as our nation once again veers toward comfort foods.

Paprika Chicken

Recipe adapted from James Beard and Sam Aaron's How to Eat Better for Less Money (Simon and Schuster).

This is a variation on classic Chicken Paprikash. To take full advantage of the tangy sauce, serve the chicken over steaming long-grain rice or a heap of buttered egg noodles. It takes about an hour, but requires only about 15 minutes of active work. For the cheapest option, buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself. The second-cheapest option is to buy a whole but already cut-up chicken.

4 pounds chicken parts, bone-in, skin-on

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 large yellow onions, finely chopped

½ cup tomato juice (or 3 tablespoons tomato paste mixed with ¼ cup water)

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Season the chicken with the salt. Set aside.

2. In a large saute pan with a lid, over medium heat combine the butter and oil. When the butter has melted, add the paprika and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

3. Add the chicken and brown for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

4. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato juice, then return the chicken to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 40 to 50 minutes.

5. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

6. In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and flour, then add the mixture to the liquid in the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Turkish Hash

Recipe adapted from M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf (North Point Press).

Hash is a time-honored way of using leftover meat. This variation adds rice and chopped tomato, which gives the dish the feel of hearty Turkish casserole. If you, like substitute the meat with canned tuna or sardines, or even tofu. This takes about 35 minutes, but requires only 15 minutes of active work.

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

½ cup uncooked white rice

1 cup water or broth

1½ cups diced cooked meat (beef, pork or chicken)

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon horseradish (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium skillet with a cover, over medium-high heat melt the butter. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the water or broth, diced meat, tomatoes, garlic, horseradish (if using), salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, then bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.