YouTube® sensation Clara Cannucciari shares her treasured recipes and commonsense wisdom in a heartwarming remembrance of the Great Depression Clara Cannucciari is a 94 year-old internet sensation. Her YouTube® Great Depression Cooking videos have an army of devoted followers. In Clara’s Kitchen, she gives readers words of wisdom to buck up America’s spirits, recipes to keep the wolf from the door, and tells her story of growing up during the Great Depression with a tight-knit family and a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” philosophy of living. In between recipes for pasta with peas, eggplant parmesan, chocolate covered biscotti, and other treats Clara gives readers practical advice on cooking nourishing meals for less. Using lessons she learned during the Great Depression, she writes, for instance, about how to conserve electricity when cooking and how you can stretch a pot of pasta with a handful of lentils. She reminisces about her youth and writes with love about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Clara’s Kitchen takes readers back to a simpler, if not more difficult time, and gives everyone what they need right now: hope for the future and a nice dish of warm pasta from everyone’s favorite grandmother, Clara Cannuciari, a woman who knows what’s really important in life.
Clara's Kitchen
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About the Author
CLARA CANNUCCIARI is 94 years old and lives in Skaneateles, New York. Her grandson, CHRISTOPHER CANNUCCIARI, is a filmmaker who lives in Brooklyn. His latest film is New Brooklyn.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
CLARA'S KITCHEN
CHAPTER ONE
Goods from the Garden and "Found" Foods
ESPECIALLY IN THE LEAN YEARS of the Depression, we lived on vegetables and, and it kept us plenty strong and healthy for all the hard work at hand. Meat was a treat, but vegetables were our staples.
When I was a kid, my father kept a garden in the backyard, which we helped him keep up, and my mother would take the vegetables we grew and make them into all kinds of meals. Not just side dishes like you would today. The vegetables, made with pasta or on their own, were the main event. Meat was too hard to come by most of the time. We had to stretch out whatever we had for as long as we could, so whatever we couldn't eat, my mother would can and preserve for winter. Sometimes we'd eat stuff that grew wild,like burdock and dandelions and mushrooms. We'd find it, and Ma would clean and cook it.
My father would plant vegetables all summer. Ma would take out the seeds, dry them out, and then my father would plant them again. And that's how we kept our garden growing. Whatever was left over, my mother would can. We ate really well in the Depression, and throughout the year, because of that. Here are some of my favorite recipes Ma made with the vegetables we grew.
Swiss Chard with Garlic
Serves 4
IT'S EASY TO FORGET about nutrition when your pockets are empty, but where there's dirt, there's food--healthy, nutritious food. Back in the Depression, lots of people grew gardens to eat from, including us. Some people would grow gardens in the summer and then go through the streets and try and sell their stuff. Buying someone else's vegetables was too expensive for us, but we still needed to eat.
A couple of times, my father stood in line for food the government supplied, but he hated it. He was very proud and self-reliant, and he would rather go without than take handouts. I think he went twice and then never again. Instead, my father took matters into his own hands and kept a great big garden in our backyard. He grew just about everything there. Carrots, escarole, spinach, asparagus, radishes, beans, eggplant, peppers, Swiss chard, you name it. We ate so healthy with all those vegetables and we weren't even trying. And we worked hard helping him keep that garden in shape. No wonder we all live so long--my brother and I are both healthy and strong and in our nineties!
Swiss chard was good, but it was always a little bitter for me, so Ma would always add some garlic to give it a little extra something. You can toss this over pasta or serve it as a side for a meat dish.
You will need
1 bunch Swiss chard 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced Salt and pepper
1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
2. Thoroughly rinse the Swiss chard, removing most of the tough stems (but leave some if they look like they will be tender).
3. Add the Swiss chard to the pot. Boil 5 minutes, then drain and set aside. When it's cool enough to handle, squeeze it between your hands to get all the extra water out of the chard.
4. Add the oil to a medium frying pan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until the garlic turns a very light brown.
5. Add the Swiss chard and saute until tender--about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Fried Potatoes and Vegetables
Serves 4
WINTERS WERE TOUGH in the Midwest, then and now.
I never liked winter. And I hate snow. It's white, but it darkens your heart. Especially when you have to walk through piles of it with holes in your stockings to get to school.
But it did have one upside for us. In winter, when there was snow and ice, we'd be able to save food longer. We didn't have a refrigerator or even an icebox when I was a kid, and we'd have to eat everything or else it'd go bad. But in the wintertime, we could store our food outside, digging a hole in the snow and ice. Mom would say: "Sam, go out and get the leftover roast from last night. It's buried out by the fence." I laugh about it now, but it was kind of sad.
Later, though, we had an icebox. The iceman would come and bring us fifty pounds of ice. There was a tray underneath that Sam and I were supposed to remember to empty. We'd forget about it all the time and get such a whuppin' if all that water ended up on the floor. They sure didn't "spare the rod" in those days.
No, we didn't have most of the modern conveniences everyone has today. We relied on canning and jarring to preserve our food when we couldn't "ice" it. We didn't have a washing machine until after the Depression. We used to wash clothes with a washboard, which I still have hangingin my home. Because of my mother's arthritis, she would boil the clothes, but then it would be up to me to scrub them against the washboard and wring them out through a hand-cranked wringer. It was pretty hard to do.
We had indoor plumbing, but we didn't have central heat. We warmed our house with a wood-burning stove and furnace, but because my parents always wanted to save coal and wood, it was always cold in the house. And they didn't want to use up what they had in case it got colder. We'd sit in front of the stove and the front of us would be warm, but our backs would freeze. Then we'd turn around and warm our backs, and our fronts would freeze. Those were the good old days, before we had a real furnace.
The only lights we had were from our two kerosene lamps, but in the 1920s, we got gaslights. They put in pipes and almost every room had a light. The lights would be on the side of the wall and there would be little jets of gas that you would light by putting a match there. There would be the little flicker of gaslight and we thought this was so bright. In the 1930s, our house got wired with electricity and we had our first lightbulbs. When we turned them on for the first time we thought, "Oh my gosh, it's like daylight!" Maybe it was 20 or 15 watts, but we thought it was so bright. (And we left in the gaslights just in case we lost the lightbulbs.)
Fried Potatoes and Vegetables is a hearty meal that's good in the winter because it'sfilling and warms you from the inside. Turnips are in season from November to April, so they're good to cook with in winter, but they can be stored a long time, so this meal can be eaten any time of the year.
You will need
4 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes ½ red onion, diced 1 celery stalk (leaves and all), chopped 1 tomato, chopped ½ heap escarole, chopped Salt and pepper Pecorino Romano cheese
1. Pour the vegetable oil into a frying pan and set it over medium heat Add the potatoes, turnip, carrots, and onion and saute slowly, about 15 minutes, but don't mix the vegetables too much or they won't brown.
2. Add the chopped celery and saute for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are brown on all sides.
3. Add the tomato and escarole and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.
Squash with Eggs
Serves 6
WE MADE A LOT OF MEALS with eggs because they weren't just cheap, they were practically free. Back in those days, we all had our own chickens, which we kept in the yard. It was pretty normal to have a few chickens running around the yard back then, but they probably wouldn't allow that anymore. So we always had our own eggs. And then sometimes for Sunday dinner, we'd kill a chicken. But that was rare. We needed the eggs!
Squash was one of the vegetables we grew in our garden, and there was always plenty of it to go around. So free eggs and free vegetables made Squash and Eggs one of our most delicious meals. Maybe more delicious because it didn't cost anything but the time it took to fry it up.
You will need
4 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 large yellow summer squash, diced 12 large eggs Salt and pepper Pecorino Romano cheese, optional
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat. Add the squash to the oil and saute for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
2. Crack the eggs into the pan with the squash (for one-pot cooking) and scramble until they achieve the desired texture.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, and add salt and pepper to taste. I also like to top this with a little Pecorino Romano cheese.
Take It from Me
If you don't think you have time to exercise, just clean your kitchen. I think it's kind of silly--the people jogging. Scrubbing my floors and counters makes everything strong, and my kitchen looks good.
Spinach and Rice
Serves 4
WHEN I WAS A GIRL, I was a tomboy. I loved playing active games, running around and using up a lot of energy. After school, some of the girls played house or with dolls, but I liked playing tag or hide-and-seek. And pretty much every time we were playing, someone would ask: "Do you want to play baseball?" I always wanted to play baseball. But I'd get skinned if I got my school clothes dirty, so I'd say, "Yeah! I'll be out in a minute," and then I'd race home, take off my school dress, and put on a play dress.
I used to play a lot of baseball. Boys and girls would play together and we would play in the streets. Even in high school, I was still playing baseball with the boys. I didn't date any of them, but we were always hanging around together. The boys never asked what I was doing playing with them. I guess I just belonged with them. They would get into trouble, and I'd be with them, but when it got dark we'd all go home or our mothers would give us a lickin'. Sometimes I used to...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
68 of 69 people found the following review helpful
By J. Clark
Format:Hardcover
I'd seen a few of the Youtube videos featuring Clara Cannucciari a year or two ago (search "great depression cooking" on Youtube to find them) and was completely charmed, so it was a treat to find Clara's Kitchen on the new books shelf at my bookstore the other day.
This small book is full of memories, photos, and recipes from the 1920s and 30s--a peek into the life of Clara and her parents, brother, and extended Italian immigrant family as they struggled to get along in hard times. Reading Clara's stories is like sitting down with your own grandmother, and you may be inspired to seek out a grandparent or great-aunt or -uncle and find out how they survived those difficult years.
The recipes are mostly very simple--Dandelion Salad, Eggs and Potatoes, Pasta with Beans...with Broccoli...with Escarole--and mostly stem from traditional Italian cooking. Lots of pasta, lots of greens, lots of eggplant, supplemented with eggs and potatoes and tomato sauce.
And yet, though the dishes seem simple by today's standards, there's a lot of nutritional common sense to be found here, too, as Clara's family used fresh vegetables from their own garden and minimal meat, as it was too expensive for everyday use.
Clara's cheerfulness and practicality shine through her words, as she remembers the fun of family holidays and the luxury of Sunday chicken dinners, but she doesn't minimize the stress and sadness that parents and children dealt with as they struggled to make ends meet. I was especially touched by her brief description of having to drop out of high school in the tenth grade because her family needed her to be out working and bringing in money. Simply told, but you can feel her regret.
This is living history, perfectly captured. A gem of a book.
This small book is full of memories, photos, and recipes from the 1920s and 30s--a peek into the life of Clara and her parents, brother, and extended Italian immigrant family as they struggled to get along in hard times. Reading Clara's stories is like sitting down with your own grandmother, and you may be inspired to seek out a grandparent or great-aunt or -uncle and find out how they survived those difficult years.
The recipes are mostly very simple--Dandelion Salad, Eggs and Potatoes, Pasta with Beans...with Broccoli...with Escarole--and mostly stem from traditional Italian cooking. Lots of pasta, lots of greens, lots of eggplant, supplemented with eggs and potatoes and tomato sauce.
And yet, though the dishes seem simple by today's standards, there's a lot of nutritional common sense to be found here, too, as Clara's family used fresh vegetables from their own garden and minimal meat, as it was too expensive for everyday use.
Clara's cheerfulness and practicality shine through her words, as she remembers the fun of family holidays and the luxury of Sunday chicken dinners, but she doesn't minimize the stress and sadness that parents and children dealt with as they struggled to make ends meet. I was especially touched by her brief description of having to drop out of high school in the tenth grade because her family needed her to be out working and bringing in money. Simply told, but you can feel her regret.
This is living history, perfectly captured. A gem of a book.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By P. Duncan
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I order several copies of this book. I had watched her videos and of course was charmed. I started to read one of the copies I bought and got through 30 pages and knew I was going to buy more for gifts before Christmas.
She is such a sweet heart and her stories so touching, I almost shed a few teas. And no one died so far! Its a happy story of bonding in a family. Do be prepared to get misty eyed at least. Its not all recipes. Its her life and its not over.
Thank you Clara for sharing.
She is such a sweet heart and her stories so touching, I almost shed a few teas. And no one died so far! Its a happy story of bonding in a family. Do be prepared to get misty eyed at least. Its not all recipes. Its her life and its not over.
Thank you Clara for sharing.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Clara grew up in the Great Depression and remembers how her family survived; not only with love and a common bond to help each other out but with some common sense that could help you out today.
We have become such a throw away society that to not waste anything is almost a foreign concept.
Clara will tell you about her life in this book as well as on line. 'Clara's Kitchen' not only contains her philosophy but her recipes as well. Some will not be used unless you want to pull up dandelions but why not teach your children and grandchildren what true use of all of our resources can be. With the mainly vegetarian recipes meals will be healthier too, not to mention a boon for a vegetarian; since meat was scarce in the depression.
Learn how to make bread for your family it's satisfying, better for you and saves money as will all the advice in this little book.
We have become such a throw away society that to not waste anything is almost a foreign concept.
Clara will tell you about her life in this book as well as on line. 'Clara's Kitchen' not only contains her philosophy but her recipes as well. Some will not be used unless you want to pull up dandelions but why not teach your children and grandchildren what true use of all of our resources can be. With the mainly vegetarian recipes meals will be healthier too, not to mention a boon for a vegetarian; since meat was scarce in the depression.
Learn how to make bread for your family it's satisfying, better for you and saves money as will all the advice in this little book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart advice from someone who has survived hard times and flourished.
Clara lived through the great depression and her memories of this time provide a personal history of how one family survived by "making do" and working together. Read more
Published 2 days ago by debnow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clara is a jewel!!
I have always wondered what it was like during the depression for families. How my grandmothers made ends meet when there just wasn't enough. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Cynthia
5.0 out of 5 stars
clara's kitchen
I love this book. It was more than I thought it would be. I hope you have some more in the future.
Published 26 days ago by phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for the tomato sauce recipe alone!
I have made the tomato sauce in this book three times and it's been great. I added my own extra step: I processed the sauce in a blender before serving. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Carmen R. St Jean
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Delightful
I love Clara's story, I loved reading her life growing up in the Depression era. She even included personal pictures of her family and friends through the years. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Theresa Herr
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love Clara!
I've tried a lot of her recipes and haven't found a dud among them. You haven't lived until you have eaten her Peppers and Eggs, Eggplant Parmesan, Potatoes and Eggs, and Pasta... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Gregory S Bailey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love Clara
I found Clara on Youtube and fell in love. I was happy when I found her cookbook, I just had to have it, so I bought it
Published 3 months ago by Stampsfamily
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book.
This book is great information. I love reading it and I have done several recipes and it teaches you how to be very frugal.
Published 3 months ago by Hopper2
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gentle stories and recipes
Reading Clara's Kitchen by Clara Cannucciari and Christopher Cannucciari is like visiting grandma. Clara tells about living through the depression and how her family learned to... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Penmouse
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love Clara
This is a great read and the recipes are simple, easy to make and tasty too! Clara, thanks for sharing your stories and fantastic recipes!
Published 4 months ago by extex0813
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
