My favorite recipes

In the 1870’s and 1880’s, German immigrants streamed into Whitman County from two areas. A large number came from Germany, often Bavaria in southern Germany, and settled in Colfax, Colton and Uniontown. An easy gauge as to where they lived in Germany, those from northern Germany were often Lutheran, and those from southern Germany were often Roman Catholic. Central Germany was more mixed.

This large influx from Germany lasted several decades, with railroad construction jobs and land to homestead appealing to their desires for a better life economically, as well as many other advantages to coming to the United States. Germany’s social, political and economic challenges inspired many people to leave in search of a better life.

Another group had a more convoluted route. Invited by Catherine the Great of Russia to come to Russia from her native Germany, they lived near the Volga River, raised wheat, and stayed essentially a German colony for nearly two hundred years. Coming from Bavaria, Baden, Hesse, the Palatinate and the Rhineland, they brought more advanced German agricultural methods to Russia.

Many Volga Deutsch were from central Germany, and Steve Moore (changed from Mohr) noted that the names in the phone book he saw when traveling there looked like names in the Endicott phone book.

Long after the Tsarina’s death, with institution of a military draft and no protection of a friendly monarch, the Volga Deutsch began to leave Russia. Not all left, but that’s another complicated story.

The Volga Germans had an even longer trip than the immigrants from Germany, but many found their way to Colfax, Endicott, St. John and other Whitman County towns. They spoke a dialect of German that was quite different than spoken in Germany in the same era, as they had little contact with Germany for decades. But the food—that’s where the similarities can be observed.

Last winter, this column featured German sausage and some dishes featuring German sausage. Other German favorites are still popular.

Recipes:

“Grandma’s Rye Bread”

Bread Machine Version by Ray Reich

1 cup warm water

1/2 TBS yeast

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup light rye flour

2 cups white flour

Put all in breadmaker pan. Choose 1 lb loaf and white, medium crust. Do not double.

Dark Rye Bread

Evelyn Bafus

2 packages dry yeast

1 3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons caraway seed (some prefer less)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon white sugar

1 Tablespoon cooking oil

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup skim milk, scalded

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups rye flour

about 4 cups white flour

In a large bowl, put sugars, salt, caraway seed, oil, yeast, rye flour, and 1 cup white flour. Melt butter in scalded milk. Add water so mixture is very warm. Add to dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir in additional flour until dough is stiff. Knead about 5 minutes.

Let rise until double and punch down. Divide into 2 rounds and let rise 15 minutes. Roll as for jelly roll. Seal bottom and sides well. Place on cookie sheet; slit 5 times on top. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with butter, and let cool on wire rack.

Kraut Kuken or Kooga

Mae Geier

7 cups flour

1 package yeast

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups warm water or milk

1 large head cabbage

1 large onion

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shortening

Cut up cabbage (finely); add salt and onion, pepper, a little water to steam in a kettle with 1 Tablespoon bacon grease for 20 minutes. Let cool.

Soak yeast in warm water until foamy. Add flour, sugar, salt and shortening to warm water. Make a soft dough. Let rise in warm place until light, 2 hours or more, roll out. Cut into squares and put 1 large spoonful of the cooked cabbage mixture into each square, pinch ends together.

Let raise for 20-30 minutes in flat pans. Bake in a moderate (350 degrees) oven 1/2 hour or until brown.

Vaughn’s Pork Schnitzel

Vaughn and Marcia Hart Wasem

4 pork chops (thin boneless is easiest)

flour for dredging

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 to 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (prefer Italian seasoned)

garlic powder

salt and pepper

butter

Trim pork chops. Remove all bones, fat, or muscle sheen, then cut meat into 2-3 inch pieces (bigger if you’re using thin-cut pork chops). Prepare pieces of meat beforehand by pounding both sides from the center out until they are 1/4 inch or less thickness. This is an important step—it must be thin.

Lightly sprinkle pork with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess; dip in egg, and dredge in bread crumbs. Pat crumbs firmly on chops. Cover bottom of skillet with butter, and keep adding butter as needed. Fry chops until done, about five minutes per side. Remove to platter, blot with paper towels, then cover with foil and keep warm in oven.

This is the basic schnitzel, but it is normally served with a sauce or gravy. Jaeger (hunter) and rahm (cream) sauces are most seen in German restaurants.

Rahm Gravy

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

4 Tablespoons fresh chives or green onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup heavy cream

Add wine to skillet after removing schnitzel and bring to a boil. Add the mushrooms, chives or green onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the pan and stir well to mix. Cook the mixture for 3 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Serve over the schnitzel.

Wilted Lettuce

Thanks to Gwen Ochs Garrett

4-8 slices of bacon

clean, torn lettuce

onion, sliced rings or diced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

Tear lettuce and combine in a large bowl with onion.

Fry bacon, set on paper towels and drain; break into pieces. To bacon drippings, add vinegar and water. You can vary the proportion of water and vinegar to taste. After bringing the drippings, vinegar, and water to a boil, add bacon pieces briefly. Pour hot mixture over lettuce mixture; toss, and serve immediately.