[The Professor]

Forget about that, where's your scrapple recipe?  It's a little hard to find around here, but we can get goetta.  Similar.

Love it!  Scrapple, Goetta (especially), Haggis...all great comfort food in my book.  I first discovered Goetta on a visit to Cincinnati  around 34 years ago. It's really easy to make at home too!

In the casing  type 'extended' sausage department, I've always  had a particular fondness for the Hungarian rice and meat sausage, Hurka (the meat therein usually being what some consider nasty bits...not me!).  It's a bit like Polish Kiska, though hasa looser texture.  The version of Hurka that  contains some  blood in the mix is actually rather like Boudin Noir.

 I'm eating less of this stuff than I once did, but when I do have any of these, I make my own from scratch and really savor every bit.

Gordon, I'll go through my dad's file and dig out his really fine scrapple recipe for you.  It really is about the best I ever had (though I guess I'm biased).   

[MrNate]

Now I want to make my own scrapple, dangit. We usually buy Jones. I'm pretty happy with that.

But seriously, if you've never had potato rivels, you should try it. One giant gloppy mess of gelatinous comfort food. With a pat of butter on top.

[capozzoli]

You have to get a scrapple terrine to make scrapple right.

The Amish sell them up theres around Lancaster. I think they are about $100. It is porcelain iron rectangle with a really heavey lid that fits inside so to compress. I think you cook with that in a water bath in the oven.   

[tygo]

I have a big freezer bag full of homemade scrapple my dad brought down the last time he came to visit.  He makes it about once a year.  I can still remember my grandparents cooking it up in a big iron kettle on butcher day every year.  I really need to get that recipe from him. 

[capozzoli]

I would love to see that recipe.

This recipe interesting. http://philadelphia.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=philadelphia&cdn=citiestowns&tm=8&f=10&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/breakfast/00/rec0017.html

I remember being at the Amish wares store and they told me that you need this special terrine to make scrapple the  correct way. He was talking about the density.

MAybe they were just trying to pussh this stuff on the English tourists.   

[MrNate]

I would love to see that recipe.

This recipe interesting. http://philadelphia.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=philadelphia&cdn=citiestowns&tm=8&f=10&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/breakfast/00/rec0017.html

I remember being at the Amish wares store and they told me that you need this special terrine to make scrapple the  correct way. He was talking about the density.

MAybe they were just trying to pussh this stuff on the English tourists.   

Yeah, that doesn't seem quite right. On the other hand, I always think about how my grandparents would have done something. Which is to say that if I had a bucket full of pig scraps, I wouldn't let a little thing like not having the proper equipment stop me.

Somewhat new topic: PA Dutch Pot Pie is hands-down the greatest comfort food ever.

[tygo]

I think my dad just uses bread loaf pans or something like that.  He does put something on top to press it down. Actually I recall the one year he used wax paper, pieces of cardboard, and bricks.

[MrNate]

I'd be interested in the recipe as well if you ever get around to digging it up.

[chumley]

Any old part of the pig will do
The dick and the nipple and the toenail too

[The Professor]

You have to get a scrapple terrine to make scrapple right.

The Amish sell them up theres around Lancaster. I think they are about $100. It is porcelain iron rectangle with a really heavey lid that fits inside so to compress. I think you cook with that in a water bath in the oven.   

The special equipment is fine, but not really necessary.   I still use my late Dad's method....  a regular  loaf pan with a foil covered brick to compress my terrines, pates, and scrapple type stuff.  The brick just fits very nicely into the top of the loaf pan.     It works quite well and provides the required density to the finished product!

[capozzoli]

Makes more sense. I had one of those real expensive terrines a long time ago then stopped using it. Lost track of it.

I would love to see some of those pate recipes. Ive been meaning to get back into that.

[capozzoli]

Dunno.  It was awhile ago.  Walking distance from the conference hotel, maybe 5-10 minutes.  Seemed like an old-fashioned kind of greasy spoon diner.  Would have expected better from a place with that kind of vibe, unless that's some kind of local way of eating it. 

Ill bet they were deep frying it and just over did it. It comes out well deep fried and you dont have to worry about flipping it. Deep fry it at the right temp and it comes out less greasy than pan frying.

[gordonstrong]

Can't say.  Just figured they were cheap so they sliced it too thin and incompetent and cooked it too long.  Or cooked it on too high heat.  Either way, it was totally crisp.  Done properly, scrapple has this great texture contrast.  It's sort of like the breakfast version of creme brulee.

I'd worry about trying to deep fry it since it's so delicate.  I guess they can put it in the basket and then lower it into the oil, but that seems like a lot more work at a diner where they just toss everything on the flat top.

While at our best specialty grocer this past weekend, I did see some Jones Scrapple so I grabbed one.  The wife doesn't like it because she claims she once saw "pork face" on the list of ingredients.  I don't doubt it's in there; I doubt that it would be listed that way on the label.

[papasan]

mmmmmmm ... haven't had scrapple since I was a kid.  I think I've got my mom's recipe somewhere.  And how 'bout some shoofly pie for dessert?

[capozzoli]

Oh man, I love pig face. I was at this party once and there was a pig roast. I got really smashed and was standing next to a bunch of friends, and the pig. I turned and grabbed the head approached it like I was going to kiss it then proceeded to bite the snout off, part of the face came off with it. It turned out to be really good.

But it was one of those things where you wake up the next day and remember some of the things you did the night before. I remembered my friends turning their backs on me and walking away. It was almost as bad as that time I got on the dance floor thinking I could dance like a Russian. People turned their backs on me then too, but that was probably more because I was kicking them then in disgust.

I dont drink that much anymore.

Here is a good PA dutch dish and I got this recipe from the horses mouth. (no I didnt use my teeth).

Apple Dumplings.





For two apples.

Start by cubing a stick of butter into 1/4" chunks then put them in a bowl in the freezer.

Select apples that are recommended for baking. I prefer Jersey Wine Saps,but I will use granny smith when the wine saps are not in season.

Peel and core your apples and place them into a bowl of slightly salted water and set them aside. 

Put the frozen butter cubes into a food processor with a cup or so of flour, a little salt and sugar. pulse the food processor till it makes tini peas of the flour and butter. Add more flour if it is to wet. Once it is like dry little pebbles turn the food processor on constant and immediately add a sprinkle or two of water. It should almost right away turn into a ball of dough. If not add another sprinkle but be careful not to add too much. Then take the dough bal out. It should still be kinda cold. If not form it into two balls and put the dough balls in the fridge for 25 - 20 mins.This is a good idea anyway.

Then roll the balls out into a circle big enough to wrap the apples. Set the apple onto the center of the dough, fill the core hole with brown sugar. Sprinkle on a little cinnamon and nut meg, top it with a pat of butter Then carefully wrap the dough around the apple bottom to top, make sure not to break the dough as you wrap cause the dough needs to form a 'bowl' around the apple to hold the melted juices. The idea is it will create a dramatic culinary moment when the dumpling is cut open and the warm buttery juices pour out.

Doesnt work so well with frozen store bought crust cause it doesn't provide as much buttery reverse osmosis as the above dough does. The juice leaks out and it gets ruined. But if you want to do it with store bought do them in a large muffin pan.

Now, just grab up the kids and get out to the orchards to pick a bushel of apples and a couple of pumpkins. Dont forget the corn maze either or the late season cabbage for makin kraut.