Wilted Lettuce

Recipe No. 600 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

• Lettuce, trimmed — 20 heads
• Onions, chopped — 8 ounces (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Bacon, diced — 3 pounds
• Vinegar — 2½ quarts (2½ No. 56 dippers)
• Water — 1½ quarts (1½ No. 56 dippers)
• Fat, bacon — 12 ounces (½ mess kit cup)
• Flour, sifted — 6 ounces (½ mess kit cup)
• Sugar, granulated — 1¼ pounds (⅔ No. 56 dipper)
• Salt — ½ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Pepper — ½ ounce (2 mess kit spoons)

Directions

Key ingredients

Bacon Grease

1. Wash lettuce; separate leaves. Dry thoroughly.
2. Stack leaves together; roll and cut crosswise into medium sized pieces.
3. Fry onions and bacon together; drain and reserve fat.
4. Mix vinegar and water; heat to boiling point.
5. Mix bacon fat and flour; stir until smooth. Add slowly to hot vinegar.
6. Heat to boiling point; boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
7. Add sugar, salt and pepper.
8. Combine lettuce, onions and bacon. Pour hot vinegar mixture over lettuce just before serving.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Lettuce, trimmed — 1⅔ heads Onions, chopped — ⅔ oz Bacon, diced — 3¾ oz Vinegar — 12¾ tbsp Water — 7⅔ tbsp Fat, bacon — 1 oz Flour, sifted — ½ oz Sugar, granulated — 1⅔ oz Salt — a pinch Pepper — a pinch

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 600, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.