The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook (18 page)

Baked Acorn Squash

Fresh acorn squash (1 squash yields 2 servings)

brown sugar

butter

salt and pepper to taste

Wash squash and cut in half lengthwise (from blossom end to stem end). Scoop out the inside to get rid of seeds and strings. Place cut side up in a lightly greased baking dish or roasting pan. If the squash doesn’t stay upright, you can cut off a bit of the bottom rind to make a flat surface. Put a generous amount of brown sugar and butter in each cavity. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Loosely cover with foil and bake at 375° until the squash is soft, at least an hour depending on size.

Baked Acorn Squash with Hamburger Filling

3 acorn squash

1 lb. hamburger

1 cup frozen or fresh corn (sliced off the cob if using fresh)

½ cup tomato sauce

¼ cup celery, finely chopped

¼ cup onion, finely diced

2 T. water

1 T. minced fresh parsley

1 T. prepared mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. allspice

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

bread crumbs

Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise. Spray or brush cut sides with oil and place cut side down on a baking pan that has either been greased or has nonstick aluminum foil placed in the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare meat filling. Brown the hamburger and drain off the grease. Stir in the corn, tomato sauce, celery, onion, water, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, allspice, salt, and pepper.

When the squash is almost tender, remove from oven and invert the squash so the cut side is up. Spoon the meat mixture into the cavities and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Return to the oven and bake an additional 30 minutes.

The term “Pennsylvania Dutch” is used often when referring to the Amish and other cultural groups that can trace their roots to German-speaking areas in Europe where they spoke a dialect of German referred to as “Deitsch.”

Baked Onions

4 onions, peeled and halved

2 tsp. olive oil or butter

2 tsp. brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

paprika to taste

1 tsp. lemon juice

minced fresh parsley for garnish

Place the onion halves cut side up in a greased baking pan. Top with the oil or butter, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until onion is tender in the center and deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and drizzle lemon juice over the onions and garnish with parsley before serving.

Baked Sweet Potatoes

4 cups sweet potatoes, cooked, salted, and diced

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. flour

½ cup cream

miniature marshmallows

Put the cooked sweet potatoes into a buttered baking pan or casserole dish. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, and cream and pour over the sweet potatoes. Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover the top of the sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Return to oven and continue baking until the marshmallows have melted and are golden brown.

Baked Turnips

1½ lb. fresh turnips

¾ tsp. salt

1 T. sugar

⅛ tsp. ground ginger

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup water

3 T. butter

Peel the turnips and cut into ½-inch-thick slices. Place turnips in a buttered baking dish. Combine the salt, sugar, ginger, and parsley and sprinkle over the turnips. Pour the water over the turnips and dot with the butter. Cover tightly and bake at 400° for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork.

Barley Casserole

1 onion, chopped

6 T. butter

1 cup pearl barley

1 cup hot water

1 can cream of mushroom soup

salt

pepper

garlic

parsley

Sauté onion in butter until softened. Add barley and sauté until golden brown. Turn into a casserole dish, and add water, soup, and seasonings. Mix well. Cover and bake at 350° for at least 1 hour.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 3-oz. package cream cheese, softened

¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled

1 cup milk

1 large head broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped

⅓ cup cracker crumbs, finely crushed (use Ritz crackers)

In a saucepan, melt the butter and then add the flour, salt, and cheeses. Add milk all at once; cook and stir until mixture boils. Stir in chopped broccoli. Turn into a casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

The Amish feel that higher education is not necessary to live a godly life because the goal is to become a good farmer or a good wife, mother, and housekeeper. In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled that Amish children did not need to attend school past the eighth grade. Amish families in a district will build a schoolhouse on private land and all grades will be taught by one or two teachers—often an unmarried woman who also attended school to the eighth grade. However, children are encouraged to study hard and testing has shown that Amish children receive a comparable education to those in public schools.

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

1 head broccoli, cleaned and cut into pieces

4 T. butter

4 T. flour

1 tsp. salt

2 cups milk

¼ lb. mild Cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli in a small amount of water; drain.

While broccoli is cooking, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and then add the flour and salt, whisking the entire time. Slowly add the milk and continue whisking until the mixture thickens. Add the cheese and continue stirring until the cheese is melted.

In a buttered casserole dish, add half the broccoli and top with half of the cheese sauce. Repeat layers.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Optional: It’s not necessary to oven-bake the casserole; instead, simply serve up helpings of broccoli and spoon the cheese sauce over the top.

Celery and Almonds

3 T. butter

4 cups celery, cut in very thin 3-inch strips

½ cup scallions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic (small), minced

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Using a heavy skillet, melt the butter and add the celery. Cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the scallions and garlic and cook a bit longer, still stirring constantly; do not overcook. To serve, combine the celery mixture with the almonds, reserving a few almonds to sprinkle on top.

Celery and Cheese Casserole

6 cups celery, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 T. butter, divided

¼ cup water

½ tsp. tarragon

2 T. flour

½ cup milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ tsp. paprika

Combine celery with 1 T. butter, water, and tarragon in medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn into a 2-quart casserole dish. Set aside.

Heat remaining butter in the same saucepan. Stir in flour. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly until smooth. Add soup; heat thoroughly. Stir in cheese. Pour over celery and mix lightly. Sprinkle with paprika and bake uncovered at 350° for 15 minutes.

Cheese and Bread Casserole

3 cups soft bread cubes

2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

2 cups scalded milk

Layer bread and cheese in a well-buttered casserole dish.

Beat together the eggs, salt, and milk. Pour over the bread and cheese mixture; milk mixture should come to the top of the bread mixture.

Bake at 350° until cooked through and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Company Scalloped Potatoes

6 T. butter

6 T. flour

1 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1½ cups milk

1½ cups water

2 cups Velveeta cheese, cut into very small cubes

8 cups potatoes, diced and cooked until just tender

3 cups cooked ham, diced

1 cup bread crumbs

4 T. butter, melted

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the flour, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and gradually stir in milk and water. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add cheese and continue cooking and stirring until cheese is melted. Add potatoes and ham and mix well. Pour potato mixture into a buttered casserole dish. Mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter and put on top of the scalloped potatoes.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through and scalloped potatoes are golden and bubbly.

Cooked Beets

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 T. cornstarch

¼ cup vinegar

¼ cup water

4 cups beets, diced and cooked (you can use canned beets, but see note below)

2 T. butter

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add the vinegar and water and stir until smooth. Simmer for about 5 minutes; it will thicken slightly as it cooks. Turn off heat and gently stir in beets. Let stand in saucepan for 30 minutes. Just before serving, bring the beets to a low simmer and add the butter.