Broccoli au Gratin

Recipe No. 571 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Vegetables. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Broccoli — 35 pounds
• Salt — as needed
• Water, boiling — as needed
• Cheese sauce — 1 gallon (4 No. 56 dippers)
• Butter, melted — 6 ounces (¼ No. 56 dipper)

Bread crumbs — 1 quart (1 No. 56 dipper)

• Cheese, finely chopped — 6 ounces (¼ No. 56 dipper)

Directions

1. Wash broccoli by plunging heads up and down in cold water; soak in salted water about 30 minutes. Drain. Remove leaves and woody peeling from stalks.
2. Separate heads and stalks. Cut stalks into several pieces lengthwise; leave heads whole.
3. Place heads and stalks in separate cooking utensils. Add boiling salted water to each. Heat each to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer. Simmer heads 10 to 15 minutes. The stalks require a little longer cooking period. Drain.
4. Place broccoli in baking pans.
5. Prepare cheese sauce (recipe No. 395); pour over broccoli.
6. Pour melted butter over bread crumbs; cover broccoli with buttered crumbs and chopped cheese.
7. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) about 15 minutes or until crumbs are brown.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Broccoli — 2 lb 12¾ oz Salt — to taste Water, boiling — to taste Cheese sauce — 1¼ cups Butter, melted — ½ oz Bread crumbs — 5 tbsp Cheese, finely chopped — ½ oz

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 571, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.