COOKLORE


mealtime



Pennsylvania Dutch



Cidered Ham





1900



Wash and scrub a small ham and soak for 24 hours. Wipe dry, put in a large granite or agate kettle and cover with cider, neither too sweet nor yet hard. Boil gently, allowing about fifteen minutes per pound. When tender, allow to cool in the cider. Serve with a garnish of aspic jelly and vegetables, or slice thin and serve by itself or in sandwiches.



Calf's Head Soup





Early 1900s



One calf’s head

Three hard-boiled eggs

Three medium-sized potatoes

One cup flour for butter balls

Butter

1 Tbsp chopped parsley


Mix butter [amount not given] and flour together and moisten with water to a consistency where it can be rolled into balls the size of a small hickory nut. Chop the hard-boiled eggs and potatoes fine.


Soak calf’s head in salt water for half hour, wash, and scrape tongue. Cover with cold water and boil until bones fall apart. Remove head and strain broth. Cut meat from tongue and bones into small pieces.


Put meat and chopped potatoes in broth and let boil. Drop in butter balls. Add parsley and season to taste. Boil 20 minutes. Just before serving, added chopped eggs.



Shartlesville Corn Pudding





1936



6 ears of corn, grated

2 eggs, separated

4 Tbsp milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper


Add beaten yolks to the corn and mix thoroughly. Stir in milk and seasonings. Add the stiffly beaten whites. Pour into a buttered baking dish, set dish in pan with hot water and bake in a 350-degree oven about 30 minutes.



Dutch Cheese Custard





1936



Take a cup of curds that have been mashed through a fine sieve and place in bowl. Pour in slowly, sweet milk or cream (or half and half), using the back of a spoon to make it smooth. Work in sufficiently to bring to consistency of apple butter. Add salt and pepper and spread on buttered bread. Serve with apple butter.



Hootsla (Egg Bread)





1936



1/2 loaf of day-old bread

1/2 cup butter

3 eggs, beaten until light

1/2 cup milk

Salt and pepper


Cut bread into cubes and brown in melted butter. Beat eggs and add milk. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over bread and fry until brown. Serve at once.



Goldenrod Eggs





1936



4 hard-cooked eggs

2 cups white sauce

Toast


Chop the whites of the eggs and add to hot white sauce. Put yolks of eggs through a ricer. Pour sauce over the toast and garnish with the yolks.



Rinktum Ditty





1936



1 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, minced

1 pound cheese, cut in small pieces

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp flour

1 cup catsup

1 tsp dry mustard

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp paprika

1 egg, well beaten


Melt the butter in top of a double boiler, add the onion and cook until onion is soft. Stir in the flour and blend; then gradually add the milk and mix well. Add the cheese and cook until the cheese has melted. Mix together the catsup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and paprika; and to cheese sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the egg and cook one minute longer. Serve at once on toast or crackers.



Dutch Pot Pie





1936



3 eggs

1 Tbsp shortening, melted

1/2 cup rich milk

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp baking soda

3 or 4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Potatoes


Beat eggs, add milk, cream, baking soda, salt and melted shortening. Mix well. Gradually add flour until dough is stiff enough to roll. Roll on floured board and line a cooking kettle with the dough. Place a large piece of butter in bottom of kettle and add peeled and quartered potatoes alternately with small pieces of the dough. The top layer should be potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced parsley. Dot with butter. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups water. Bake 350 degrees about 3 hours.



Old-Fashioned String Beans and Bacon





1936



1 can string beans and liquid or equal amount of fresh beans

2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/4 pound bacon, diced

1/4 tsp salt

1 small onion

1 cup water


Brown bacon and combine with other ingredients and cook about 30 minutes until potatoes are soft.



Knabrus





1936



Onions

Cabbage, cut fine

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp butter


Butter a large cooking kettle well and fill with alternate layers of cabbage and sliced onions. Cover kettle and place over low flame and steam until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper and butter.



Home Baked Beans





1936



1 pint navy beans

1/4 pound salt pork

1 tsp dry mustard

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp molasses

1/2 cup boiling water

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar


Cover beans with cold water and soak overnight. Change water and cook at slightly below boiling point until skins burst. To test beans, take a few and expose to cold air; if shells burst, they are sufficiently cooked. Drain off the water and add salt pork (cut into strips). Put in bean pot with some of the bacon on top. Mix the mustard, sugar, salt and molasses together and add to beans. Add the boiling water. Cover pot and bake in slow oven (250 degrees) about 6 hours, removing cover during last hour.



Lancaster County Lima Beans





1936



1 pound lima beans

4 or 5 potatoes, diced

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp butter


Boil beans until nearly soft, then add potatoes and continue cooking until both are soft. Drain water and add milk and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.



Dandelion Salad





1936



1/2 cup cream (scant)

2 eggs

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

4 Tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup butter

Paprika

Black pepper

4 thick slices bacon, cubed

Dandelion leaves


Carefully wash and prepare dandelion as you would lettuce. (Never use dandelion after it has begun to flower, as it turns bitter.) Roll in cloth and dry, then put in salad bowl in warm place. Cut bacon in small pieces, fry quickly and drop over dandelion. Put butter and cream into a skillet and melt over low heat. Beat eggs, add salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar, and mix into cream. Increase heat, and stir until thickened like custard. Take off and pour over dandelion. Stir thoroughly.



Philadelphia Pepper Pot





1936



2 pounds honeycomb tripe

2 pounds plain tripe

1 veal knuckle

1 bunch pot herbs

4 medium-sized potatoes

1 large onion

1 bay leaf

Salt and cayenne to taste

1 cup beef suet, chopped fine

2 cups flour

Water

Salt


Cook tripe the day before using. Wash thoroughly, place in kettle and cover with water. Boil 8 hours. Remove tripe. When cooled, cut into pieces about 1/2 inch square.


The next day wash the veal knuckle, cover with 3 quarts cold water and simmer about 3 hours, removing scum as it rises. Remove meat from bones and cut into small pieces. Strain the broth and return to kettle.


Add bay leaf and onion and simmer about 1 hour. Add potatoes (cut into squares) and pot herbs. Add meat and tripe and season with salt and cayenne.


Make dumplings by combining the suet, flour, salt and enough water to permit rolling the dough into dumplings, about the size of marbles. Flour well to prevent sticking and drop into hot soup. Cook about 10 minutes. Add chopped parsley and serve at once.



Snapper Soup





1936



3 1/2 pounds veal knuckle

1 cup chicken fat or butter

3 or 4 quarts beef broth

2 cups sherry wine

1 cup flour

Meat from 1 snapping turtle, cut in small pieces

2 carrots, diced

3 onions, chopped fine

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp marjoram

1 bay leaf

3 whole cloves

3 slices lemon

Dash of tabasco

Salt and pepper

1 hard-cooked egg, chopped

2 cups strained tomatoes


Have knuckles broken into 2-inch pieces. Place knuckles in roasting pan and add butter or chicken fat, onions, celery, carrots, thyme, marjoram, cloves, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bake in 400-degree oven until brown. Remove from oven and add flour, mixing well, and cook 30 minutes longer.


Pour browned mixture into large soup kettle, add broth and tomatoes, and cook slowly for 1 1/2 hours.


Combine snapper meat with 1 cup of sherry, some salt, tabasco and lemon slices and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain soup and combine the two mixtures. Add chopped egg and balance of sherry and serve immediately.



Hasen Pfeffer





1936



Rabbit meat should be placed in a jar and covered with equal parts vinegar and water. Add one large sliced onion, salt and pepper to taste, cloves and bay leaves. Let meat soak in this solution for two days—then remove meat and brown in hot butter, turning often. Gradually add some of the pickling sauce. Let simmer until meat is tender (about 30 minutes). Just before serving, stir 1 cup thick sour cream into the sauce.


Kassler Ripschen and Sauerkraut





1936



Use young pork loins which have been cured and smoked over hickory wood fire. Add sufficient water to keep meat from burning and cook over low heat until half done. Add sauerkraut and continue cooking for 45 minutes.


Beef Tea





1936



1 lb prime lean beef

1 cup water

1 tsp salt


Put beef through a food grinder using a coarse knife. Place in top of double broiler and add water. Simmer over very low heat about 3 1/2 hours. Add salt. Strain and keep liquid in a cool place. If too strong, it may be diluted with some boiling water to strength desired.



Corn Chowder





1936



3 slices salt pork

1 large onion, sliced

4 large potatoes, sliced

2 cups water

6 large soda crackers soaked in 1 cup milk

2 cups corn

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp paprika


Cut salt pork in cubes and brown. Add onion and cook until browned; add potatoes and water and cook until potatoes are soft. When potatoes are cooked, stir in the milk and soaked crackers, corn, salt, and paprika. Heat thoroughly and serve.



Corn Soup





1936



1 dozen ears corn

4 eggs, hard cooked

1/2 cup butter

1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp minced parsley


Grate the corn off six ears. Cover these six cobs with cold water and bring to a boil, cooking about 3/4 hour. Cut corn from other six ears and combine with grated corn. Mash the egg yolks and mix with the flour and butter. Slowly add the water in which the cobs have cooked and mix well. Add corn and parsley. If mixture is too thick, add enough milk to make right consistency. Bring to boiling, and cook 5 minutes.



To Corn Beef





1936



Fresh beef

Water

1 1/2 lbs fine salt (best quality)

1/2 lb brown sugar

1/2 ounce saltpeter


Thoroughly scrub and clean a good oak barrel. Put as much good fresh beef as desired to be corned in barrel and cover with cold water. Have water two inches above beef. Let stand for 48 hours. Drain off water and measure before discarding. Measure the same amount of cold water (spring water preferred) and to ever gallon of water used, add the above proportions of salt, sugar and saltpeter. Boil for 15 minutes and then skim. When cold, pour over the beef. Place a heavy weight on meat to keep it under the brine. Store in a cool cellar.



Hasen Kuckka (Rabbit Cake)





1936



1 rabbit

Potato filling

1/2 cup broth (in which rabbit is cooked)

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

Salt and pepper


Cook rabbit until tender, separate meat from the bones and cut into small pieces. Butter a casserole dish and put a layer of the potato filling in the bottom, then a layer of meat; add 1 Tbsp of sauce (combining flour and water), and seasoning, and continue layering until dish is filled. Bake 350 degrees until brown (about 25 minutes).



Veal Loaf





1936



3 lbs raw, lean veal, ground

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, well beaten

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp onion, chopped

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup stock


Mix all ingredients and moisten with stock. Pack into a greased loaf pan. Dot with butter and bake 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve hot or cold.



Pheasants





1936



Dry-pick pheasants, then singe and clean. When ready to cook, wash thoroughly by running water through them. Split through the middle of the breast, place on broiling rack, and sear on both sides to retain the juices. When seared place in roasting pan and season with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Dot with 2 Tbsp butter, and add 1/2 cup water. Bake 375 degrees about 1 hour, basting frequently.


Home Barbecued Chicken





1936



2 broilers

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet (browning sauce)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp onion salt

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Dash paprika

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup melted butter


Have broiler split down the back. Wash and dry thoroughly and then wipe dry. Grease the broiling pan and rack and heat. When hot, place chickens on rack under very hot heat. Sear both sides, turning frequently. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and finish broiling. Make sauce of above ingredients and baste chickens several times during broiling.



Duck un Kraut





1936



Prepare a young duck for roasting. Place in a roasting pan and add 2 quarts of sauerkraut, 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cover and bake until golden brown and duck is tender. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.


Chestnut Stuffing for Poultry





1936



1 quart chestnuts

1 pint bread crumbs

1/4 cup shortening (butter, chicken fat or lard)

1 tsp salt

1 egg, well beaten

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tsp poultry seasoning


Make a gash in each chestnut, place in an iron skillet with 1 Tbsp butter and shake over heat for a few minutes. Place in oven for 10 minutes. [No temperature given.] Then remove shell and skins. Cover blanched chestnuts with boiling salt water and cook until tender. Strain and put through ricer. Add rest of ingredients and mix well.



Paprika Cream Schnitzel





1936



1 1/2 lbs veal steak, cut into portions

4 slices bacon, cut fine

2 Tbsp chopped onion

1 tsp Hungarian paprika

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Salt


Fry bacon until done, then add veal and brown in hot bacon fat. Add onion and brown. Season well with paprika and salt. Stir in sour cream and tomato sauce. Cover pan and cook about 20 minutes. Serve cutlets covered with sauce.



Calves’ Liver and Bacon





1936



1 lb calves’ liver, sliced

1/2 lb sliced smoked bacon


Fry bacon until crisp and brown. Drain on brown paper and keep in a warm place. Wash and dry liver and dip in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Sauté liver in bacon fat until golden brown. Remove liver and to the fat in pan add 1 tablespoon flour. Mix well, then pour in 1 cup hot water and stir until thick. Add a tablespoon of vinegar. Place liver and bacon on hot platter, cover in sauce, and serve at once.



Scrapple (Ponhaws)





1936



Separate one hog’s head into halves. Take out the eyes and brains. Scrape and thoroughly clean the head. Put into a large kettle and cover with 4 or 5 quarts of cold water. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat falls from the bones. Skim off grease carefully from the surface; remove meat, chop fine and return to the liquor. Season with salt and pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon of powdered sage. Sift in granulated yellow corn meal, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened to consistency of soft mush. Cook slowly for 1 hour, watching carefully as it scorches easily. When sufficiently cooked, pour into greased oblong tins and store in a cool place until ready to use. Cut in thin slices and fry in hot fat until crisp and brown.


Pickled Pigs’ Feet





1936



4 pigs’ feet

3 cups vinegar

1 onion

12 whole peppers

6 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp salt


Split the pigs’ feet, scrub thoroughly and cover with cold water. Add vinegar and bring to boiling. Skim off the top. Add seasonings and boil slowly for two hours. Cool in liquid and serve cold.



Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples





1936



6 medium-sized sweet potatoes

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups sliced apples

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp mace


Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Slice in 1/4-inch pieces. Butter a baking dish and line a layer of sweet potatoes in bottom, then a layer of apples. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and mace, and dot with butter. Repeat until dish is filled, with top layer of apples. Bake in 350-degree oven about 50 minutes.



Apple Fritters (Ob’l Puffers)





1936



1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup milk

1 egg, well beaten

2 medium-sized sour apples, sliced thin


Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Beat egg and add milk, then stir into dry ingredients. Mix well. Add sliced apples. Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot fat and fry.



Oyster Corn Fritters (Welshkorn Eishtar-Puffers)





1936



2 cups corn pulp

2 Tbsp flour

2 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper


Canned or fresh corn may be used. To corn pulp add beaten egg yolks, flour and seasonings. Add stiffly beaten egg whites and blend. Dry by spoonfuls size of oyster on a hot buttered frying pan and brown.



Fastnacht Kucka





1936



6 Tbsp molasses or honey

1 1/2 quarts milk

4 quarts flour

2 cakes yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

1 cup butter

4 eggs, beaten


Scald milk and when it becomes lukewarm, mix in 2 quarts of flour; add dissolved yeast. Beat together and let stand overnight.


Combine butter and eggs, and cream well. Add honey and a little flour. Beat well and add remaining flour, leaving enough to dust the bread board. Allow time for full rise, then roll and cut in form of doughnuts.


Let rise again and fry in hot cooking oil or fat.



Sand Tarts





1936



2 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups butter

2 eggs, well beaten

White of 1 egg

4 cups flour

Pecan nut meats


Cream butter and sugar together. Slowly add the flour, mixing well. Add well-beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. Chill overnight. Roll out thin on lightly floured board; brush cookies with egg white which has been slightly beaten. Sprinkle with sugar and a little cinnamon and press 1/2 pecan in center of cookie. Bake 350-degrees about 10 minutes.



Molasses Shoo-Fly Cake





1936



Liquid:

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg yolk, well beaten

1/2 Tbsp baking soda, dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water


Mix together.


Crumbs:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp shortening

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt


Combine dry ingredients, and work into the shortening. Line pie pan with pastry crust. Make alternate layers of crumbs and liquid. Top with crumbs and bake in 450-degree oven until crust edges start to brown. Reduce to 350 and bake until firm (about 20 minutes).



Mustard Pickles





1936



2 quarts green tomatoes

2 quarts small sweet pickles

2 quarts small white onions

1/2 dozen green peppers

2 heads cauliflower

1 cup salt

3 quarts white wine vinegar

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 pound mustard

1 ounce celery seed

1/2 ounce turmeric for coloring


Separate cauliflower into florets, peel the onions and slice peppers very fine. Slice tomatoes and mix all vegetables. Cover with the salt and let stand overnight. Drain, cover with boiling water and cook until vegetables are soft. Drain.


Combine flour with sugar, mustard, celery seed and turmeric. Heat vinegar and pour over dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly, add pickles to vegetables, and mix into liquid. Cook about 10 minutes until it thickens. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.



Moselem Springs Apple Butter





1936



4 quarts apples

2 quarts water

1 1/2 quarts cider

1 1/2 pounds sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cloves


Wash and slice apples into small bits. Cover with water and boil until soft. Press through sieve to remove skins and seeds. Bring cider to boil and add apple pulp and sugar. Cook until it thickens, constantly stirring to prevent scorching. Add spices and cook until thick enough to spread.



Ginger Tomatoes





1936



6 pounds green tomatoes

2 pounds red tomatoes

5 pounds granulated sugar

3 lemons, sliced

1 tsp whole cloves

3 pieces ginger root


Scald and peel tomatoes and cut into quarters. Add sugar, spices, and sliced lemons. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and cook slowly until mixture is thick.



Schnitz und Knepp





1950



Take two pounds of smoked ham or bacon. Soak in warm water one hour, then boil in water to cover well about one and a half hours. Add one pint of sweet schnitz (dried sweet apples), washed in warm water. If more broth is needed, add boiling water before dumplings are added.


The knepp (dumplings) are put to raise the evening before. Have your mixing bowl warm. Take one half pint of lukewarm milk, one beaten egg, one tablespoon sugar, a pinch of salt, and a half of a yeast cake dissolved in a little warm water and mix and set in a warm place.


In the morning add flour to stiffen and put in warm place to raise again. One and a half hour before dinner, shape into fifteen dumplings and let raise again. When schnitz are nearly tender add the dumplings and boil twenty minutes, keeping the lid tight. (Mrs. Daniel A. Bowman)



Potato Pancakes





1958



5 medium potatoes

1 onion

1 egg

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon salt


Grate or grind potatoes and onion (blender can be used). Stir in egg, flour and salt. Form into patties and fry in shallow hot fat until golden brown. Serve with bacon or sausage, sour cream, and applesauce.



Noodles





1958



2 eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt


Beat eggs. Add water, flour and salt. Knead thoroughly. Roll parts very thin on floured board. Lay on cloth, turning occasionally until no longer sticky. Roll up, slice thin and spread out until completely dry.



Rivels (Thin Soup Noodles)





1958



1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Flour


Beat egg, add salt and enough flour to make a thin batter. Dribble from a teaspoon into boiling broth.



Hot Slaw





1958



1 small head of cabbage

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 tsp salt


Shred cabbage very fine. Make dressing by mixing vinegar, sugar, and salt; heat almost to boiling; pour slowly over beaten egg while stirring constantly. Let cabbage stand in hot dressing in warm place thirty minutes before serving.



Wilted Lettuce





1973



Two heads of Boston lettuce (a variety of butter lettuce)

A dozen strips of bacon

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp garlic salt

3 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup vinegar


After frying bacon (crisp), crumble it and add with chopped scallions over torn leaves of lettuce. In leftover bacon grease, add rest of ingredients and bring to boil. Pour while hot over lettuce. [Note: Iceberg lettuce is too firm for this recipe.]