Our German roots: Schnitz and Knepp
Here’s a food we haven’t talked about much on the blog: Schnitz and Knepp, a classic apple, ham and dumpling main dish.
Here’s one recipe I found:
3 pounds smoked ham
1 quart tart dried apples (schnitz)
Dumpling batter:
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. shortening
Boil ham in a large kettle for about two hours, making sure there is always enough water to cover half of the ham. Soak schnitz in bowl, covered with water, for two hours. Add schnitz and water to ham kettle, and boil together for another hour. Drop in dumpling batter (see note below) by the tablespoon. Continue to boil, covered for 18 minutes without lifting lid. Makes six servings.
To make dumplings: Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut in shortening. Add milk slowly, mixing with a fork until well blended. Batter should be lumpy.
Recipe from Cornwall Iron Furnace as printed in “Pennsylvania Trail of History Cookbook.”
And if you’re wondering where this name came from, Mark in Austria writes: “FYI, the Knepp of Schnitz und Knepp stands for buttons … it’s a dialect word Knopf, referring to the buttons of dumplings. Still searching for the origins of Schnitz und Knepp here … Schnitz, in case you were not sure, means sliced, as in this case apples and ham, thinly sliced. More to come!”
What do you think, do you guys like Schnitz and Knepp?
