Owens Corning

National Gardening Association Pennsylvania Dutch Thanksgiving
By Susan Weaver

As for most other gardeners, fall has always been a busy time in Pennsylvania Dutch country—the celebrated farming region that forms a rectangle about 80 miles long and 35 miles wide in the southeast corner of the state. As cookbook author Betty Groff remembers from her Mennonite childhood, fall was the time for a flurry of baking for county fair contests and for putting up apple butter and the holiday supply of homemade mincemeat. It meant the last of the harvesting and canning, lining the cellar shelves with colorful jars.

Until Thanksgiving came, Groff says, there was almost no time to stop and be grateful. "But by then you knew if you'd had a good year. For us, Thanksgiving was a celebration of freedom and the year's bounty," she explains.

The "Dutch," who in fact are largely of German (Deutsch) descent, encompass the Mennonites, the Amish and a number of other sects. Among them, the Amish are most extreme in their shunning of stylish clothing and other worldly goods like cars, electricity and telephones. To visit rural Lancaster County, where most of Pennsylvania's Amish and other "plain" peoples live, is to discover a horse-and-buggy world of women in ankle-length dresses and men in broad-brimmed hats and long flowing beards.

But of their simple pleasures, most important is eating abundantly and well. From Europe these emigres brought a hearty appreciation for pork in all guises and substantial, starchy foods; in the new country they encountered and made tasty use of native foods, such as corn, tomatoes, squash and pumpkin. Pennsylvania Dutch cookery is "much more varied and sophisticated," says Groff, "than people give us credit for. We always ate plenty of fish—and more vegetables than some people see in a lifetime."

Certainly she serves up wondrous vegetable dishes, along with other traditional fare (prepared to order), at Groff's Farm Restaurant in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, which she and her husband Abe have operated for 30 years. She's also authored four cookbooks, the most recent of which is Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook (Macmillan, 1990).

From this book I've chosen and adapted six of the recipes that follow, along with a seventh for apple butter. All are traditional dishes, with one exception: Groff has added a bit of New England influence with the whole cranberries in her baked squash. I, too, have taken a small liberty in suggesting the apple dumplings for dessert. Apple, mincemeat or pumpkin pies would usually be served for the holiday meal, but dumplings are a "wonderful-good" autumn dessert in "Dutch" country. Complementing your Thanksgiving fowl, these dishes should make a handsome holiday table and memorable eating.

For anyone wishing to dine at Groff's Farm Restaurant, reservations are recommended; call (717) 653-2048. The address: 650 Pinkertown Rd., Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Green Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

I suggest this as a first course, since the dressing should be served hot. For convenience, make dressing in advance and refrigerate; reheat just before serving.

Preparation and Cooking Time:

6 c loosely packed greens (lettuce or spinach), washed

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

Dressing:

½ lb bacon

2 T cornstarch

1 t salt

3 T granulated sugar

2 large or medium-size eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 c cider vinegar

2 c milk

Tear greens into pieces. Fry the bacon in a deep skillet until crisp. Reserving the fat, remove and drain bacon on paper towels, then crumble into small pieces. Combine the cornstarch, salt and sugar. Blend in the beaten eggs, then the vinegar. Heat the milk in the pan with the leftover bacon fat over medium heat and add the egg mixture slowly, stirring with a whisk until thickened. Remove from the stove and add the crumbled bacon, cool slightly, and pour over the greens. Top with the hard-boiled eggs and serve any extra dressing on the side. Serves 6.

Potato Filling

This casserole is most closely associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch of Berks County. The batter will be soupy when mixed but bakes high and golden brown. For an authentic touch, make swirls in the batter with a spoon before baking.

Preparation and cooking time:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 T butter or margarine

¾ c chopped celery with leaves

½ c chopped onion

pinch of saffron threads or paprika

¼ c chopped fresh parsley

¼ t salt

¼ t black pepper

2 c fresh bread cubes

1 c whole milk

2 eggs, beaten

Cook potatoes in boiling water for 20 minutes or until soft for mashing. Meanwhile, heat butter or margarine in a skillet and saute the celery, onion, saffron or paprika, parsley, salt and pepper over medium heat until celery is tender, approximately 6 minutes.

When potatoes have cooked, drain and mash them, adding some of the milk to moisten. Add celery-onion mixture, bread cubes and the rest of the milk with the beaten eggs stirred into it. Stir until well mixed. Pour into a buttered 2-quart souffle dish or casserole and bake uncovered in a preheated 350oF oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6.

Stuffed Beets

Fresh-looking and colorful, this Philadelphia Quaker dish from 1790 uses the delicious tops along with the roots for the best beet recipe I've ever tasted—worth the extra time required. The dish can be prepared early in the day except for baking. To serve, offer a favorite herbal vinegar in a cruet, letting each person sprinkle a few drops—just a few! -- on the beet after cutting it.

Preparation and cooking time:

6 large beets with fresh tops

2 c water

½ t salt

2 green onions

2 T butter or margarine

¾ c fresh bread crumbs

¼ t dried dill or ¾ t fresh

½ t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/3 c sour cream

Scrub beets and cut the tops one inch from the beets to prevent bleeding. Place in a large saucepan with the water and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and cook, until tender, about 1 hour; less if beets are smaller. While beets cook, wash the tops thoroughly and cut off and discard long stems. Chop the tops coarsely. Chop or slice onions, tops and all. Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet and saute the tops, onions, bread crumbs, dill, salt and pepper over medium heat about 6 minutes.

When beets are ready, drain them, allow to cool a bit, then slip off the skins. Trim the bottom of each beet so it will stand upright in a casserole and on the plate. Scoop or cut the center out of each beet. Chop trimmings and centers; add to the crumb mixture. Fill each beet with the mixture and place filled beets in the buttered casserole. Arrange leftover filling around beets and bake, covered, in a preheated 350oF oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Top each beet with a dollop of sour cream and continue baking for four more minutes. Serves 6.

Apple Butter

Apple butter, Groff says, is a standard fixture of everyday Pennsylvania Dutch meals; the best strawberry jam with whole berries would more likely be served at a "fancy" Thanksgiving dinner. But with this menu I think apple butter, served with your choice of bread or rolls, is the perfect grace note; besides, it's fun to make. For this small quantity, you don't need to spend all day stirring it in a huge copper kettle over an outdoor fire, as Betty's family did when making their annual supply. She suggests this easy oven method, which still produces a heavenly, incense-like aroma while cooking.

Preparation and cooking time:

5 pounds of tart cooking apples, peeled, quartered and cored

3 c apple cider

2 c sugar

1 t allspice

1 T ground cloves

1 t ground cinnamon

Combine apples and cider in a kettle and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20 to 25 minutes, or until soft.

Preheat the oven to 300oF. Puree apples and remaining liquid in a food processor. Pour into a bowl and stir in sugar and spices until they dissolve. Spread the mixture evenly in a shallow 14"x8" baking dish and bake in the center of the oven for about 2 hours. To test for doneness, dab a spoonful of apple butter on a saucer and turn it upside down—the apple butter should be thick enough to stick to the saucer. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars and seal with new lids and rings, as per manufacturer's instructions. Yields about 3 pints.

Baked Squash and Cranberries

Here's a new way to enjoy Thanksgiving cranberries—in a casserole that could brighten any fall day. Preparation and cooking time: 2 hrs.

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

½ t salt

2 c water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 c butter or margarine, melted

1/3 c lightly packed light brown sugar

½ t salt

1 c raw cranberries, washed and picked over for stems

freshly grated nutmeg

Cook the squash, covered, in the salt and water in a large saucepan over high heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain well; let stand in a colander for at least 30 minutes, or press down with your hand to force out most of the liquid. Puree the pulp in a food processor or put through a food mill; it should yield about 4 cups. (If not, adjust proportions of other ingredients accordingly.) Add the eggs, butter, sugar, salt and pepper. Blend thoroughly. Fold the cranberries into the mixture, reserving several for a garnish. Pour into a buttered 2-quart baking dish, top with grated nutmeg and reserved berries. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350oF oven until squash is golden and does not shake in the middle when jiggled, about 45 minutes. Serves 8 generously.

Celery Baked with Almonds

This recipe goes back to the Reading and Berks County "Dutch" of the early 1800s. These frugal folk, who like to serve celery hearts as part of a relish tray, found this flavorful way to use the outer stalks.

Preparation and cooking time:

8 stalks of celery

1 c chicken broth

1 t chopped fresh parsley

½ c grated carrots

¼ t salt

¼ t black pepper

2 T butter or margarine

2 T all-purpose flour

1 c whole milk

1/3 c toasted silvered or sliced almonds

1/3 t celery seed

Place celery in a large saucepan with broth, parsley, carrots, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until celery is tender but still crisp, about 10 minutes (stir celery a couple of times while cooking). Strain, reserving liquid for the sauce.

Melt butter or margarine in a deep skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in the flour until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add the celery liquid and the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 6 minutes.

Put celery in a buttered 2-quart casserole. Pour sauce over the celery, and sprinkle almonds and celery seed on top. Bake in a preheated 400oF oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes (or until celery is heated through and sauce is beginning to brown a little—do not overbake). Serves 6.

Apple Dumplings

These dumplings, with this delicious dough that rises as they bake, make a fitting grand finale to your holiday meal when served still warm from the oven. Admittedly, they're a rather hearty dessert, but you can send your guests home with the uneaten portion, which is almost as good cold as hot.

Preparation and cooking time:

6 baking apples, peeled and cored

½ c cinnamon hearts (hard candies)

2 c all-purpose flour

2 ½ baking powder

½ t salt

2/3 c butter or margarine

½ c milk

2 c lightly packed light brown sugar

2 c water

¼ t ground cinnamon

¼ t ground nutmeg

2 T butter or margarine

Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut 2/3 c butter or margarine into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until fine and crumbly. Sprinkle the milk over the mixture; stir with a fork until mixture is evenly moist, then press it into a ball. Roll out the dough about ¼" thick on a floured board (or between sheets of plastic wrap, no extra flour needed). Cut into 6" squares. Place an apple on each square, fill each cored center with cinnamon hearts, and bring dough around the apple to cover it completely. Moisten top edges with water and fasten dough securely on top of the apple—whole cloves may be used to secure it. Place dumplings 1" apart in a greased 9" x 13" baking dish. Combine the brown sugar, water, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 3 minutes, remove from heat and stir in 2 T butter. Pour the syrup over the dumplings and bake in a preheated 375oF oven for 35 to 40 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with the syrup. Serve warm. Serves 6.

Susan Weaver lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the northeast corner of "Dutch" country.

Copyright NGA

Reprinted with permission HouseNet, Inc.

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