The Willows still a staunch bastion of Pa. Dutch fare

I have to say that after suffering through many family dinners at Walp's over the years, I am quite familiar with how plain Dutch food is - and aginghipster hit it on the head - lots of lard! Blah!

Brewhound ZZ wrote:

I have to say that after suffering through many family dinners at Walp's over the years, I am quite familiar with how plain Dutch food is - and aginghipster hit it on the head - lots of lard! Blah!

Walp's was my first introduction to Dutchie cuisine. Everything was laden with starch and fat, and after eating only about 1/4 of my meal, I began to feel stuffed and sick. Looking at the 350-lb waitress didn't help.

The Willows is NOTHING like Walp's!
The food there is expertly prepared, and excellent!

While growing-up in NY, you had Italian places and Chinese. That was about it. One thing I can say about the Lehigh Valley is that the diversity of ethnic dining is amazing. Read through Susan Gotshall's reviews -- we have everything here!

I love PA Dutch Chicken Pot Pie!...mmmm with dough noodles!...yummy...I want some now...ummm Pig's stomach ewwwwe...that sounds nasty...my grandma likes Haggis which is basically similar and gross....Halupkies ewwwe I hate cabbage...so what are some other good foods that are actually PA Dutch?...I'm not a dutchie...I love Shoo Fly Pie...I'm so getting some like now lol

Dennis we do have like every kind of food here...I have a Lehigh Valley dining guide

Dennis Mac wrote:

<quoted text>
That's great, but Halupki originated in Eastern Europe - Czech, Russia.
Chicken Pot Pie? Love 'em!

Yes, ok you are right about Halupkies. Years ago my Grandmother made it and it was just referred to as cabbage and noodles. Then I learned that they were really called halupkies by the Polish. I have assumed that the Germans and Eastern Europeans shared the dish. Im sure there are some slight differences.

Aren't halupkies stuffed cabbage rolls? And cabbage & noodles called halushki? That's what the polish people call it here.

Blue Mountain wrote:

<quoted text>Thanks for bringing up that Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie is made with noodles in a pot. I still make my own homemade noodles. When someone says they are making chicken pot pie with bagged noodles, I cringe. I tell them they are making soup, not pot pie. My grandmother was a good baker too. She made the best apple tarts and pumpkin pie(from cooked pumpkin). To all, Thanks for the memories of the past of my Dutch family members and our foods.

Good point about Chicken Pot Pie. A lot of people across the country think it's like a turnover. One time I was in a restaurant in Nevada and I saw Chicken Pot Pie on the menu. I was excited but when I recieved my meal I quickly realized this was not quite what I was expecting. I ate it and did'nt cause a fuss or anything. I did however describe the PA Dutch chicken pot pie and she said she never heard of that type of meal.

Reading this brings back some great memories. My Mom used to make the pot pie with home made noodles...YUMMM! Also, corn pie, fritters. I still make funnel cake to this day from an old PA Dutch cook book I have.

Blue Mountain wrote:

Aren't halupkies stuffed cabbage rolls? And cabbage & noodles called halushki? That's what the polish people call it here.

That is correct!
And Pierogies are of Russian origin.
Check them out at the St. Nicholas Russian Church's festival in August.

Dennis Mac wrote:

I had the pig-stomach there last weekend. It is EXCELLENT! Not gamey in the least!
You don't need to be "Dutch" to enjoy it!

Get ought of tawn nah? LOL

How about some good old shephards pie w/ sheofly pie for dessert.

Chadsky wrote:

How about some good old shephards pie w/ sheofly pie for dessert.

Sounds good. I'll also have a side of scrapple with horseradish sauce.

Pennsylvania Dutch cooking features a number of seasonings, including:

Black pepper
Celery seed
Sage
Coriander

You need to keep in mind that these seasonings are used sparingly. Most of the flavor comes from quality ingredients from local farms.

Additional flavor comes from pickling, as in chow-chow or sauerkraut, and smoking, as in sausages, bolognies and pork chops.

Anyone who thinks that a plate of smoked pork chops, sauerkraut and quality, local potatoes is bland needs help.

The great thing about the Willows is that so many of the ingredients are homegrown. I've seen several tables in the restaurant piled with fresh produce available for purchase by customers.

Like many great cuisines of the world, including Japanese and Italian, fresh ingredients and long, careful preparation are the key to success.

There are other great cuisines, such as Indian and Mexican, that feature seasonings more than preparation.

One is not better than the other. I love 'em all.

Variety is the real spice of life, after all.

mmmm...I have a perfect meal...some PA Dutch Pot Pie...lettuce with a hot bacon dressing...with shoo fly pie for desert

Man, I hate to ask, but are you that young to remember your Grandma's description and recipe??
Halupkies made the old slovakian way are the funk!!!. I wish my relatives were still alive to give me the family recipe. I could have been a millionaire by now. The Family recipe was totally different than what I've researched over the internet. My family recipe has still been the best stuffed meal I've had to date, no other stuffed meals have ever compared. I wish I could find an elderly Slovak person to give me the old style true "Slovak Stuffed Halupky recipe". I've tried to find it for years now, with no avail. I remember the recipe that my Dad and Grandma made took almost 8-hours to prepare. I hated the smell of that food cooking, but, when it was done, oh my God, it was the best stuffed meal I've ever had to date and since they both passed away. I truely wish I could find that same recipe, even though all recipes very somewhat. I still can't find that long version of how they did it. God, I wish I could!
If you have any relatives that know this long drawn out version of cooking Halupkies, pass it along please.
Mr. Macenko

aginghipster wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes, ok you are right about Halupkies. Years ago my Grandmother made it and it was just referred to as cabbage and noodles. Then I learned that they were really called halupkies by the Polish. I have assumed that the Germans and Eastern Europeans shared the dish. Im sure there are some slight differences.

Anybody here from "Connellsville, PA"?

aginghipster wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes, ok you are right about Halupkies. Years ago my Grandmother made it and it was just referred to as cabbage and noodles. Then I learned that they were really called halupkies by the Polish. I have assumed that the Germans and Eastern Europeans shared the dish. Im sure there are some slight differences.

Not quite. These wonderful cabbage rolls exist in all slavic countries and even in Greece, believe it or not. The Polish word is "Golubki (pronounced go-wumb-ki), Ukrainians call them Holubki and Slovaks Halupki. No need to add "s" to the end to make them plural, the "i" ending is the plural version (same with pierogi). Halushki are noodles and cabbge casserole, very different.

Every family has their own variation. Some use lots of rice, others kasha, some make 'em square, others little footballs. Some use bacon and tomato soup gravy, others don't.

You have to experiment with a "book" recipe and modify it to taste, or find an old Babcha somewhere and get her recipe, but be ready for the "two handfuls of this and a pinch of that" style of cooking.

Ahhhh Halupki, mashed potatoes and lager, now that's a Pennsylvania meal!

Love the Willows!!!Love that Rhubarb pie!!!

Hello! I am one of the new Trash people who live in Heritage Heights development. Thank goodness the majority of people who live around here in Lower Macungie are not like you. I love living here and I love the warm friendly people who live in the surrounding community.
Times change all over. I, for one am sorry you feel this way. Have a nice day.
White trash Arlene

Arlene Mc Mahon wrote:

Hello! I am one of the new Trash people who live in Heritage Heights development. Thank goodness the majority of people who live around here in Lower Macungie are not like you. I love living here and I love the warm friendly people who live in the surrounding community.
Times change all over. I, for one am sorry you feel this way. Have a nice day.
White trash Arlene

Believe me, not everyone feels the same as that poster. Welcome to the area.

It was just so disappointing. Food was so bland.
The service was terrible. I was there on a Sunday,
three high school boys were the only ones serving.
Terrible. My husband had to go ask for them
to take our order! Never again will we go there.
Awful all around.