Cooking the Pennsylvania Dutch Way for Memorial Day

Pennsylvania Dutch country is beloved as a land of farms, folklore and food! The Pennsylvania Dutch (originally pronounced as "Deutsch" meaning "German"...they were never really Dutch), take pride in their heartiness and their traditions, especially when it comes to foods for Christmas, Easter and summer picnics like Memorial Day and Labor Day. Below, four favorite recipes -- a main dish, two sides, and a dessert -- are sure to become a welcome addition to your family's annual Memorial Day picnics.

Traditionally, our Memorial Days began with early morning food preparation, followed by a trip to the graveside of our ancestors to remember and honor them with flowers. Returning home, we'd fling open the kitchen's side door, allowing the sun and a warm Spring wind flow in through the screen door. We glanced to that sunny doorway while we worked, longing to be outside playing with our cousins, but knowing that there was much chopping, cooking and mixing to be done before the fun could begin. Yes, in large Pennsylvania Dutch families, children were integral to the food preparation process; I began prepping food at age 3, and felt honored that my help was valued and encouraged.

The nice thing about many of our picnic recipes is that they taste better if they "set" a day. Many of them can be prepared the day before, and will actually taste better for it, the flavors having settled together. However, many require refrigeration, so be prepared with ample refrigerator space; these recipes are set up to serve about 10 people. The recipes below constitute about a fourth of the dishes we'd normally serve, but with people eating more moderately these days, these four dishes could easily make up your family's full Memorial Day picnic menu, with leftovers to spare.

The recipes below call for basic ingredients, although one or two may be local to Pennsylvania, particularly the "Turkey Table Syrup" by Schlorer Farms. The recipes are not low fat, but can be amended by you with various ingredients; I'll note my successful substitutions from the past. The Pennsylvania Dutch come from a tradition of hard physical labor, so what we call a "house full" of family and a little bit of "schleck" on holidays is a welcomed treat.

Round off your table with plenty of local Birch beer (see link), Splits pretzels, lemonade, and mint iced tea to keep everyone hydrated and happy!

MAIN DISH: Picnic Barbecues
To us, "barbecue" is more like sloppy joe's than chicken wings. This dish can be made with beef or turkey, a served warm in a big bowl with soft hamburger rolls and sweet pickles on the side; just beware of leaving it outside to spoil in the heat on Memorial Day.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1/3 C chopped celery
3/4 C chopped onion
15 oz. tomato sauce
1/3 C yellow mustard
1/4 C worcestershire sauce
1-2 T brown sugar
1 T catsup
1 oz. fresh water

Steps:
1) brown celery and onion; add ground meat to brown it.
2) add in tomato sauce, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar; simmer for 20 minutes.
3) add catsup to your tastes, and enough water to make barbeque moist and smooth, but not too runny.

SIDE DISH 1: Dutch-style Baked Beans
This delicious recipe should be made a day or two in advance; the bacon, pork and ribs can be deleted or substituted based on your dietary needs. Serve warm or cold in a large dish with parsley garnish.

Ingredients:
1 lb. pork chop or country-style ribs, split
2 lbs. dry Lima beans
1 lb. bacon
1 large yellow onion (sliced)
5 oz. molasses or Schlorer's Turkey Table Syrup
1 lb. brown sugar
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 C mustard
24 oz. bottle of catsup
Pepper to taste

Steps:
1) Rinse beans and put in a large pot; cover with water and soak overnight.
2) Cook beans for 45 minutes, or until they soften a bit, then pour into a large baking pan.
3) Brown the bacon, and add it to the beans, pouring in some of the bacon drippings.
4) Add sliced onion and all other ingredients except pork/ribs, mixing together. Adjust to your taste by adding condiments as needed.
5) Lay in the pork or ribs, and bake covered at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours.
6) Uncover for another 30 to 45 minutes to brown the top.

SIDE DISH 2: Red Beets & Eggs

Ingredients:
4 C. of pickled red beets
1 Dozen hard boiled eggs (still warm)
1/4 C water
1/3 C sugar
1 C Apple cider vinegar
1tsp salt
1 sliced yellow onion (optional)

Steps:
1) Warm beets in a pan in 1/4 cup of water.
2) Add in 1/3 C. sugar, 1 C. apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. salt., onion.
3) heat to dissolve ingredients, but do not boil.
4) Peel eggs, insert toothpick in each to allow juice inside and for ease of holding, and add them to the pan.

DESSERT: Deep Dish Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
6 C sliced apples
cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C water
1 C flour
2/3 C sugar
1/3 C butter (soft)

Steps:
1) Sprinkle apples with cinnamon, and layer them in a deep 9x13 buttered baking dish.
2) In medium bowl, mix flour, sugar and butter to make the crumb-top mix.
3) Sprinkle crumb-top over apples.
4) Bake at 350 degrees until crumbs are golden brown.
5) Cool and serve plain, or with vanilla bean ice cream.

Enjoy your Memorial Day and your good Pennsylvania Dutch food; I'm sure your family will love it, especially those hungry boys! Danke shoen!