Kitchen Krafts:

Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking

By Julie Wardell

Delicious Chicken Potpie

1 (4 pounds/1.8 kg) chicken

3 quarts water

2 teaspoons salt

3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 onion, diced

1/2 cup diced celery

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Dough Squares (see recipe)

1. Put the chicken, water, and salt in a stewing pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is done (about 2 hours).

2. Remove the chicken from the broth and put the broth in the refrigerator. When cool enough to handle, pull the chicken off the bones and cut into 1″ (2.5 cm) pieces. Discard the skin and bones.

3. After the broth has cooled, skim off and throw away the fat. Reheat the broth to boiling, then add the chicken, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, and parsley. Bring to a boil, then cook for five minutes.

4. Drop the dough squares into the boiling broth one at a time. When half the squares have been added, stir, then add the rest. Stir again, cover, and cook briskly for 20 minutes or until the squares are tender and the vegetables are done.

Dough Squares

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups flour

1. Mix the first four ingredients together. Then mix in the flour.

2. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/8″ (3 ram) thickness on a floured surface. Cut the dough into 1 1/2″ (3.8 cm) squares.

3. Cook the squares according to the Delicious Chicken Potpie recipe.

Shoofly Cake

6 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup margarine, softened

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup molasses

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar whipped cream

1. Mix the flour, sugar, margarine, cinnamon, and cloves together with a fork to form fine crumbs.

2. Sprinkle 1 cup of the crumbs on the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) greased baking pan.

3. Set aside 2 cups of the crumbs for the topping. The remaining crumbs will be used in step 4.

4. Stir the molasses, the boiling water, the baking soda, and the cream of tartar together. Slowly stir, but do not beat, the remaining crumbs into the molasses mixture. Then carefully pour into the oblong pan.

5. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of crumbs over the top. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 50–55 minutes or until done. (Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.) Serve with whipped cream.

Illustrated by Dick Brown