No Pennsylvania Dutch home would be caught dead without this recipe. It's rather time consuming, but then the Pa. Dutch would rather cook and eat then do anything else....so far as I can figure!


Serves 8

6 oz. dried apples
3 lb. smoked ham w/bone in
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar (oh, just grab all the sugar outta your closets! LMAO!)
1 pinch ground cinnamon
2 c. flour
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. ground pepper
1 egg (well beaten)
3 T. melted butter
1/2 c. milk

Cover the apples with water and soak overnight. In morning, cover ham with water and simmer for 2 hours. Add apples and the water they soaked in for another hour. Remove ham from pot and strain juice from the apples, thru cheese cloth, to a bowl. Add sugars and cinnamon. Return to pot. Let simmer on low while you prepare the dumplings.

DUMPLINGS

Sift flour together with baking powder, salt and pepper. In seperate bowl mix beaten egg, melted butter and milk. Quickly stir into the flour mixture until just blended.

Heat apple juice mixture to boiling and lower to medium. Drop the dumpling mixture by teaspoon into the simmering apple juice mixture. Cover tightly and cook on medium for 20 minutes. Serve hot with the ham and cooked apples (and anything else that you'd think would go great).

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