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Creamed Ham (Schmaundt Schinken)



The sun is shining out here...but I realize that parts of Canada and US are still feeling the effects of the Arctic blast.  Even though we are experiencing an early spring,  I still like to think of this time as winter and enjoy nesting for a while longer. This is one of those heritage recipes from my aunt, Tanta Hanna who came from West Prussia.  I've read her 'Diary of Escape' over the past months and realized that this was another favorite recipe that the family enjoyed.  Take time to enjoy another winter comfort food.

Creamed Ham (Schmaundt Schinken)
  • Pork Cottage Roll ( 600 grams)
  • 3 large onions
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 whole allspice
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 cube beef bouillon
  • salt & pepper to taste.
Instructions
  1. Slice meat thinly 1/4 inch and fry in hot skillet till seared and brown on both sides.
  2. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Add 3 cups water to frying pan and quartered onions.
  4. Add spices and steam for 30 minutes. Cover with lid.
  5. Make gravy by adding 4 tablespoons flour  (mixed with a little cold water) to the 3 cups broth.
  6. Stir while this thickens.
  7. Add 1 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)
  8. Add beef seasonings, salt, and pepper to taste.
  9. Cut the fried ham into bite-size pieces and add them to the hot creamed sauce.

Serve with boiled potatoes, green beans, and dill pickles. Enjoy!

16 comments:

  1. Winter comfort food indeed!! Love those old fashioned and simple recipes. I like the idea of an early Spring.....

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  3. INTERESTING THAT NO MATTER WHERE I LOOKED, (GERMAN, DUTCH, LOW GERMAN, YIDDISH) I COULDN'T FIND A TRANSLATIONS FOR THE WORD SCHMANDT.

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  4. Anonymous, in Low German it is Schmaunt, in German it is Schmand……..it means CREAM.

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    1. Elsie, you are right, Schmaunt is Low German a dialect that would not be found too easily online and it means cream. but the German word? could certain households have used Schmand? I have not heard that before. Sahne is the German words for it as far as I know.

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    2. Thanks Anneliese. I took the original spelling from the recipe. I'm sure there are many different versions, especially depending on the regions.

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    3. Dear Mennonite Girls. I LOVE your site, have already cooked some of the recipes (and earned praises from husband , mother in law and SILs and BILs- all Ecuadorian). I do like it a lot that the measurements are in cups which makes it a lot easier in a still not so well equipped kitchen in Ecuador, where I am currently living. As I am German (originally from nothern Germany near Hannover) please let me help you with the terms.
      Schmandt is NOT the same as plain cream (Sahne). Sahne ist more liquid, the one you would use for whipped cream. Saure Sahne ist more or less like sour cream without salt, herbs or other spices. The french have a product called creme fraiche which is nearly he same in flavor and texture but has a higher fat percentage. When used as ingredient in sauce dishes I think you can replace Schmandt with plain cream, Only the texure of the sauce will be a little bit more liquid (which you can make thicker with al little bit of starch). However in sweet dishes it changes the flavor if you use Sahne instead of Schmandt and also you can not whip Schmandt (well you can but it doesn´t get any fluffier).
      Schmaundt must be low German, but not the low German dialect of my region. However West Prussian dialect would be very different, I am not sure if these days anyone still speaks that dialect, als West Prussian since the end of WW II is no longer part of Germany and hardly any Germans live there anymore.
      God bless you and thanks again for his lovely and inspiring site,
      Anemone

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  5. Marg, this looks like good winter comfort food and so easy. I think I'll try it over Spaetzle.

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  6. My grandmother was raised by Monnonites and she cooked like you do. I loved all her food and my mom taught me to cook that way. She was also German Dutch and my great grandparents were low German so I love your recipes. It is very cold here in Ohio as it was -7 deg this morning and our Ohio River is froze solid. We are having an unusually cold winter. I am looking forward to Spring. Stay well and warm :)

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  7. I spelled Mennonite wrong just a typo...sorry

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  8. Hello my name is Francesca and I'm Italian. I found your blog by chance and I loved it. I have joined your followers. If you go too foul. Thank you. Francesca.

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  9. This looks really great - but can you tell me what "cottage roll" is? I tried to google it and it seems to be a Canadian thing but surely we must have this in the US but possibly by a different name. And if we don't have it (different regions have different things too - or name things differently) can ham be substituted?

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    1. Not sure if I'm of any help but what I remember about cottage rolls is a pork shoulder roast that's been cured in brine. I've not seen one in my grocery stores in years but I do know they're still out there to be found in some Canadian grocery stores. The photo above looks more like the small boneless hams found in the meat dept. of most grocery stores so would be a different taste than a cottage roll but looks to be equally as tasty. Not sure if links are permitted but you can try your hand at making/curing your own cottage roll with the recipe on the link.
      Cheers
      http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=29083

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    2. Thanks Anonymous for your support. Yes, a cottage roll is a form of ham. It's a small boneless ham and can be used for many variations. Smoked ham is also gives a lovely taste.

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  10. I'm in the process of making these, and will serve with noodles tossed in sour cream :) Yummy!

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