There are a great many oddities in the Dutch cuisine. The clever Dutch Hausfrau made use of many things not ordinarily available, and rang the changes on many familiar foods.
They were particularly intelligent, for instance, about meat jellies-aspics as they are often called today. These are not only highly nutritious, but most delectable. In summer time I regard them as being much superior to hot meats. Others of these are described in the meat, fish chapters.
The Pig's Foot jelly is one of the Dutch masterpieces. It is encountered elsewhere, it is true, but never as in Dutch-land, made by Dutch housewives. It is better seasoned, purer and more carefully selected.
Old-time oddities like Boova Shenkel and Schnecken are too much neglected today. Then the Rabbit Cake (hardly a good description, for it isn't a cake); Oyster Croquettes, Stuffed Beef Heart, Duck Un Kraut. Stuffed Liver, etc., are all unique and delicious.
Boova Shenkel (Dutch Meat Rolls)
21/2 lbs. beef
3 eggs
10 or 12 potatoes
21/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon lard
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
After seasoning the beef with salt and pepper, stew the meat for 2 or 3 hours until thoroughly tender. Then make dough, sift- ing flour, adding baking powder, salt, lard and butter. Mix into a pie crust dough, roll into a dozen circles of 8 to 10 inches diameter. Steam the potatoes, pared and sliced thin, add salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons butter, the parsley and onion, and then beat lightly the 3 eggs into the mixture. Put this mixture on the circles of dough, after it has stood a little while, roll over and press the pastry edges together tightly along the edge. Drop these into the stew pot with the meat and its stew water. Cover the pot tightly and cook for 30 minutes slowly.
To make a sauce for this, the fat should have been skimmed from the stew-pot before putting in the dough rolls, and this used in a frying pan with a tablespoon of butter to brown diced stale bread croutons, adding half a cup of milk.
Schnecken
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 yeast cake
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup seeded raisins
1/4 cup almonds, shredded
First, scald the milk; let stand until luke warm, then add sugar, salt and yeast cake. Let stand 5 minutes and add 11/2, cups flour, beat well, cover and let rise until right, add eggs, butter, and only enough flour to knead, and let rise again. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and 2 cinnamon mixed, raisins, and almonds. Roll up like jelly roll and cut in I inch pieces. Place pieces in pan close together, flat side down. Brush tops with butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. To give the Schnecken a bun-like stickiness put brown sugar and butter on bottom of pan before putting Schnecken in.
Dutch Festival Doughnuts (Fastnachts)
[NOTE: Fastnacht Day, Shrove Tuesday (the last day before Lent begins) has always meant, in Dutch country, the baking of "Fastnachts," a kind of doughnut. It once included a fasting period at some obscure ancient time, but the Dutch never fastl The last Fastnacht Day, March 5, 1935, saw 360,000 Fastnacbts made in Lancaster alone.]
Boil 3 potatoes in enough water to cover. With the potato water scald 1 pint of Hour and add the potato mashed. When cool add 1 Fleischman yeast cake, dissolved in a little luke warm water. Start this about 5 P.M. At bedtime mix a pint of Hour with one pint of lukewarm milk. Stir enough flour into milk to make'a batter that will drop readily from the spoon. To this batter add the first mixture and let rise over night. In the morning add 4 beaten eggs, 1 cup of melted butter, or butter and lard mixed, and 1 cup of sugar.
Knead stiff enough to roll; let rise till the dough doubles its size. Now roll and cut out the dough and let rise again. When light, swim in hot fat. The Fastnacht makes extra good "dunking" in coffee or molasses, sometimes both!
Dutch Stuffed Tripe
1 lb. spare ribs
4 diced potatoes
1 lb. sausage
1 onion
Fill the big stomach (tripe) with the above ingredients and sew up. Boil about 2 hours, then brown in pan with butter.
Dutch Ham and Lima Beans
Secure 2 lb. butt of ham (be sure that it is not salty). Cover with water and add 1 lb. of dried lima beans. Cook very slowly three or four hours. Add water if necessary-,do not let go dry. When ready to serve there should be a nice heavy liquid. Add 1 ounce of butter and if necessary, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, so that the gravy with the beans will not be too thin.
Dutch Sauerkraut Dumplings
1 egg beaten, i teaspoon salt, I tablespoon milk, I cup of flour, i teaspoon baking powder. Make into a paste. Drop into boiling kraut.
Dutch Filled Noodles
1 lb. sausage (out of the casing), 1 egg, 1 onion, parsley. Mix thoroughly and spread on a 12 inch round of noodle dough rolled very thin. Roll up like jelly roll, cut into three inch pieces, and boil in hot water or meat broth about one half hour.
Buttered Noodles- (Schmelizde Nudelen)
Put as many noodles as you want into a kettle of boiling salt water and boil 20 minutes. Drain. Put into your serving dish and pour brown butter over them and scatter croutons over the top. Cut the bread smaller than you would to make croutons for soup.
Dutch Stuffing (Filsel)
10 large potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
5 slices
bread
teaspoon pepper
2 cups chopped celery
1/2 lb. butter
3 medium onions
3 eggs
1 pint milk
Boil potatoes in the skins; peel and mash with 1 lb. butter, and add 1 cup milk. Spread the bread with butter, cut in half inch pieces, and brown in the oven on a tray, stirring them several times to brown on all sides. Fry onions and celery in butter. Beat the eggs, and add the whole mixture, stirring and blending it thoroughly. Last of all heat remaining butter and milk, and pour over mixture stirring it well, then put in a buttered glass pie dish, and bake 45 minutes.
Grumbera (Potato) Dumplings
Grate four raw, cold potatoes; dip 8 slices of bread in water and squeeze. Put bread in stew pan with 1 small grated onion, a little parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Add potatoes and 2 well beaten eggs. Form into balls and roll in flour delicately. Drop in salted boiling water and cook, well covered, for fifteen minutes.
These are excellent to accompany sauerkraut, meat or stewed or fricaseed chicken, or pot roast.
Pickled Pig's Feet (Stiderly)
2 pigs feet
1 lb. lean pork
1 teaspoon gelatine
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Scrape and clean feet thoroughly. Boil with the pork slowly about 2 hours, adding water as needed; you should have a quart of broth after boiling. Discard the skin and mean parts. Add the seasoning, cut meat, and the gelatine previously dissolved in cold water; pour into cup or molds; when cold scrape fat off the top and serve cold.
Dutch Gravy
1 oz. of butter
2 tablespoons white wine, for chicken
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 pt. of fish stock, chicken or veal broth
salt
2 yolks of eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice(for fish)
1/4 cup of cream
Melt the butter, stir in the flour, stew a few minutes, fill up with fish stock, stirring constantly. Season with salt and lemon juice (for fish), and add the 2 yolks of eggs. For chicken or veal with rice, season with white wine. (This Dutch Gravy is indicated in this book for half a dozen other recipes as a sauce).
Dutch Horse-Radish Gravy
1 cup cream, or bouillon
1 cup of horse radish
1 pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of flour
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of butter
Work quickly at scraping and grating. Stir in the horse radish, flour and butter and add the cream. Boil 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, and season with salt and sugar. Serve with boiled beef, pot roast, etc.
Dutch Onion Gravy
1 small piece of butter
1 pinch of pepper
1 medium sized onion
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 tablespoon of flour, salt
1/2 pt. bouillon
Brown the butter with the sliced onion; then stir in the flour, add the bouillon and season with salt, vinegar and pepper. Cook the gravy 10 minutes and strain through a fine sieve. Serve with boiled beef, pot roast, etc.
Dutch Fried Potatoes
6 potatoes
1 teaspoon pepper
3 onions
1 teaspoon salt
Boil the potatoes, unpared; remove skins when cold (or use left-over boiled potatoes). Fry the onions, sliced, with the potatoes, sliced, in covered frying pan for 15 minutes moderate heat, after seasoning with salt and pepper. Then uncover and fry hotly until golden brown.
Dutch Potato Croquettes
1 1/2 cups cold mashed potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon minced onion
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Dash cayenne
2 tablespoons cream
1 egg
Mix into a paste the potatoes and butter, all the parsley, salt and pepper, cream, onion and egg (yolk only). Mold into croquettes, dip into the egg white, roll in cracker dust or bread crumbs. Fry in deep fat.
Dutch Pigs-in-Blankets
Slice or cut into dice i doz. potatoes, then boil soft. Take as many bread crumbs as potatoes, put crumbs into pan, with lump butter the size of walnut, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and a few slices of onion; fry until brown, then add potatoes. Make noodle dough, cut in squares, and put in filling as for dumplings. Drop these into the broth in which potatoes have been boiled.
Dutch Cheese Spread
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup minced watercress
Put the cheese in a bowl, and pour in the milk and cream slowly, mixing with the back of a kitchen spoon. Bring to consistency of medium soft paste, adding the salt, pepper and watercress. Spread on bread (In olden days the Dutch put old-fashioned New Orleans molasses on top of this, on the bread.)
Ball Cheese, Millersville
1 gallon sour, thick milk
Let the milk get,thoroughly thick and sour, then put into a cheesecloth bag and let the water drain from it. When drained salt it to taste. Form it into flat round balls about 3 inches in diameter, and lay upon china platters for three days. Then roll the balls in baking soda and wrap in paper. Place the balls in an earthen or glass crock and let ripen for two weeks. Then take them out and rinse in water to remove soda, scraping the balls with a knife. They are then ready to serve, to eat. They are good with rye bread.
Balia Kase, Womelsdorf
This is a rather strong and aged type of cheese. Thick milk is scalded lightly, the water drained off, and the curds preserved in a cold place in an earthen vessel, just as in making cup cheese. Once a week new curds are added, with a pinch of salt. Then the material is kneaded until smooth and sticky and shap- ed into balls. These are laid on a board to dry, and the temperature slowly raised for a day or so. Then the balls are placed in earthen pots and let stand for months. Sometimes such balls are made in the fall for use the next summerl The balls are washed and scraped to take off the mould outside, before eating. The longer they stand, the sharper the cheese.
Cup Cheese, Berks
This well known Dutch specialty, sold in all the farmer markets in the Dutch country, is made at its best in the following manner. Thick milk is scalded by placing a pan of it in the oven and baking the curd. Then the water is drained, the curds put in an earthen vessel and kept in a moderate temperature. Each day for a week new curds are added and mixed with the rest. Then the curds are poured into a heated pan and let simmer slowly and brought to a boil without stirring. Then a pinch of salt, a cup of cream, 1/2 lb. of butter, and a teaspoon of baking soda are added, and the mixture is boiled for 15 minutes, with 2 or 3 beaten eggs added. Then the mixture is poured into cups and let cool.
Dutch Dandelion Wine
Gather (while the sun is shining) one gallon of dandelion blossoms. Pour over them 1 gallon of boiling water, then let stand in cool place for 3 days. Then put in a porcelain preserve kettle, add the rind of 3 oranges and one lemon, cut fine. Boil for 15 minutes and then strain. Add 3 lbs. of granulated sugar, together with the pulp and juices of the oranges and lemon. After it is lukewarm add one-half a yeast cake. Let stand for a week in a warm place and then strain again. Then let stand until it stops fermenting, after which bottle.
Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter
1 0 pounds apples
6 quarts cider
4 pounds sugar
2 tablespoons ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground allspice
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon.
Wash and quarter the apples. Boil the cider for 20 minutes then put the apples into the kettle with the cider and cook until the apples are very tender. Press through a sieve to remove skin and seeds. Add the sugar and spices to the pulp. Cook until as thick as desired (a soft paste); stirring frequently to prevent burning. Pour into crocks or glass jars.
There never was a more indefatigable preserver, pickier, curer, spicer or canner than the Dutch housewife. Very little escapes her expert touch-and as a consequence she got in the habit centuries ago of loading every table with many "sweets and sours."
To such an extent that over the centuries it became a fixed tradition of Dutch hospitality for her to put on the table (especially for "company") precisely seven sweets and seven sours. The "company" would often count them! indeed would gaily demand them if missing.
I have always maintained that a variety of sweets and sours on the table was a distinct gastronomic delight and digestive aid. Most of the Germanic peoples of the south of Germany, in particular the Hungarians, have always been fond of sweets and sours on the table. The Swedes, and perhaps also the Italians and French, like them at the beginning of the meal; but my own appetite reaction is for having them during the meal, to relieve the cloying taste of quantities of protein and starch. But perhaps I was early conditioned to the Dutch way.
The Dutch variety of sweets and sours is the most extensive have ever contacted with. The range of course includes all the standard things known to other cuisines, and I have therefore included only those which offer some little special Dutch touch in the making.
Spiced Peaches
3 lbs. peaches, 1 1/2 lbs sugar, 1/2 cup vinegar, 5 or 6 sticks cinnamon bark. Dissolve vinegar and sugar, then throw in the peaches, when soft enough to pierce with a straw, take out and add 1 doz. cloves, and cinnamon bark to the syrup. Boil well and pour over the peaches.
Dutch Spiced Red Cabbage
2 heads red cabbage
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 gallon vinegar
1 teaspoon each mace, allspice, cinnamon
Shred the cabbage, sprinkle with the salt, let stand 24 hours. Press moisture out, stand in sun for 3 hours. Boil for 8 minutes the vinegar, with 1 cup water, the sugar and the spices, and while hot pour over the cabbage. Keep in large howl or earthen jar.
Dutch Spiced Cucumbers
20 cucumbers
3 green peppers
4 red peppers
1/2 cup salt
5 onions
1 quart vinegar
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon cloves
1 cup sugar
After peeling the cucumbers, do not slice but cut the long way into inch long slabs. Thinly slice onions and peppers. Put these in large bowl, sprinkle the salt over them and mix. After letting stand four hours, drain through colander, and then squeeze juices out through cheese cloth. Then boil the vinegar, cloves, turmeric powder (first dissolved in a little vinegar) and the sugar. Then add the cucumbers to this liquid and boil for two or three minutes. Place in glass jars.
Dutch Ginger Pears
5 lbs. hard pears
4 lbs. brown sugar
2 lemons
1/4 lb. ginger root
Peel and core the pears, and cut into quarters. Cut the lemon rind into strings, and put them with the pears, including the lemon juice, in kettle. Cook slowly for an hour, until clear. Pack in glass jars.
Dutch Applebutter (Lotwaerick)
1/2 bushel apples
3 lbs. brown sugar
5 gallons cider
1 1/2 oz. allspice
Boil down the cider, with sugar and allspice, to 2 1/2 gallons, then add the pared and cored apples. If the apples are tart, add more sugar. Stir the mess constantly until it is of moderately thick consistency. Pack in glass jars.
Spiced Cantaloupe
6 lbs. of cantaloupe cut as nearly one size as possible, 4 qts. of water, 1 oz. of alum; bring to the boiling point, drop in your fruit, cook 15 minutes, lift and drain a short while. Then take 1 qt. of vinegar, 3 lbs. of white sugar, 3 teaspoonfuls of yellow mustard seed, 1 teaspoonful of black mustard seed, 1 teaspoonful whole mace, 8 inch stick cinnamon, 9 whole cloves, about a doz. whole allspice. Place the fruit in it and slowly cook until clear; requires about 2 hours.
Green Tomato Soy
2 gals. green tomatoes, chopped without peeling, 12 good sized onions sliced, 2 qts. vinegar, 1 qt. sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls salt, 2 tablespoonfuls ground mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls black pepper, 1 tablespoonful allspice. 1 tablespoonful cloves. Mix all together and stew until tender, stirring often lest they should scorch. Put in small glass jars.
Cucumber Chow-Chow
1 doz. large cucumbers, 4 large onions, and I small sharp pepper, cut fine, and lightly salted over night. In the morning squeeze out, add 1 small bunch of celery cut fine, some celery seed, and yellow.mustard seed. Cover with vinegar and heat all together, but do not let come to a boil. Seal hot in glass jars.
Corn Chow-Chow
1 quart of vinegar, 1 quart of string beans, 1/2 doz. red peppers, 1 pint of lima beans, 1 pint of small onions, 1 doz. ears of corn, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 1/2 lb. of sugar, 1/4 lb. of mustard. Mix mustard and vinegar and bring to a scald. Cook separately the corn, onions, and beans till tender. Put all the ingredients together, boil only five minutes and seal.
Chow-Chow, Berks
6 large white onions, 6 large sweet peppers, red and green, 1 head of cabbage, 1/2 peck green tomatoes, 2 doz. medium sized cucumbers, 1 bunch celery, 1 head cauliflower, 1 pint small onions, and about 50 little pickles.
Slice the onions, cabbage and tomatoes on slaw cutter. Cut the peppers and cucumbers into small pieces. Put all of rise with cauliflower into strong salt water and boil until tender but not too soft. Then drain well through a sieve or colander. Put back into the kettle with the small onions, celery, and little pickles. The small pickles should stand in salt water several times before adding. Add to this i pound of white mustard seed, tablespoonful of celery seed, handful each of cinnamon bark and whole allspice, some mace and pint of grated horseradish, I gallon of cider vinegar.
Mix up some yellow mustard and add half a teaspoonful of turmeric, sweeten with brown sugar to taste. Mix all well and let come to a boil, then pack in jars, having the pickle well covered with the vinegar.
Chow-Chow, Montgomery
1 pk. green tomatoes, 1/2 pk. ripe tomatoes, 3 heads cabbage, 1/2 doz. green peppers,1/2 doz. red peppers. Cut all and sprinkle with 1 cupful salt, let stand all night, next day strain and add 3 lbs. of sugar, 1 teacupful grated horseradish, cover with vinegar and let come to a boil; then add 1 tablespoonful black pepper, 1 tablespoonful ground mustard and 1 tablespoonful of mustard seed, 1 tablespoonful ground cloves, 1 tablespoonful mace, and 1 tablespoonful celery seed, 2 stalks celery, 2 cents worth turmeric, 1 1/2 quarts lima beans (boiled).
Piccalilli
1 quart lima beans (large and small), kidney or soup beans, 6 stalks celery, 4 heads cauliflower, 2 heads cabbage, peppers (red, green and yellow), 3 doz. ickles, 6 carrots, 1 quart onions, 1 quart green tomatoes, 1 quart vinegar to 1 cup of sugar, spices to taste.
Pennsylvania Dutch Compound Vinegar
1 pound of tarragon, 4 oz. of mustard seeds, 6 cloves of garlic, 6 small onions, 4 oz. of elder blossoms, 1/4 oz. cloves, 4 quarts of white vinegar.
Put all together to steep in a two gallon jug, corking tight and let stand several weeks before using.
Dutch Pickled Yellow Beans
Use only large and tender beans. After stringing, boil in salted water until tender. Drain and then pour cider vinegar over them. If the vinegar is too strong, add some water. Pack in jars or crocks.
Dutch Sour Beets
6 or 8 beets
2 cups vinegar
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Boil the beets until tender, peel and slice them one-half inch thick;season. Then pour over them the vinegar and let stand for 30 minutes. Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs and let lie in the vinegar for 24 hours, after which they will be colored red.
Dutch Pepper Cabbage
1 small head cabbage
1 stalk celery
2 small peppers
1 tablespon vinegar
salt, pepper
Chop the cabbage, the peppers and the celery, add the seasonings and cook until tender.
Dutch Sour Jerusalems
10 Jerusalem Artichokes
tablespoon butter
1 cup vinegar
salt, pepper, cayenne
Boil the artichokes for 40 minutes in salted water, rinse in cold water, and let cool. Dice and pour over them the vinegar sauce mixture.
Sour Cherry Pineapple Marmelade
2 quarts sour cherries
1 pineapple
sugar
Put the cherries through a grinder. Add juice to the ground cherries. Peel and slice the pineapple and put throgh grinder in same way. Make the proportions 3/4 cup pineapple and juice to 1 cup cherries and juice. Add sugar equal in weight to both. Cook slowly until thick and preserve in mason jars.