Special Nostalgia Recipe
Chipped Beef on Toast
(a.k.a. Creamed Beef on Toast, S.O.S., Shit on a Shingle)
Remember SOS? Of course you do! We've all eaten this culinary delight, and some even developed a taste for it. Depending upon who prepared it, SOS could be pretty good, especially if you were starving. Here is an official U.S. Army recipe for SOS:CREAMED BEEF ON TOAST (SOS)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 tbsp. sifted flour
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 tbsp. butter
Brown ground beef in its own fat. Remove excess fat and save for making roux. Season with salt and pepper. To make roux, place 2 tbsp. reserved fat in double broiler or heavy pan. Slowly add sifted flour, stirring constantly over low heat until thoroughly blended. Cook for five minutes. Do not brown. Combine milk and water. Add butter and scald (not burn) in double broiler or heavy pan. Add roux to scalded milk, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Add meat mixture and cook about 10 minutes, or until desired consistency. Serve on toast.
Of course, the real recipe used to feed the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry at the Mess Hall had the measures written in buckets, shovels, fists and other measures that we're probably better off not knowing. It was sort of like LRP Rations and C-rations, a liberal dosage of McIlhenny's Louisiana Tabasco Sauce could render the most challenging meal tasty and (possibly) even nutritious!
