Our friend from the Baildon Colony was a convincing salesman as he sold me on purchasing a cookbook, Taste & See, a compilation of traditional recipes and other Hutterian Favorites.
We were at the market for fresh vegetables but he knew a potential customer when he saw one and immediately produced the cookbook for my perusal.
The introduction notes some of the recipes are traditional Hutterite favorites while others have been collected and tested on colony members.
“Serving 50-60 people at three meals we serve daily gives you a pretty good idea if the recipe goes over well.”
In addition to dozens of interesting recipes the cookbook is spiritual in nature, offering appropriate Bible verses throughout the pages.
I was hoping for string beans and peas that Saturday morning but the cookbook will continue to provide pleasure long after the bean and pea season is over.
The book is available for purchase at the farmers’ market located Saturday mornings on Thatcher Drive.
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String Bean Potato Soup
1 small ham bone
8 cups water
4 cups diced potatoes
2 cups canned green or yellow string beans
2 tbsps. flour
1/2 cup cream
Cut meat from bone. Take the bone and cook it in water together with the beans that are cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the raw potatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender. Remove bone.
Mix flour with cream to make a smooth paste. Whisk into the soup. Serve.
• • •
Kartoffel Knedel
2 medium raw potatoes
1 small cooked potato
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt.
Sauce:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
Process raw potatoes in food processor. Squeeze juice out with a cloth and return potatoes to processor. Add the cooked potato and process a bit more.
Mix together potato mixture with flour and salt by hand. If needed, add more flour so the mixture holds together. Roll into balls the size of a walnut and drop into simmering water. The knedels will rise. Continue to simmer slowly for 15 minutes. Drain off water and serve with sauce.
To make the sauce, mix flour with 1/2 cup of milk to make a smooth paste. Heat rest of milk with salt and add the paste. Cook until thickened. Serve over knedels.
• • •
Pumpkin Gingerbread
2/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup cooked pumpkin
1/3 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup raisins or nuts
Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 tbsps. corn syrup
1/2 cup whipping cream
Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in egg, pumpkin and molasses. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in raisins or nuts. Bake in a 9x9 inch pan at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Serve warm with caramel sauce.
To make the sauce, melt butter and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Stir in syrup and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in cream and return to a boil. Remove from heat.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
