Traverse City Record-Eagle

Lovina Eicher: The Amish Cook

February 14, 2010

Amish Cook: It's butchering week

By Lovina Eicher

Editor's note: This week's column is shorter than usual because it was "butchering week" on the Eicher farm.

February is a very busy time in Amish communities with butchering on the agenda for many families, including ours.

Butchering is often done during the winter when the job isn't as hot and messy. Our family is butchering a 1,400-pound steer this week, which will supply us with plenty of meat for the year ahead.

The job, however, is long and tiresome and involves the whole family. All of the children from the youngest to the oldest participate and have a different job.

We are also butchering hogs this week, which will allow us to enjoy hams, sausage and chops over the next year. It's also good to butcher our own meat because then we know where it is coming from!

I wanted to share this recipe with readers for this week, it is a favorite during butchering season. People in some areas know this as "scrapple."

Pon Hoss

3-4 lbs. pork shanks or hocks

Cornmeal or flour

Salt

Pepper

Over a medium heat in a large pot, cook pork until tender. Remove bones and skim fat from broth.

Return meat to broth and add cornmeal or flour, just enough to thicken. (Editor's note: The amount of flour will vary widely depending on the meat used. Add the flour one cup at a time until broth is a thick paste.)

Season with salt and pepper. Pour into loaf pans.

Chill overnight in a cellar or refrigerator. The next day, slice and fry over medium-high heat until golden brown on each side. Serve.

A reader in Cleves, Ohio, asked for an easy breakfast biscuit recipe. Try this one.

Homemade Breakfast Biscuits

2 c. sifted flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1 c. milk

1 t. sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet or fill 12 muffin tins 2/3 full.

Bake at 375 degrees 18 to 20 minutes. Makes about a dozen biscuits.

Lovina Eicher is Old Order Amish. She hand-writes this column from her home in southern Michigan. Anyone with cultural or cooking questions can send them to: Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 2144, Middletown, OH 45042. Read all of her columns online at www.record-eagle.com/amishcook.

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