[Sca-cooks] Lutheran binders

Johnna Holloway johnnae at mac.com
Wed Aug 3 03:47:00 PDT 2011


These casseroles called "hotdishes" seem to go along with busy lives and
even busier moms.
They use up leftovers, are thrifty, and bake while other things can be  
attended to.
Also it's a hot dish for supper in a cold climate.
There's an essay called "Plains Folks: Hot Dishes," by Tom Isern of  
North Dakota
State University.
He finds that they weren't well known in Lutheran circles until well  
into the 20th century.
I found the paper here:
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/newsrelease/2003/021303/04plains.htm

There's a book called Vikings in the Attic: in search of Nordic America
by Eric Dregni (which has a photo showing a booth at the Minnesota  
State Fair
advertising and I am not making this up:  "Hot Dish on a Stick.")

This is his grandmother's recipe:

Hot Dish

1 can cream-style corn
1 cup of cut-up parsley
pork links browned
Mx together the corn, parsley, and rolled crushed soda crackers and  
bake in
a casserole for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Courtesy of Evie Sutherland Degni

[I think she left putting the pork into the dish and that the soda  
crackers go on top.]

He then goes into an examination of the loaf, as in meat loaf.

Johnnae

On Aug 3, 2011, at 2:51 AM, Kitta Freyvithardottir wrote:

> Ah yes, when I heard Garrison Keillor speak of "Lutheran binder" on  
> his radio program many years ago it was one of the funniest and most  
> memorable food references I've ever heard. Just LOVE it :-). I  
> always think of that when I see a can of cream of mushroom soup!
>
> -Kitta
>
> Sent from my iPhone  :-)
>
> On Aug 2, 2011, at 7:28 PM, yaini0625 at yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> I am wondering if there is a connection between the Lutheran's  
>> casserole fetish during potlucks and Scandinavian cookbooks full of  
>> casserole dishes. ;o)
>> Aelina the Saami



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