Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking

Chapter 4

Vegetable Dishes

A woman and a girl are at the market.

LANCASTER COUNTY BAKED CORN

To 1 cup of dried corn (ground in food chopper) pour on 2 cups of hot milk and let stand about an hour. Then add 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt to taste. Bake ½ hour in oven of 350 to 360 degrees.

SEVEN-MINUTE CABBAGE

  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cups chopped cabbage

Heat the milk to boiling. Add butter and the cabbage. Cook seven minutes. Thicken with the flour, mixed with a little cold water.

SCALLOPED SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES

  • 6 medium-sized sweet potatoes
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1½ cups sliced apples
  • 4 tblsp. butter
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. mace

Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Slice in ¼ inch pieces. Butter baking dish and put 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, having the top layer of apples. Bake in moderate oven (350-f) for 50 minutes.

SWEET POTATO CROQUETTES

  • 1 pt. mashed sweet potatoes
  • 1 tblsp. butter
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tblsp. sugar
  • 1 egg white
  • bread crumbs

Mash sweet potatoes very fine and add salt, sugar and melted butter. Shape into croquette rolls or patties and chill in the refrigerator for a half hour. Then roll in bread crumbs, dip in the egg white, slightly beaten, and in the crumbs again. Bake in a shallow, greased baking dish for 20 minutes, in hot oven (400-f). For a modern variation of this old recipe, place a marshmallow in the center of each with the potato mixture coating it completely.

SCHNITZEL BEANS

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 qt. string beans
  • 3 medium onions, sliced
  • 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
  • 1 cup hot water

Dice the bacon and fry until crisp. Slice the onions and fry until soft. Cut the beans into small (1-inch) pieces and brown them slightly with the bacon and onions. Add the tomatoes, seasoning and boiling water. Cover and cook very slowly until beans are tender. Add water if necessary, so there will be a little sauce to serve with the beans.

FRIED TOMATOES

  • 4 tomatoes
  • 3 tblsp. hot fat and butter
  • 2 tblsp. brown sugar
  • Flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • salt and pepper

Cut large, solid, ripe tomatoes in ½ inch slices. Dredge thickly with flour. Fry quickly in 2 tablespoons of hot drippings or butter, browning well on both sides. Remove to serving platter, sprinkle with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Keep warm. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan fryings and blend in a tablespoon of flour. Add the milk and cook, stirring constantly. It should be about the consistency of thick cream. Pour it over the tomatoes and serve.

PARSNIP PATTIES

  • 6 or 7 parsnips
  • 1 tablespoon butter or shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup bread crumbs, dry
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • little pepper
  • milk

Boil parsnips in salted water. When soft, peel and remove the core then mash. Add shortening, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, sugar and 1 egg and the white of the other, beaten. Mix well and form into cakes. Beat the remaining egg yolk with a little milk added. Dip the cakes into the egg, roll in corn meal or bread crumbs and fry to a nice brown.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

  • 6 potatoes, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • pepper
  • 3 tblsp. butter
  • 2 tblsp. flour
  • 2 cups hot milk
  • ¾ cup grated cheese

Melt butter in double boiler or sauce pan. Add flour, seasoning and stir smooth. Slowly add the hot milk stirring constantly. When it thickens melt the grated cheese in the sauce. Into a buttered baking dish or casserole put layers of the sliced potatoes, onions and cheese sauce, repeating until all ingredients are used. Bake in a moderate oven (350-f) for 1 hour.

FRIED EGG PLANT

Pare egg plant and cut in slices ½ inch thick. Soak slices in salt water for about an hour. Drain and wipe dry. Dip slices in beaten egg and roll in fine bread or cracker crumbs. Fry in hot fat (or deep fat) until well browned on both sides. Serve with catsup or tomato sauce.

SWEET AND SOUR BEETS

  • 3 cups beets, diced
  • 1 cup beet water
  • 1 tblsp. sugar
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 2 tsp. butter
  • 1 tblsp. corn starch

Cut off beet tops leaving 2 inches of the stems. Clean well, place in pot and cover with boiling water. Cook until tender, slip off the outer skins and dice. Strain and save 1 cup of the water in which beets were cooked. Add sugar, vinegar and butter. Thicken with 1 tablespoon of corn starch and cook to the consistency of cream. Add the diced beets, salt and pepper and heat.

SCALLOPED TOMATOES

  • 3 cups tomatoes canned or fresh
  • 1 medium cucumber pared and sliced
  • salt
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • ½ cup bread crumbs, buttered
  • ½ cup grated cheese
  • pepper

Into a greased baking dish or casserole place a layer of tomatoes, add half the cucumber and onion slices and half of the crumbs. Repeat with more tomatoes and remaining cucumbers, onions and crumbs. Top with tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in moderate oven, (375-f) 40 minutes.

DUTCH POTATO CROQUETTES

  • 1½ cups cold mashed potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon minced parsley
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • corn meal
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon minced onion
  • dash of pepper
  • 1 egg

Mix up a paste with the potatoes and butter, add the parsley, salt and pepper, cream, onion and egg. Mold into croquettes, dip into the egg white, roll in corn meal. Fry in deep fat.

RED CABBAGE (Rote Kraut)

Place 4 tablespoons bacon grease in pressure cooker, then chop fine 1 small onion in grease and brown onion to golden brown. Shred (1) 2½ lb. head of red cabbage. Mix ¼ cup vinegar with ¼ cup water and 2 tablespoons sugar.

Then place cabbage in onion and grease. Pour mixture of vinegar and sugar on cabbage. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix lightly. Quarter 1 large pared apple and place on top of cabbage. Cook 4 min. When using an ordinary pot the cooking time is 20 minutes. This makes 10 servings.

SCALLOPED SPINACH

  • 2 lbs. spinach
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 tblsp. butter
  • salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups bread crumbs
  • ½ cup chopped bacon
  • pepper

Wash spinach thoroughly. Drain and cook with a little water in covered pot, over moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and chop the spinach. Add milk, the beaten eggs, 1½ cups of the bread crumbs, melted butter, salt and pepper then mix well. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup bread crumbs and the chopped bacon, on the top. Bake in moderate oven (350-f) 35 minutes.

FRESH PEAS AND NEW POTATOES

  • 3 cups fresh peas
  • 12 small new potatoes
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1½ tsp. flour
  • 2 tblsp. butter

Cook potatoes and peas in separate pans, in salted water until soft and almost free of water. Mix the peas and potatoes and add the milk. Bring to the boiling point then add the butter and flour which have been blended smooth and cook until thickened.

CORN PUDDING

  • 1 can golden crushed corn
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 2 tbs. flour
  • 2 tbs. sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • salt and pepper
  • lots of butter

Mix all ingredients together. Place in buttered casserole. Bake in slow oven 300 degrees for one hour.

SWEET AND SOUR CELERY

  • 2 cups celery, diced
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tblsp. sugar
  • 2 tblsp. vinegar
  • 2 tblsp. flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup sour cream

Cut up celery and cook in a little salt water until soft and almost dry. Make a dressing of the egg, flour, sugar, vinegar and water, bring to a boil and when it thickens add the sour cream. Pour this over the celery, heat and serve.

HOME BAKED BEANS

  • 2 cups navy beans
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 4 tblsp. molasses
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 4 tblsp. catsup
  • ¼ lb. salt pork
  • or 4 slices bacon

Soak beans over night in cold water. Drain, add 1½ qts. of fresh water, the Onion and cook slowly until skins burst. Drain save the liquid. Mix molasses, seasoning and catsup with 1 cup of the liquid. Put half the salt pork or bacon in bottom of bean pot or baking dish, add the beans and top with remainder of pork or bacon. Pour molasses mixture over beans, add more liquid to cover. Bake covered for 5 hours in slow oven (300-f). Uncover for the last 30 minutes. Add water if necessary, while cooking.

CABBAGE, SWEET AND SOUR

  • cabbage
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Shred cabbage rather finely. Put in sauce pan and sprinkle with salt. Cover pan and place over low heat and steam until tender. Beat the egg, add the vinegar, sugar and salt and pour over the steamed cabbage. Heat five minutes and serve at once.

CORN FRITTERS

1 cup ground dried corn, add 1¼ cups milk (or part water); let stand ½ hour or longer, add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ cup flour, 1 egg, well beaten, and fry to a golden brown.

HASHED BROWN POTATOES

  • 6 medium, cold boiled potatoes
  • shortening
  • 3 raw green peppers
  • ¼ teaspoon celery salt
  • salt and pepper

Chop potatoes fine, season with celery salt, salt and pepper to taste. Remove seeds and stem from pepper, wash drain and chop fine. Mix with potatoes. Put about 1 tablespoon of melted shortening in pan and when hot, add potatoes and cook slowly. When partly brown, fold into omelet shape in one side of pan. Fry until a rich brown.

BAKED LIMA BEANS

  • 2 cups dried limas
  • 4 slices bacon or salt pork
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 cup canned tomatoes
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. mustard
  • 2 tblsp. brown sugar

Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain, add 2 quarts of fresh water and boil until tender. Pour beans in buttered casserole. Add minced pepper, onion, tomatoes and seasoning and mix. Put bacon or salt pork on top and bake, covered. Add water if necessary. Bake 2 hours at (325-f). Uncover for the last 20 minutes.