Onions and Tomatoes

Recipe No. 605 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

• Onions — 15 pounds
• Salt — as needed
• Water, boiling — as needed
• Tomatoes — 2 No. 10 cans
• Sugar, granulated — 4 ounces (8 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — 2 ounces (8 mess kit spoons)
• Salt — 2½ ounces (5 mess kit spoons)
• Cloves, whole — 6 to 8 cloves
• Celery salt — 1 ounce (3 mess kit spoons)
• Flour, sifted — 4 ounces (⅓ mess kit cup)
• Butter, melted — 8 ounces (⅓ mess kit cup)

Directions

1. Wash onions; peel. Cut into halves or leave whole.
2. Add boiling salted water to onions. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Drain.
3. Combine tomatoes, sugar, pepper, salt, cloves and celery salt; mix well. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Mix flour and melted butter. Add a small amount of water; stir until smooth. Add tomato mixture slowly. Heat to boiling point; boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Pour tomato mixture over onions; reheat.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Onions — 1 lb 3¼ oz Salt — to taste Water, boiling — to taste Tomatoes — 2 cups Sugar, granulated — about 2 tsp Pepper — about 1 tsp Salt — about 1¼ tsp Cloves, whole — ½ to 8 cloves Celery salt — about ½ tsp Flour, sifted — about 2 tsp Butter, melted — ⅔ oz

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 605, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.