Cabbage figures large in PA Dutch cuisine

Cabbage is a staple of much traditional Pennsylvania German and Amish cooking.  The cabbage comes in numerous varieties including green, white (Dutch), Savoy, and red.  Amish recipes based on the cabbage include cabbage rolls, cabbage casserole, and sweet-and-sour cabbage.  Sauerkraut is a pickled cabbage also popular in Amish cooking.

Amish Cabbage Dishes

 
 
 
Share your Amish Cabbage Recipes here.

PA DUTCH CABBAGE ROLLS

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 6 cabbage leaves
• ⅓ cup uncooked rice
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 tblsp. shortening
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 can tomato soup
• ½ cup of chopped celery
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. minced parsley
• salt and pepper

Combine beef, salt and pepper, rice and egg.  Mix well.

To make cabbage roll sauce: Saute the chopped onion in butter until soft. Add equal amounts of tomato soup and water to the chopped onion.  Add parsley, celery, sugar, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cook for 10 minutes.

Wash the cabbage leaves and boil them until tender. Place equal quantities of the meat mix into each cabbage leave.  Roll leaves tightly; secure with toothpicks. Place cabbage rolls into the sauce pan.  Pour sauce over cabbage rolls.  Cover pan; cook very slowly (3 hours).

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SWEET and SOUR CABBAGE

• Cabbage
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Shred cabbage rather finely. Place shredded cabbage into a sauce pan. Sprinkle with salt. Cover pan.  Cook over low heat, steaming cabbage until soft. Beat the egg.  Add the vinegar, salt, and sugar.  Pour over the steamed cabbage. Heat for five minutes and it’s ready to serve.

Cabbage and peppers grow in the fields of a Kentucky Amish farm

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SEVEN-MINUTE CABBAGE

• 2 cups of chopped cabbage
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter

Bring the milk to a boil. Add chopped cabbage and butter. Cook for seven minutes. Thicken the mixture with flour combined with a little cold water.

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RED CABBAGE

• 2.5 lbs red cabbage head
• 4 tblsp. bacon grease
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tblsp. sugar

Place 4 tablespoons of bacon grease into a pressure cooker.  Chop fine 1 small onion in grease.  Brown onion to a golden brown color. Shred a 2½ lb. head of red cabbage. Mix ¼ cup of vinegar with ¼ cup of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Put the cabbage into the onion and grease. Pour the mixture of vinegar and sugar onto the cabbage. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix lightly. Divide 1 large pared apple into quarters.  Put apple quarters on top of the cabbage. Cook for four minutes. If using an ordinary pot you should cook for 20 minutes. This recipe will make 10 servings.

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Three green cabbages: La Grande Farmer’s Market/flickr; Kentucky Amish cabbage: Indabelle/flickr
Unless otherwise noted, recipes adapted from Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking.

Share your Amish Cabbage Recipes in the Comment Box below! Please type recipe title (ie, “Amish Baked Cabbage”) in the “Comment Title” box.

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