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Ahhh - you thought psychics only delved into the future. Not at all - we Foodies also take a long look at the past to see if we are, indeed, going Back to the Future....I've been boning up (ha) on what sort of meals and economical recipes were available during the first Great Depression, in the 1930s, to see any adaptable for today and even tomorrow's health and frugally-conscious cooks. This one certainly is! I found it in The Wilken Family cookbook, circa 1935. It is simple to make, economical and rich-tasting! (how's that for irony?)

Poor Man's Pudding

You will need: one egg, small amounts of sugar, molasses, flour. Small amounts of cinnamon, soda, water, salt and shortening. A half-cup or so, raisins. A mixing bowl, of course a nice Depression glass or McCoy bowl would be grand, and a greased pudding mold (or china or pottery deep dish).

Directions: Beat the egg, add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 cup molasses. Meanwhile, sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add these ingredients to the molasses mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of soda, dissolved in 1/3 cup of hot water and beat into the mixture thoroughly. Add 2 tablespoons melted shortening (your choice of liquid or melt butter or Crisco). Then add 1/2 up raisins, lightly dusted in a sprinkle of flour. Pour into the greased pudding mold 3/4 full, cover tightly, and steam 1 1/4 hours.

Serve: Hot. The Wilkens, who owned a whiskey distillery, suggested adding a whiskey sauce (we tried a small whisper of cognac), but you can also garnish with delicious fresh fruit (we used strawberries) and/or a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dream whip. This Pudding tastes more like gingerbread than what we think of as pudding; its consistency is more like bread pudding, and the color is molasses brown. It tastes fresh, rich and healthy. Plus, it contains no milk - perfect for lactose intolerant.

Food Note# 1: We placed the mold on a vegetable steamer in a large, deep soup pot, which we then covered.

Food Note #2: Since we're talking Depression, it's fun to use vintage 1930s utensils (Bakelite), pottery, Depression glass. I have some charming green Depression glass sherbet glasses, perfect for serving this pudding a la mode. Part of the enjoyment of any dish is how you serve it, isn't it?

Food Note #3: I have a sizable vintage cookbook collection, but very few of the older cookbooks (even those published in the 1930s) mention the Depression or offer economical recipes, like we find today on the internet and on Factoidz. Of course, there we many people who were doing well, or even okay, during the 1930s; perhaps their worst calamity was having to let a maid go. So, most cookbooks were directed to the woman who was more used to dining out than in. She might have had little expertise in preparing the food herself. The popular magazines chose to ignore The Great Depression (in part, because their readers were those who could afford to buy a magazine). Some home-style restaurants that managed to stay in business did publish cookbooks that contained recipes for "inexpensive, every-day meals." But the word "Depression" was never mentioned. Please watch this space for more vintage frugal food ideas.

With special thanks to The Wilken Family Home Cooking Album and Back to the Future ( 1985).

04.19.12 updated