Creole or Spanish Sauce

Recipe No. 501 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Sauces. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

Onions, chopped — 1½ pounds (1½ No. 56 dippers)

• Peppers, green, chopped — 1½ pounds (1½ No. 56 dippers)
• Mushrooms — 1½ pounds (1½ No. 56 dippers)
• Fat, melted — 1 pound (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Tomato puree — 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Tomatoes — 8 pounds (4 No. 56 dippers)
• Meat stock — 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Flour, sifted — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Butter, melted — 4 ounces (8 mess kit spoons)
• Salt — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — ¼ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Parsley, finely chopped — 3 sprigs
• Garlic, crushed — 1 small clove

Directions

1. Fry onions, green peppers and mushrooms in fat about 5 minutes; add tomato puree, tomatoes and meat stock.
2. Mix flour and melted butter; stir until smooth. Add to onion and tomato mixture. Heat to boiling point; boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add salt, pepper, parsley and garlic; mix well.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Onions, chopped — 2 oz Peppers, green, chopped — 2 oz Mushrooms — 2 oz Fat, melted — 1¼ oz Tomato puree — 10¼ tbsp Tomatoes — 10¼ oz Meat stock — 10¼ tbsp Flour, sifted — about ½ tsp Butter, melted — about 2 tsp Salt — about ½ tsp Pepper — a pinch Parsley, finely chopped — scale to taste (3 sprigs) Garlic, crushed — scale to taste (1 small clove)

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 501, Sauces. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints. NOTE: a quantity on the scanned page was unclear — check the PDF in the Reference Library.