Back to (box) basics.Cooking from the back of the box.

Have you ever found yourself buying something just for the recipe on the back of the pack? or how many times have you picked up casual ingredients, a box of pasta, a can of beans and ignored the recipe on the back? I can tell you, flatly, that I have done this hundreds of times, convinced that the cooking advice proffered was too pedestrian for my sophisticated tastes. As I pondered during  the pandemic it came to me. Some of the best recipes in the world aren't from cookbooks or famous chefs...Nope, not the true classics; some of those come from the back of your favourite food packet.

Packaged foods had their heyday from the 1950´s to the 1980´s along side the rise of advertising and a market for industrialized food. The back-of-the-box recipe, own brand advertising however, likely dates back to the early 1900s.Home cooks were lured by money prizes for submitting their recipes made with these branded products.Each month a different home cook would be featured alongside their recipe on the packet.
The expertise of women who had attended college in the early 1900s to study home economics was suddenly a marketable commodity. It gave rise to a whole whole crop of educated women who had the perfect qualifications to work in the then new phenomenom of test kitchens. Food companies started hiring them to work in this area With teams of women using their college educations to take a scientific approach to recipe development, and a society being offered homemade to semi-homemade foods, life became ripe for a moment of international recipe exchange, and possibly the first hint of the not so far off ready meal.A clever marketing ploy was to use back-of-the-box recipes to promote packaged foods, so that consumers would have reason to continue using these products and stay loyal to the brand. And it worked. Leading brands developed recipes that found ways to get consumers to try their product and then to 
keep buying it.
But the passionate devotion to back-of-the-box recipes trails off once we reach the digital age. Back-of-the-box recipes, while once omnipresent, have fallen out of favour. We still rely on supermarket and basic pantry ingredients, of course, but the recipes we use now become reliable go-tos or part of family lore for different reasons. We see food through the lens of the internet, where inertia and zeitgeist point us to compelling still lifes on instagram and links to their accompanying recipes. Popularity is rewarded through likes and shares, and we have forgotten about the dusty backs of 
boxes. If there’s something you need, the internet can provide you with an easy answer.
Arguably, we’ve moved on for other reasons, too. Our culinary world is different. It’s fresher and more market-dependent than it was in the industrial era. “Something that’s different today is that we have incredible access to a multitude of ingredients,” In some ways, cooking today is fly-by-night, with ingredients we stumble upon while out shopping, dictating meals. Maybe back-of-the-box recipes don’t reflect the kind of cooking that we aspire to achieve now, in our seasonally fresh, well-curated kitchens.Nevertheless I am going to test drive a couple of well known back of the box recipes just to see how they stand the test of time.There’s value in opening your pantry door, reading the box, and doing what it says. In the process, pay homage to the home economists who built the empires of test kitchens, and under the auspices of some of today´s celebrity chefs still are.One that immediately comes to light is the Ottolenghi test kitchen which has now published its first cook book.
These are the people who work behind the scenes to create things we didn’t know were possible. Perhaps the back of the box is a small, tangible, and modest song still worth singing.
During the height of the pandemic,the press repeatedly reported empty shelves in supermarkets and the inability of small shopkeepers to keep staple pantry items and fresh produce in stock. Essentials such as beans, rice, pasta, and peanut butter became hot commodities.Thanks to these modern food shortages — and farmers being forced to destroy food, pared-down cooking habits are once again being embraced and misjudged by governments who have no clue of household management and meal planning. Home cooks are turning to post war ration era foods made with affordable and shelf-stable ingredients to feed the whole family.

One of my peanut butter loaves from the pandemic of 2020

Baking bread during the 2020 lock down became a social media phenomenon. For many, finding yeast could've been compared to a hero's journey as shelves were emptied due to panic buying. There  were endless reports in the media of online searches for "yeastless bread recipes" which went up 4,400% and phrases like "no egg cake recipe" and "canned ham recipes" started trending worldwide. The Depression-era "quick bread" recipe appeared originally in the Five Roses Cook Book from a Canadian flour company in 1932. Peanut butter bread resurfaced during the pandemic on Reddit as some people found they had more time to play at home in the kitchen, and restaurants being closed spurred others to get imaginative. Peanut butter bread is a "make-do" recipe that feels as relevant today as it did when food shortages and rationing became common in the post war years.

Many peoples favourite pasta dish was discovered on the back of a pasta packet. In my case it was back in my student days but whats wrong with still loving it decades later. This brings me to my first makeover, the infamous Tuna pasta bake made with Campbell´s cream of mushroom canned soup. Made famous by Campbell’s soup in the mid 20th century, tuna noodle casserole became a much loved convenience food. All you needed was a can of condensed mushroom soup, a can of tuna, some dried pasta, and cornflakes or crumbled crackers. It was even called in 1946 “an excellent emergency dish.” There has to be a better way and I was determined to find out. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a time and a place for canned soup. But it usually contains numerous additives E numbers and is high in sodium so we should avoid it at all costs.But here’s the truth of the matter I just didn’t love the ingredient list — at all.I sat down with pen and paper to make a list of what I liked about the dish, its flavours and how I thought I could emulate those characteristics using more natural, more wholesome and ingredients more in keeping with todays store cupboard.

And guess what? It worked! I call this a “Grown-Up Version” because it doesn’t have the canned soup or frozen peas. Instead, I make a quick creamy sauce using a little flour and milk. I cook down fresh mushrooms with garlic, shallots and white wine, and toss in some finely chopped parsley for a little colour and texture. 

The winning ingredient? A smattering of capers to add an occasional salty bite. I find them quite wonderful paired with the creamy sauce and the chunks of tuna. While the ingredient list is certainly a little longer than your basic Tuna Noodle bake, the little bit of extra effort goes a long way.

Updated it yes but at the same time I wanted too stay true to the classic 1950s dish,so I decided to make a pièce de résistance topping of crumbled salted potato crisps,in place of the cornflakes or crackers.I dont doubt this has been done before In fact the thespian recalls his mother doing just that.

Tuna Pasta bake

to serve 2

Butter, to grease dish
100g fusilli pasta (or shells or other pasta of your choice)
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sliced field mushrooms
1/4 cup minced shallots (about 2 large shallots)
1 large clove garlic, minced
Splash of dry white wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 soup spoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoons capers, drained
3 x 120g cans tuna, drained
1/4 cup sour cream /creme fraiche
1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon flor de sal
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup salted potato crisps, crushed roughly
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley, to top (optional

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9-by-13 or other 3-quart casserole dish with butter.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until just al dente. (Do not overcook.) Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery and onion, season with salt and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the capers and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, until no streaks of flour remain, about 1 minute, reducing the heat as necessary to keep from scorching. Add the stock, half-and-half, sherry, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the tuna, peas and parsley, if using; season to taste.
Add the cooked noodles and toss well. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the crushed potato chips on top and bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Garnish with additional parsley, if using, and serve hot.

Favourite pasta salad recipe was discovered on the back of a pasta packet back in my student days and I still love it decades later! One tin of tuna in brine, drained. Chopped red pepper, some tinned sweetcorn, chopped spring onions. Roughly combine with a large dollop of mayo and a smaller dollop of plain yoghurt. Add loads of black pepper and cooked pasta shells. It has to be shells so that they harbour bits of tuna and veg. Best to mix while the shells are still slightly warm and then leave to cool to room temp. Honestly, it really is very good.                                                                              Marmaduke scarlet

It is a common thing for people to hear the story of Peter Pan and Neverland and to think that they too never want to grow up.I am one of those, but age can be a funny thing, it sometimes manifests itself in foolish infatuations and guilty pleasures, and a return to childhood. 
I loved Rice Krispies because of the Snap! Crackle! Pop! I loved Ricicles more because they were Rice Krispies with extra sugar. And I loved Coco Pops most because they were Rice Krispies with extra sugar and chocolate. I’ve also discovered they work equally well for lunch, tea and late-night feasts. So if you’re feeling lazy or self-indulgent, just stick to Coco Pops.I have now grown up ( well in some respects)and I am craving rice Krispies again.But can you source them in the algarve,can you heck? I have driven the length and breadth of the Algarve but was there a Rice Krispie shop? No. 
So for my second retro makeover Scotcheroos.For those of you who have access to rice Krispies I have included the recipe.

Scotcheroos with  rice krispies

Originally printed on the Rice Krispies box in the 1960s, Scotcheroos are Rice Krispies treats minus the marshmallow but with gobs of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch chips. Use either natural, unsweetened peanut butter or the more conventional stuff. Either will work just fine, with the natural version tasting a tad less sweet. For a twist, you could also swap the corn syrup for honey, golden syrup or a mix of both. Bittersweet chocolate, as opposed to semisweet, helps to balance the sweetness. A sprinkling of flaky salt and crushed peanuts aren’t traditional, but they look as good as they taste.

Cooking spray
8 cups (200 grams) puffed rice cereal
1 ½ cups peanut butter, well-mixed natural or conventional (see Tip)
1 cup (201 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Kosher salt
1 ¼ cups (215 grams) chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips
1 cup (166 grams) butterscotch chips
Flaky salt and crushed peanuts, for sprinkling (optional)

Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Spray the parchment with cooking spray. Measure out the cereal and peanut butter. You want to have them ready before cooking the sugar.
In a large pot (large enough to hold the cereal) combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring only for the first 30 seconds or so to combine the mixture.
Once the bubbles have reached about an inch from the edge of the pot (or 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), cook for 90 seconds more until it reaches about 235 degrees. Remove from the heat.
Immediately stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt until combined. Add the rice cereal, and stir until everything is evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula to flatten the mixture into an even layer. Let cool completely.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate and butterscotch chips in 30-second bursts, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Spread over the top of the bars, and sprinkle with salt and peanuts, if using. Let the chocolate set at room temperature.
Lift out using the paper overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars to serve.

So here is my improvisation,making something very similar from the same era, but with corn Flakes instead. I swear that although there isn´t really a recipe that if there was one kelloggs would have had it on their Corn flakes packets.

This has always been one of my guilty pleasures, chocolate corn flake crispies.With yet another expat craving coming on, I decided to make this classic childrens tea party item.As I have already said It is surprisingly difficult to find a recipe for these, but also surprisngly easy to make one up. Here´s what I did

100g Corn Flakes
100g Melted chocolate
50g Butter
1 Tsp Golden syrup
Melt chocolate and butter in a pan,add the syrup,stir in the Corn Flakes,toss well till everything is well coated.Spoon into paper cake cases and put in the fridge till set.

Some of the other recipes I have pulled off packaging over the years