Great Depression Cooking - Couscous
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- Clara's Official Website: www.welcometoclaraskitchen.com
94 year old cook, author and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Great Depression.
Couscous was Clara's father, Giuseppe Bonfani's, absolute favorite recipe. Clara recreates the recipe that Giuseppe's sister brought all the way back from Africa via Tunis, Tunisia.
The recipe can also be found in Clara's new book "Clara's Kitchen", available everywhere. - บันเทิง
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you should send all of your videos to the library of congress if you haven't already. Stuff like this has incredible historical value!
+sevsquad
Sevsquad (good on ya, Sev) had a great idea about submitting
these videos to the Library of Congress so I looked up instructions at:www.loc.gov/teachers/copyrightmystery/text/steps/
that's an amazing idea!!
Thank you, Tina.
y'all should order her cookbook.
sassy tbc I hope to soon along with her DVD
it might sound weird but I can't watch her videos without being sad at the end. I never met her and descovered her videos after her death but her personality and sincerity makes me feel like close friends and it hurts to know that she's not here anymore. rest in peace clara
Alezandra Watkins Same here! She was an amazing, wonderful woman and a fresh breath of air. I wish I knew people as kind and sweet as she was.
Alezandra Watkins I really felt something similar to sadness when she said "This dish made my dad smile, and it'll make you smile". God bless Clara wherever she is now.
Same here. I discovered these video only a few days ago but am absolutely taken by her honesty, warmth and her good sense of humour. Her family should be proud to know she still has an impact on the life of so many even after her passing.
Oh she's dead?
I had many Italian ladies in my family just like Clara. They were simply housewives who raied a family, and were good wives to their husband. It was a simpler way of living back then. They would have done anything for you, and you never left the house without something. They equated food with love. It's all they could give you. Simple times, and church on Sunday. They had their problems, but they lived them quietly.
my grandmother was born in 1899,man i wish i could have saved and recorded all of her stories
I know exactly what you mean. Some of my grandmother's stores are now barely even memories. I wish I could I've copied them all down when I was younger. The recipes I have a few. There was a bit of a learning curve to know what a pinch of this and a handful of that was. Odd measurements today.
That's so cool ... write down what you can remember
H
GOD BLESS YOU! ! WISH I COULD KNOW MORE ABOUT HER STORIES AND GREAT COOKING.
God bless grandmom 😊
She is very sharp for her age. I love watching her and listening to her stories.
She's sharp period!
Limerick502 sharp her her age ❤️May she Rest In Peace
Me too! Those were the good old times!
She will be missed on TH-cam by all the people who feel like they really got to know her
Me too. I just Love her
Please never take these away I wish all grandma's had done this. My grandma has been gone for a while now and I wish i had her do this she had some really good recipes.
So did mine. I think those depression era ladies were the best cooks. It still makes my mouth water to remember my grandmas cooking.
T cox right!! So did mine I wish I was able to cherish it a bit more, I wish I could've had her write out some of her recipes
@@2snowgirl520 mine is gone also. She used to tell me stories of her times, i wish i would have recorded them but i have them as memories. She was french canadian and had alot of stories to tell
p
Im born and raised in Tunisia , thank you Clara for cooking a national dish of my country , may you rest in peace ! much love
What the hell, you actually eat that shit there? I thought this was some meme.
@@samuraidoggy same 😂
@@samuraidoggy classy 😒
@@samuraidoggy what? its just a grain.
Let's get some things straight for this era's no-clue-at-all generation (directed to commenters mentioning her 'speed' and using a dull knife while cutting):
1- She is 94 years old in this video for the love of god! The strength of the hands diminishes when you get old.
[Hint: Observe an elderly closely while doing some kind of 'hand work' from now on]. It's a miracle she has the strength to show us the old-fashioned, difficult way of cutting the veggies. In the old days and still in many countries today, people pick up the veggie or fruit and cut them 'in the hand' and do not use any cutting board/ sharp knife/ abra cadabra.
2- She is PURPOSELY using a knife which is somewhat dull and not using a cutting board to give you guys an idea how she used to do it in her youth.
3- Her intent is to show the recipe from the scratch and exactly how they used to do it. You should not be comparing it with today's techniques but being grateful of what you have is her all intention to bring in.
If this generation doesn't have a clue is because they were raised that way.
Sana M. Ameer The way she cuts is how my Grandmothers used knives, how my Mom uses knives - and how I use them, too. I love that she uses this method!
DottyGale8 IKR. I do it too sitting on the couch, watching TV and cutting veggies in hand. It takes practise for some people but I am comfortable with it. I don't understand why people are finding it weird or 'unnecessary' when god has given us the best tools to utilize.
KatyDelMar Being raised up in such a way is not such a problem I believe. People being ignorant and posting stupid comments makes me want to puke on them. Gone are the good ol' days!
i love that she uses the knife in hand!!! she,s like"thats how momma did it. thats how im gonna do it." this woman is hard as fuck too me.
I just love her.
I can’t wait to meet her in heaven ❤️
I love the way she talks and cuts her vegetables. It is like watching a work of art. Everything is filled with soul.
She reminds me of my 94-year-old Filipino grandma who was a girl during the Depression and then a young woman during the hard times of WWII in the Philippines. She came to the US after the war but she's still very Filipino... and yet she's quite similar to this darling lady too. I'm lucky she's still alive. I'll give her a call.
Yevdokiya I hope you gave her a call! I hope she's still alive and well to this day. Best wishes.
That's so amazing how your telling her story. I hope you call her everyday.
My lola passed away many years ago when i was about 13 years old. Im 24 now. I miss her.
Yevdokiya God Bless!
The Maya Chronicles God bless!!!
Her parents sound so interesting, I would love to hear about their lives in more detail!
She passed away three years ago
Acrylic Rose really
Her mom sounds like she lived in the kitchen. Cooking. And was very “fussy about her stove”.
@@dirkdiggler8427 and experienced many things.
My nan never used a cutting board and cut her food the way Clara did. One time nan was cutting pumpkin and the knife went through her hand. She needed a hell of a lot of stitches...once she had healed, there she was, cutting the food in her hand again hahaha. Her generation did that!
Yeah it seems like a lot of old people do that. I don’t get it. It’s not safer or easier or faster than using an actual chefs knife and a cutting board
They were a tough bunch for sure!
It’s normal? I don’t get how people do it differently
My mother is 85 and has never used a cutting board. I couldn't survive without mine.
I'm pretty sure she alluded to the fact of doing it by hand instead of a cutting board to avoid contamination, her grandson would know. If so, that was way ahead of its time. Only around World War II did the public start gaining knowledge of "germs". Cutting board health is still a hot topic 80 years later!
Dear 129 people who don’t like this; I am praying for your spirit.
She is a Light Worker🙏🏻
I just found Miss Clara a couple weeks ago, goodness she IS PRECIOUS!!! Can't wait to meet her in heaven ♥️
I love this lady. She is keeping people happy in heaven. With her cooking
Hello Dear
How are you doing today?
:) I just love her, she is amazing and precious
lydia green me too. It breaks my heart that anyone would dislike one of her videos.
Me too. We are lucky to have found this channel.
lydia green probably the best youtube recommended channel I have seen.
Rip clara
yes i agree, sad i found this channel so late though
Clara's hands were beautiful.
zzydny Yes. They have done and seen a lot and worked hard. That makes them even more beautiful!
Yes, I entirely Agree. I have a thing about hands, I guess you could say. I think it's one of the main things that mark our individuality and humanity. I also love to watch people talk who constantly use their hands to express themselves!
They are the hands of a working mother and grandmother❤️ those hands have seen more hardship than we will ever truly believe.
My dear Italian mother recently passed away at the age of 94 and watching these delightful videos of Clara is balm to my soul. So many of her stories and cooking techniques- especially her way of slicing everything in hand without a cutting board, are exactly what Mom did. I first saw these videos a few years ago and just rediscovered them on TH-cam. I keep watching them over and over and hope they’ll never be taken down. Clara and Mom are cooking a feast in Heaven!
Hello Linda
How are you doing today?
I love her cutting skills!!! reminds me of my mom :(
yvette ortega my mom and grandma cut the same way😊 my husband is a chef and it makes him cringe lol
yvette ortega The old fashioned, but unsafe way.
yvette ortega he doesn't trust himself...lol...jk
My grandmother always cuts that way, it’s so cute
that's how I cut things too ..... and how my Mom did also
My dad’s mom had 17 kids. She has about 200 grandkids. My grandma on my mom’s side didn’t really have a relationship with my mom. My dad’s mom has so many grandkids she’s only met me maybe 3 times. (I’m 25.) Clara is like a grandma figure to me. These videos make me feel like I have a grandma for 10 minutes. I’m so sad she passed. Thank you for being my grandma-figure. Thank you for making me feel like I have someone. Clara has touched me so much. It would have been an honor to meet her. Rest In Peace, sweet lady.
I made this dish last night and was taken away by all the flavors. The veggies certainly set this off. We've never has couscous before. There was no room for seconds that's for sure. Definitely a dish to cook up when $ is tight/ very little food to go round.
Even if you don't use couscous you can still do the same broth and vegetables over rice, or barley even.
How did u buy the couscous?
I don’t understand? It was the depression, how did they afford all these ingredients??
you grew your own veggies for the most part and couscous is fairly cheap even to this day@@trailerparksupervisor7046
Markus Mina I’d love to try couscous but I can’t afford that fancy stuff. Amazing that people ate it during the depression. I guess not everyone was poor.
My grandmother grew up in the depression as well. Did all her own gardening, canning, quilting, and cooked pretty much everything from scratch. Man I miss that lady. The things she cooks remind me of my late grandma. RIP Clara.
My mom cut vegetables & such like she does too. Watching videos of this beautiful lady makes me miss my mom.
Mine too - she was born in 1920 and always cut things by hand; we didn't have a cutting board when I was growing up (in the '60s and '70s). I don't think she ever used one. She also peeled potatoes and things using a knife and peeling toward herself - it was normal. I learned to use a cutting board and chop 'like a chef' from a cooking show. I get cuts; can't remember my mother ever cutting herself!
Elders are our best source for history undiluted by current politics and historical revision.
If you have grandparents or others that are elderly, sit down and let them tell you about their lives. Don't limit them or restrict their speech in any way so that the history comes to you with neither apology nor cushion. Exactly as it happened to them.
I used to love listening to my Grandma's stories.. She was awesome. Lived to be 94.. RIP Gram.. XO ❤️
I work in a nursing home. My greatest joy is listening to all the residents’s stories. 💕
You are a lucky grandson, who have witnessed his grandmother being in a very happy state. Thank you for posting this! It was a pleasure meeting Clara here at her TH-cam Channel. May she be in eternal peace.
She is the grandma I never had! Everyone should watch this lovely lady. sorry I never new her RIP MY DEAR!
Clara seemed such a kind spirited person.
I absolutely love these videos. I'm so glad I found them, I love the stories and recipes. This is the best thing I've seen on TH-cam in quite a while. Her family were so blessed to have her. May she RIP.
The videos themselves are like comfort food. It’s May 2021. Ive lost a lot of ppl in the last year and watching Clara is one of the only things that brings me peace. Bless her and bless you. 💙💜💙
I'm really going to miss these videos now after only discovering them a few months ago. What a wonderful woman she was! She was the same age as my mother would have been had she not died at at 49. You were so blessed to have her all those years.
Deb Cobern This show was truly unique while Clara lived. It's almost a diary glimpse into the past, now. I'm a cynical old man these days and returning to these videos in the end of 2016 gives me even more appreciation for what I am witnessing. I hope more people take notice. The idea of economic depression doesn't register with the populace in the same way it will again.
Clara, as a Historian, I must say I'm impressed! I watched every single one of your recipts. Thats a great show and I wat to thank you for your true-lived historical classes here :) Congratulations!
This takes me back to my childhood. Clara is 100% accurate in all her videos. Both of my parents were in the depression and one in WW2 Italy, where my mother witnessed the starvation and death of many Mussolini led Italians. We Americans live in the Emerald City compared to 95% of the planet who live in poverty and worse. Learn something from Clara's videos. It might save your life someday.
you weren't alive in the depression, you wouldn't know.
@@Maplelust wow, that is offensive to vampires.
“now i’m cutting up the onions”
oh that’s why i’m crying
I love it. What a beautiful woman, and what wonderful memories..... Thanks for posting this.
Still watching her videos! Love to listen to her stories as she cooks. I know she passed years ago but I can watch these over and over again. Just love her.
“So my grandpa said that’s enough of that sh...” 😂 that was gold!
Was a very good soul, rest in peace and thanks for leaving us all this footage 🧡
"That's not the same Table Cloth I sent... mine didn't have the black dots... Those are Flies! HA HA HA HA! lol!
Reminds me of Egypt when my friend pointed to a fish stall and suddenly all the fish stopped being black because the flies flew into the air. He said, "people will still eat those..." lol
Kitura Khan Ew
Watching her cut and prepare the vegetables, made me reminisce of when I was a child in my Grandmas kitchen watching her cook. Thank you, Clara. RIP. 💕💕
I can see why her father loved this dish. It requires time and alot of love to make these humble ingredients beautiful.
Here in egypt we cook it with milk and sugar and it tastes amazing for breakfast even better than cereal
Does it take all day to steam, like in this video?
@@vadaminot429 Not at all and not anymore
@@vadaminot429 You get instant couscous nowadays, cooks in a few minutes
That's what I do sometimes. It is delicious!
michael mahrous how do you prepare it can you please give us the recipe thank you 😊
The 46 people who disliked this video are pure evil
83 people are going to hell now
@@noname-oq2of indeed my friend
@@noname-oq2of ahhh camon xD btw im sure *hell* can teach you wisdom :) want a free ticket ? just call my daddy
84 now how could you have a soul and hit the dislike button?
I think your comment is very evil. Some people don’t like the recipe. It’s not against Clara herself. Relax.
it's 2017 I stubbled on these videos by chance and Clara is a doll. I love the back history she gives while she cooks. I'm so glad her story and recepies were captured.
Such a Beautiful lady your grandmother was.. Thankyou for sharing her with us..my grandmother passed away in 2000, and my grandmother also cut her veges like Clara..lol!
I've only had Couscous once, but I loved it! It is interesting that she grew up in Chicago. I am in Milwaukee...just 90 minutes to the North of Chicago. We have fairly large Italian community up here, and a wonderful Italian community center. The booming industries of the early 1900's drew a lot of immigrants to our two cities from Italy, Ireland, Germany and Poland. Thanks for sharing!!!
RIGMAROLE.....there's a word I haven't heard in forever. You're a lovely lady Clara! Thank you!
Thank you for uploading these. I grew up poor and ate a lot of these recipes
These videos remind me how blessed we were to have our grandmother living with us. She was born in 1896. Even though Clara is a totally different person, that same underlying honesty and gentleness is the same.
Not a fan of "instant" or "convenience" foods, but I thank God we have instant couscous rather than going through this.
Also, I love the reference to the Sicilian/African influence, most people don't realize the many overlaps in cooking. This jumps a continent, not just the next country.
Is there any reason it can't be steamed like rice? Not sure what it is😬
@@vadaminot429 It can depend on the ingredients and the size of it. I personally love to make it pilaf-style myself. Toss it in butter with carrots and onions, then pour in broth, peas, and walnuts. I'll admit I put in a few shakes of cayenne for myself.
@@vadaminot429 Maybe back in the day only one burner for one pot?
@@emmabenuska699 ... Was wondering about steaming? That only takes one pot. Didn't really know what it was but I looked it up...
@@vadaminot429 That's good.Clara's so cool she even used a collender as a steamer basket over the "tagine"
What a blessing to still have her mind, memories and the ability to still be cooking at the age of 94! I just came across these videos today and I love them! Thank you for sharing. Her legacy and memories live on!
I love your grandmother. She is so precious.
Omg, watching this calms my anxiety. And this looks so good.
I lived in Tunisia and discovered this dish the way they make it there. It is truely a luxury.
The way it is made in north Africa is indeed the traditional and best to my opinion since it's an amazigh ancestral dish. Glad you loved it, it's just perfect
"This dish made my dad smile and it'll make you smile " cue my instant tears. I remember watching and salivating over my grandmother making lentil soup.
I’m in a trance today, quarantined and binging all of Clara’s videos. There’s something about her patience and thoroughness that’s mesmerizing, I usually just throw it all together. Thank you Clara 🙏
Hello Dear
How are you doing today?
THANK YOU MRS CLARA FOR SHARING YOUR WONDERFUL RECIPES WITH US AND YUR AMAZING MEMORIES!!!! I GET A WARM FEELING WHEN I`M WATCHING YOU.YOU ARE A VERY BEAUTIFUL AND GOD HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO YOU!!!! GOD BLESS YOU MRS CLARA!!!!!
I just love how wholesome these videos are
Mrs Clara u were most definitely a gem💙
“This used to make my grandpa smile, so it will make you smile too”🥺❤️ Rest In Peace Clara. you make my day ❤️
Few things warm my heart like an old woman's contented laughter :)
It's 2020 and we're battling COVID19. This ladies video popped up randomly in my newsfeed. I subscribed immediately and have been spending my quarantine time watching her videos. I love learning about the way people survived back then. I'm saddened to learn about her passing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge Clara. It's crazy to think that in about 9 more years, the great depression will have been 100 years ago. That alone makes me appreciate these videos that much more! This generation may almost be gone, but these videos will surely make sure they are never forgotten. ❤
Me too... yesterday I made her tomato sauce, right now my couscous is steaming and my husbands at the store bringing some ingredients used to make the sugar cookies in her depression breakfast video
Just found these videos and I fell in love with her. My mother is 82 and she cooks exactly the same way as Clara. She never uses a cutting board and cuts towards her which drives me crazy but my mom never cuts herself. I'm excited to make all her recipes and GOD BLESS her family. She's in Heaven I'm sure of it.
clara I know you are in heaven now but I want to buy your book. I hope I can find it somewhere.. you remind me of my grandmamma. I love you clara. Thanks for sharing ur yummy recipes
Phoenix Yale she has a book? Really? 😱💕
Ria Dudung it's available on amazon for about $16
Phoenix Yale that's the name my grandmama had me call her! & She called me her mon petite'bebe
That's so sweet when she looks back on how happy her dad was when her mom made couscous for him.
Reminds me my grandmother that I loved. She had Parkinson, so she had to borrow my hands when I was a small child. I remember her each time I cook something and each time I watch Clara in her kitchen. Thanks for sharing them.
I learned this recipe from my Moroccan friend. It still takes me all day!
Still watching this in 2019. Great, simple, inexpensive recipes, great woman. My grandma died at 83, and she was nowhere are lucid as Clara. She certainly couldn't cook since she had trouble with dexterity.
May I also add I am fascinated by the way she cuts her ingredients. When I try it by hand the knife is always facing away from me since I'm so scared it would slip and cut me, despite being told my way is actually more dangerous.
She's incredible! She is such a sweet and warm soul. Always bring a smile on my face. :D
Clara is so right on for these times. Little did she know folks were going to go through similar times and appreciate her wisdom from the past that helped get her through.
I stumble across Clara today, looking for cheap recipes and cooking. I spent a lovely afternoon watching all the films and learnt alot. RIP Clara 🙏❤🕊
“Did I cut the turnip, I don’t remember.” Lol, how cute!
Who ever is keeping this web site active, thank-you. I am 65 and so many recipes my mother and grandma used to make.
how could anybody dislike this????
I love this lady! 94 years young, and cooking up a storm! What an inspiration!
We all need old people in our lives. It's good for our growth, wisdom and sanity.
If you don't have such a person in your life, at least we can visit TH-cam videos like this one. Clara is such a blessing. So is cowboy cook Jim Foreman.
They have left us now, but we still have them here.
This it's so uplifting I actually wanna make this from scratch now lol
I just absolutely love Clara! Thank you for sharing her with us! This makes me miss my great-grandmother, who was born in 1901, lived through the depression also in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Oh, the wisdom and stories I wish I could hear her talk about now that I'm older and can appreciate those things!! I still have my grandmother, born in 1939, she's 80 years old.. I need to go visit her more often and hear her stories too!! What a treasure our elders are to us! 🙏💗 RIP and heaven, Clara & my mamaw Miranda!! 🙏💗 They both lived long lives thankfully! Clara was 98 and my mamaw was 91... I'm from TN, so a lot of us call our great-grandparents "mamaw & papaw." 💗
Hello Dear
How are you doing today?
I’ve rewatched all of this lady’s videos for years, she reminds me of my grandma who passed away..
bittersweet.
I love the way she says potatoe. I love this channel. R.I.P. 💕😞
She's literally the most wholesome cook on youtube. Her dishes might not be the five-star Gorden Ramsey style dishes but her dishes are quite wholesome.
EVERY TIME I tune into Aunt Clara wisdom blessings shows, my first thought, after I smile, is “What a cutie pie 🥧!”
Hello Dear
Howare you doing today?
I just love you Clara! You are real, that is very important, good sense of humor, wonderful stories! Thank you for sharing.💕💕💕
Revisiting all her videos again....Such a beautiful lady full of wisdom, so much like my own grandmother. Thank you again for these wonderful videos and sharing recipes.
The way our sweet Clara says "Couscous" is the most heart-melting magical and adorable things ever to be
My Sicilian grandmother used to make this; it took all day but we kids and adults absolutely loved it. She used a huge huge double boiler which she outlined in dough and an army blanket; the blanket went over the whole thing to let it rise !!!! She also used the real unadulterated semolina; she made it with chicken or pork or fish. To this day I can still taste how wonderful it was !!!!!
I could listen to her story's all day what a gift that you have these of her
"the pot looks just like an Arab" I'm laughing so hard. such a cute old-time American grandma thing to say. Clara is amazing!
I mourn everytime I watch her videos but yet they also give me great peace and comfort. We love you Clara.
The way she cuts her veggies reminds me of an elderly neighbour I had as a child growing up in Africa and he would slice an apple in his hand and give us kids a piece. I loved watching him and the sound it made..crunchy and smelled so good.
rip :( such an amazeing lady
I'm making this tonight. Thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful soul. I just love her stories of her past. My mother passed last year and she would tell stories of her past. My mom would of loved this recipe, she loves vegetables. God Bless.
Look what you have done!!
Your great-grandmother is no longer alive, but she has many followers and fans, many who love to see her. Thank you for sharing with us!
He brought it to our attention what a legend she was 👍💗
I just love your videos. I could listen to you tell stories all day. It makes me feel close to my grandmother watching you too and I really miss her
My grandma is completely different than her,she never cooks,never tells me any stories,and watching this just makes me want to cry,what an amazing woman
hallsey black-💗😞💗
You can get very tired of cooking in your 60s too. I have heard of a few like that and some get nervous of leaving the stove on with memory slips. After cooking for years myself for a mostly unappreciative family I gave up too and only cook simple things on plug in grill, microwave, or electric fry pan and maybe once a week on the stove top. When your kids leave home you can lose the urge a lot too.
we make CousCous Almost every weekend here in Algeria ..miammmm ♥
Did you like her version? Was it the same or similar?
she made it a bit dry, but here in north africa ( algeria , tunisia, morroco ) we make with red sauce...a lot of red sauce :)
booka bookas Sauce or broth?
yep broth , red broth :)
booka bookas my mother in law made it for me in fez and it looked like Mrs Clara's. Ate with lots of fresh vegetables.
I can't believe I stumbled upon this. My Sicilian great grandparents and much of their family went to Tunis in the late 1800s. They lived there for a while and came to NYC when my grandfather was a baby. He later married my grandmother whose family had also lived in Tunis and she made couscous for the family on special occasions when I was a kid. I haven't seen anyone make couscous the old fashioned way in almost 40 years. My eyes teared up watching this. Clara, bless your soul in heaven and may you RIP. You are still enriching people's lives and have touched my heart.
Grandma Clara was everyone's grandma who needed one. Xo i love coucous xo RIP CLARA
What a fantastic tribute to a wonderful family, I am so happy for you that these moments in time are immortalised forever and sad that I never thought to capture similar moments with my Grandmother. God bless them both and keep you safe, thank you for kindly sharing these precious memories.
God bless you Clara, and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
I have watched all Clara's shows and rarely comment...I enjoy her what a cute old girl she was with her own you tube channel 😁very enjoyable lady rest in peace
She was so adorable! Her recepies are so comforting and I love her stories 😊