Looking for another creative way to use up your leftover Easter ham? On today's blog post, we're featuring a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe that is a unique and tasty way to transform your leftovers - Schnitz un Knepp!
Time for a vocab lesson! Schnitz is the PA Dutch word for sliced dried apple slices. Traditionally, making dried apples was a way to preserve the autumn apple harvest and extend it's life throughout the year. Knepp is a PA Dutch word for dumplings.
When you think of apples and dumplings, you might think of a sweet dish. But, in a PA Dutch twist - this recipe also utilizes ham, giving it the sweet-and-salty flavor profile that is a trademark of PA Dutch food.
What you'll need for this recipe:
1/2 lb schnitz (dried apples)
3 lb Stoltzfus Meats ham, roughly diced
2 T brown sugar
2 cup flour
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
4 t baking powder
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 - 1 cup milk
3 T melted butter
Instructions:
- Cover schnitz with water and let soak for at least 3 hours.
- Place diced ham in a large Dutch Oven and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for at least 30 minutes.
- Add the apples and the water in which they were soaked and continue to boil for another 30 minutes. Add brown sugar.
- Make the knepp (dumplings) by sifting together the flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Stir in the beaten egg, melted butter, and enough milk to make a stiff, but moist, batter.
- Drop the batter by small spoonfuls into the Dutch Oven, on top of the ham and apples. Cover tightly and cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.
As always, if you make this recipe, we would love to hear about it. Please let us know in the comments or be sure to tag us on social media. Thanks for joining us for Stoltzfus Eats… where feeding you is our pleasure!