Mennonite Recipes

* Note: these are not for dieters

ZWIEBACK

4 cups milk
¾ cup shortening (half butter, half lard)
6 tsp salt
4 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
6 cups unbleached flour
8 cups additional flour

Heat milk to just warm, then add butter and lard. Meanwhile, stir sugar into lukewarm water and add yeast. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Put 4 cups of the flour into large bowl and add salt. Add milk/shortening mixture and stirred yeast to the flour. Add 2 cups more flour and beat well. Add flour as you mix for a medium soft dough (if it’s too soft, the buns will flop). Knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough. Cover and let stand in warm place until doubled (about 2 hours). Punch down again and let rise a few minutes while you grease pans (cookie sheets). Squeeze off a piece of dough the size of a small egg and place on pan. Squeeze another piece the size of a walnut and place on top of first piece. With thumb, push down through top piece and into bottom to anchor them together. Continue until all dough is used. Cover with tea towel and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. If they get too dark, reduce heat during last 5 minutes of baking. Cool on racks. Yields about 3 – 4 dozen, depending on the size of the buns.

For Reische Zwieback, separate tops and bottoms and leave in a 200 degree oven for several hours until dried and crispy and dark. Great dipped or soaked in tea or coffee. These were a staple during the emigration since they don't go stale.

PLATZ

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup lard
1 tsp salt
½ – ¾ cup cream or milk
fresh or frozen fruit
sugar to sprinkle
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
pinch salt
½ cup butter

Combine first four ingredients and rub together to make crumbs. Add cream or milk to make dough. Press into a 9” x 13” ( or two 8 x 8 ) baking pan and top thickly with fruit of your choice, frozen or fresh (plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, apples). Sprinkle generously with sugar and cover with a mixture of the flour, sugar, salt and butter, which has been blended so that it holds together. Let it fall in lumps over the platz. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve fresh, warm or cooled, with or without ice cream.

VERENECHE

1 cup cream
1 cup milk
3 egg whites and one whole egg
1 tsp salt
4 ½ cups flour (approx.)

Combine flour and salt, then add eggs and liquid. Knead until dough is smooth, but not tough. Roll out fairly thin on a floured board or counter. Cut 3 inch rounds and fill each with cottage cheese mixture (see below). Seal carefully by pinching edges together. Moisten edges slightly with water for a better seal. Drop a few vereneche at a time into boiling water and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring gently to prevent sticking. They are ready when they are puffed up. Remove from boiling water with slotted spoon and drain. You may drizzle a bit of butter between to keep them from sticking to each other. Serve with cream gravy (see below) and salt or sugar. Leftovers can be fried in butter and eaten with a sprinkling of salt. Makes about 4 dozen.

See below for details for cottage cheese filling and cream gravy.

*Okay, don’t tell anyone, but I buy my vereneche frozen in the store. Look for cottage cheese filled perogies. **My mother always saved some dough to make fruit vereneche. She used plums, but you can also use Saskatoons or blueberries or raspberries—and more sugar, of course. Great dessert for an already decadent meal!

Cottage Cheese Filling

2 – 4 cups dry cottage cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3 egg yolks

Mix together and put a tablespoonful of filling into each vereneche.

Cream Gravy (white sauce)

½ cup melted butter
2-3 cups milk or cream
½ cup flour
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter, add flour, salt and pepper, and cook and stir for a minute. Gradually add milk or cream, and cook until it achieves the desired consistency. Burns easily.

ROLLKUCHEN

4 eggs
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 rounded Tbsp melted butter
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (or more)
1 cup milk
5 – 6 cups flour ( enough for soft dough)

Beat eggs well. Add sour cream, butter, baking powder, salt and milk. Add flour gradually to make a soft dough. Roll out fairly thin and cut in 2” X 5” strips. Cut a slit down the center and turn as you would for crullers. Fry in deep hot fat (375 degrees) until nicely browned. Cool on paper towels and serve with jam or syrup.

*We always ate Rollkuchen with cold slices of sweet, juicy watermelon.

MENNONITE BORSCHT

2 – 3 pounds of beef soup bones or a chicken carcass
water to cover, as much as you want soup
salt and pepper to taste
1 large chopped onion
1 small  chopped cabbage
2 or 3 chopped carrots
small bag or tea strainer filled with pickling spices and peppercorns
4 potatoes
2 sprigs fresh dill
½ tsp dill weed
1 – 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1-10 oz. can tomato soup
¼ cup ketchup
sour cream

Cover bones with water and bring to a boil. Simmer a few hours until meat falls from bones. Strain and remove meat from bones. Set aside. Into soup stock, add vegetables and spices. Simmer until vegetables are cooked and as long as possible. Add meat and stir in soup, ketchup and sour cream. Do not boil. Serve with fresh brown bread and butter.

PLUME MOOS (FRUIT SOUP)

1 pound mixed dried fruit
1/2  3-0z. pkg. cherry jelly powder
1 quart canned cherries
handful of raisins
3-4 Tbsp cornstarch
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
cold water to mix

Put dried fruit and raisins in saucepan and cover with as much water as you want soup. Bring to boil, shut off and let sit a couple of hours to plump. Add ½ to 1/3 package (3 oz) cherry jelly powder. Add canned cherries with liquid. Bring to boil. Mix cornstarch, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add enough cold water so the mixture pours. Add to boiling fruit, stirring continually. You may add any other canned fruit you wish. When slightly thickened, cover and cool.

* Our family often ate this cool soup with cold sliced ham, fried potatoes and lettuce with sweet cream dressing.