PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH cooking comes from the German farming heritage of the Pennsylvania Dutch, with lots of hearty, mouth-watering dishes made from typical farm ingredients. Some of these recipes come from my family, others from friends. I hope you’ll have fun trying them. As the old Pennsylvania Dutch saying goes, May a child never run out of your pantry with a tear in his eye!


Choose a recipe from the menu at the left.

CHICKEN POTPIE

For Noodles: mix together
1 T butter
1/2 t salt
2 C flour
Add 2 beaten eggs and 2 T milk
Mix, then roll out as thin as possible on floured board. Let stand for 1/2 hour.
Cut in 1 1/2 inch squares.

2 potatoes
2 onions
salt and pepper
minced parsley
3 C cooked chicken
2 C hot chicken stock
Slice potatoes to 1/4 inch. Line the bottom of a heavy kettle with them. Add a layer of noodles, then one of onions, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley. Add a layer of chicken. Repeat until all chicken has been used. Pour 2 C of boiling chicken stock over. Cover tightly, and simmer for 20 minutes.

GRANDMA'S NOODLES


Beat together one whole egg and three yolks. Add flour until a stiff dough forms. Turn out onto well-floured board and let rest for 15 minutes. Using flour as needed, roll out to a paper-thin sheet. Cover with tea towels and let dry for several hours. Cut into quarters, roll up each quarter and slice very thinly. Shake out the rounds of dough into noodles. Add to boiling chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking. Delicious served with fried chicken or over mashed potatoes.

PRETZELS


1 C milk      1/2 C butter
1 1/2 T sugar      1/2 t salt
1 cake or package of yeast      1/4 C lukewarm water
1 egg white, well beaten
3 3/4 C flour      1 egg yolk

Soften yeast in warm water. Scald milk; add butter, sugar and salt. Let sit until lukewarm, then add the yeast mixture and the egg white. Stir in the flour gradually to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured board for a few minutes, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and roll out to a rectangle. Cut into thin strips and shape into pretzels, pinching the ends together. Let stand until they begin to rise. Fill a large pan half full with water and heat to just below boiling Drop pretzels in one at a time and cook on each side. Drain and place on greased baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with coarse salt or caraway seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

SAUERBRATEN


4 lb beef roast, chuck or rump
salt and pepper      3 C vinegar
3 C water      4 sliced onions
1 bay leaf      1 t peppercorns
2 T sugar      10 whole cloves
3 T flour      2 T shortening
1/4 t each ginger and allspice      1/2 C raisins

Rub the roast with salt and pepper and place in a large bowl. Heat vinegar, water, onions, peppercorns, sugar and cloves together. Pour heated mixture over beef. Cool, cover, and refrigerate for several days, turning each day.

Melt shortening in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Dredge the beef with flour and brown on all sides. Pour the vinegar mixture over it, diluting if too sour. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Remove beef, keep warm Strain the liquid and thicken with flour, adding remaining spices and raisins.

SHOOFLY PIE


.
Filling: Mix together 1 1/2 C boiling water, 1 t baking soda, and 1 C molasses
For crumbs: Mix 4 C flour with 2 C brown sugar and add pinch of salt.
Cut in 1 C shortening until crumbs form.

Line 2 pie tins with pastry.
Pour 1/2 the filling into each shell.
Divide the crumbs and put half on each shell atop the filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 min.

STICKY BUNS


1 pkg. yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 cups scalded milk, lukewarm      2 C sugar
1 t salt      6 C flour
1/2 C butter      1 C brown sugar
2 t cinnamon      1/2 C raisins

Add yeast mixture to the warm scalded milk. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour. Shape into a ball and place in greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, melt butter and soak raisins in warm water to soften.
Punch down the dough and roll out on a floured board to a 1 ? inch thick rectangle. Spread with melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Dot raisins over surface. Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 1-inch slices. Place the slices into pans which have been well-greased and sprinkled thickly with brown sugar. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar and cinnamon. Let rise until doubled in size.
Bake 25 min. at 375 degrees.