OK so my attempt to change the ABBA lyrics to suit my food meaning didn't work so well, did it?
S.O.S. Another meal of my past has come back to, well I would say haunt me, but it is to delicious to consider it haunted. I remember my mom, mother of 10, making this because it was "cheap food". It was cheap and could feed a small army. She probably made an entire pot of gravy with only one package of dried beef!! We joke all the time about how we can remember 3 lbs of macaroni for goulash to 1 lb of ground beef!
Anyway, SOS is short for "shit on a shingle". One of my dads favorite dishes. We of course called it creamed chipped beef as kids until we learned what SOS meant and we said that as a little "we said a bad word without saying the bad word and didn't get in trouble" sort of thing!!!
It has been a long time since I made it. It is so easy and can be served on toast or biscuits, although I have only ever had it on toast. When I moved to New Jersey, I was introduced to tomato juice, or stewed tomatoes being poured over the top. Sometimes, eggs were served up on top. Regardless of how you choose to eat it, it is good eats for sure!! The recipe couldn't be simpler and what a quick, delicious meal for your family!
SOS
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. GRATED onion
3-4 cups milk or half and half
1 tbsp fresh black pepper
2 containers of dried beef
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and whisk and let cook for 1 minute, to cook off the raw flavor of the flour. Add in grated onion. NO you may not mince, chop, or slice, it must be grated!! Cook another minute stirring constantly. While whisking, pour in 3 cups of milk or half and half. Let come to a boil while stirring so you don't burn it! It will begin to thicken as it boils. Depending on the consistency you like, you can add more liquid. When it comes to the consistency you want, add in dried beef that you have chopped and black pepper. Add salt to taste, as the dried beef is very salty and you may want to consider rinsing it! Serve on toast or biscuits!!!
I hope enjoy your SOS as much a I enjoyed mine!! Make sure to watch that salt content, you don't want to kill anyone!!
Your "SOS rocks" Chefwannabe
Chris
My mom made this all the time too! Being an Iowa family, it was served on toast, with nothing else on top. Eggs on top could be interesting though, might have to try that one sometime!
ReplyDeleteWe always served this on toast too but never topped it with anything! I like the topping with egg idea not so sure about tomato.
ReplyDeleteLove it on toast, but we also ate it on mashed potatoes. Yum!
ReplyDeleteMy grandma used to make this and it is, by far, my all time favorite brunch food! Thanks for sharing. Brings back great memories.
ReplyDeleteThis is comfort food to the max! When I was a child, my mother would make this maybe once a month until the price of dried beef went up. This recipe is very close to hers. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy husband recalls that, since his mother was not fond of chipped beef, his S.O.S. was creamed tuna on toast. Now I was thinking ewww gross, because my chipped beef growing up was from our own grass fed cattle. A big cast iron skillet full of thick creamy dried beef gravy, over a slice of bread and some scrambled eggs was our dinner many many nights. But curiosity got the better of me so one evening I made creamed tuna on toast with tuna patties (in leu of salmon) and new peas. It was really good!! (Don't tell my mom-in-law I said so!)
ReplyDeleteThis makes me laugh. I begged for this at times. Come to find out, I was the only one that really liked it we had it because we could afford it. No matter if it was tuna (on those meatless Fridays) or chipped beef, it is a great home cooked, fill your belly cheap meal even if you're eating S.O.S.!
ReplyDeleteMy family had this all the time too.. without any meat. The story I heard was the men were served this a lot in the military. My mom put chopped cooked egg whites into it and topped it with the yolks. I add tuna or sausage now as an adult.
ReplyDelete