Mennonite Foods, Part 2

Verenike and New Year's Cookies are vital to any good Mennonite celebration, but there are a few other foods that are important to sample at the MCC Sale.  Cherry Moos is a sort of cherry pudding that can be eaten chilled or warm.  Bohnne Beroggi are simply sweet pockets of deliciousness - don't bother asking what is in them until you have tasted how good they are!  Finally, zwieback are a type of stacked roll that brings back many good memories for me.  My grandma and aunt prepared zwieback for nearly every family holiday gathering when I was growing up, and I began making them frequently myself in high school.  You can often tell who brought the zwieback to a church function based on their unique shape, size, and texture.  And, of course, everybody thinks their own recipe is best!

Cherry Moos

Ingredients

1 quart cherries & juice

3 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

red food coloring

Directions

1. Mix sugar, flour, and salt.  Stir in evaporated milk.  Set aside.

2. Combine cherries & water and bring to a boil.

3. Add a small amount of boiling cherry to evaporated milk mixture, then slowly add all back to the cherry mixture, stirring constantly.

4. Return to stove and heat until almost boiling.

5. Remove from heat and add almond flavoring and a few drops of food coloring.  Stir well.

6. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally.

My Notes: I usually prefer my cherry moos chilled, though I will not reject a warm bowl of it.  It can also be prepared as pluma moos using plums, but I have not ever tasted this flavor variety.

Bohne Beroggi

Ingredients

2 cups milk

1 cup cream

2 sticks butter

3/4 cup + 1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 cake yeast (= 2 1/4 tsp. active yeast)

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 egg, beaten

9 cups flour

1 Tbsp. salt

Filling

2 cups cooked pinto beans, liquid drained off & mashed

2/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cream

Sauce

1 quart half-and-half

1 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. milk

Directions

1. Scald milk & cream.  Add butter and 3/4 cup sugar; cool to lukewarm.

2. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water; add 1 tsp. sugar. Add to milk mixture.

3. Add egg, flour, and salt to yeast-milk mixture. Mix well. Knead.

4. Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down. Let rise again until double.

5. Form into small buns the size of a walnut or larger, if desired.  Let rise and flatten with hand.

6. Combine all filling ingredients; mix well.

7. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each bun.  Seal edges.
8. Place on a greased pan and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until browned.

9. For the sauce, dissolve the cornstarch in milk.  Combine with the sugar and half-and-half in a saucepan; simmer.

10. Whisk until thick.  Pour sauce over buns.

My Notes: This recipe comes from myslys on food.com.  She also states that the buns can be placed in the crockpot and sauce can then be poured over top to keep them warm.

Zwieback

Ingredients

3 cups milk

1 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. salt

6 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

5 tsp. yeast

9-11 cups flour

Directions

1. Proof yeast in water.

2. Scald milk.  Add oil, salt, sugar, yeast, and flour.

3. Let rise about 1 hour.  Knead.  Let rise another hour.

4. Shape by stacking large and small balls of dough. Let rise 1 hour on pans.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

My Notes: I "scald" the milk in the microwave - I don't know if that's a necessary step, but it is at least warm when I add the yeast mixture.  I usually end up using about 10 cups of flour, depending on the stickiness of the dough that day.  The bottom parts of the zwieback are usually about 3" balls, while the toppers are about 1" rolls - the size I make them often depends on  what occasion I am making them for and how far I am trying to stretch the recipe. (This recipe typically makes a little more than 4 dozen) I haven't really mastered the shaping, as I still sometimes have a few of the tops roll of during baking, but I'm getting better!  I usually bake them for about 12 minutes.