The Amish name is Boovashenkel, which means “Boys Legs” in Pennsylvania Dutch.
This recipe is for making the Boovashenkel as a side dish with fried ham. Yummy.
As an alternative, sometimes the dumplings are boiled in a beef broth and served with stewed beef.
Amish Boovashenkel
Ingredients
2 eggs
About 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
2 (3/4 pound) sliced ham
Additional chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
In a large bowl beat 2 eggs. Blend in as much flour as eggs will moisten. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough until very thin. Cut into 6-inch circles.
Combine mashed potatoes, egg, onions and parsley. Add salt and pepper. Place a heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture onto each dough round. Fold over and moisten edges; pinch to seal.
Heat 2 quarts water to boiling in a large pot; add the 2 tablespoons salt. Drop stuffed dumplings into boiling water. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 12 minutes.
In a large heavy skillet, fry ham until heated through. Place on a warm platter. Surround ham with dumplings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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Lovely quilts, charming handicrafts, and fine oak furniture. Stunning flower gardens, colorful laundry on outdoor lines, and horses plowing across the landscape.
For anyone traveling in Amish Country, such images may harken back to life in colonial America, when people read by candlelight, washed clothing by hand, and traveled by horseback. With their distinctive dress, language, and lifestyle, the Amish are one of North America’s most fascinating communities. They have stubbornly refused to be swallowed up by contemporary culture. Yet idyllic images of Amish made deceive us into thinking the Amish are social antiques, frozen in time. How, we wonder, do they resist modern encroachment from creeping into the communities and tearing them asunder?
If quizzed about Amish life, most people might know that the Amish travel by horse and buggy and wear peculiar dress. But beyond the beard, bonnet, and buggies, many people know little. Do the Amish pay taxes? Do they pre-arrange marriages? Do they live in cloistered communities, use modern medicine, Worship in church buildings, speak English, and attend high school?
Where do they find a Bible verse that forbids Motor Vehicles? Do they really shun all modern technology? Do Amish youth really run wild during Rumspringa? Are Amish communities holding their own or dying out?
What are the secrets of Amish success, and sources of their wisdom? Why do these stubborn traditionalists enchant us? Perhaps their sense of place, their social stability, and their audacity to buck modern culture intrigued us. Amid the stress and pressed of contemporary life, we are curious about how they retain stable communities and strong social bonds. Their sense of simplicity, frugality, and apparent contentment with fewer things and a slower pace of life also. How do they find satisfaction without televisions, video games, social media,?
The purpose of this website is to explore these questions, debunk some myths, and pose some provocative questions about our relationship with our Amish Neighbors.
I have researched and written about the Amish for the past 24 years. I attend church with the Beachy Amish Mennonites and I have friends among the Old Order Amish, the New Order Amish, and a few other groups. This does not make me an expert but I do have knowledge and experiences to share that few outside of the Amish would have.
Perhaps our enchantment with the Amish belies our own discontent with Modern Life. We may not always agree with them, yet we admire their courage to practice their faith in the face of high-tech life, driven by relentless change. The Amish may be good for stirring warm, nostalgic feelings about an imagined American past. but do they offer any wisdom for the rest of us living a modern life?
