Best in the West: Moose Steaks, Cowboy Cake, Meat and Veggie Casserole, and More!

By Kevin Williams

Amish kitchens out west feature many of the same dishes that their eastern counterparts share: cinnamon rolls, homemade bread, puddings, and the like.  But there are also some different regional wrinkles found.  Amish western food tends to tilt towards wild game (an Amish woman in Montana once gave me a recipe for fried bear steaks.  SIGH, can't find it anywhere).  Huckleberries are also a delicacy and favorite among the Amish of Montana (related post: huckleberry pie filling).  Amish food out west also tends to have a heavy Hispanic influence.

So, here are some of our "Best in the West" Amish recipes going with our western theme today!

 

CREAMY MOOSE STEAKS
Serves 6 to 8

An Amish cook in Rexford gave me this recipe saying that it is a great use of moose meat. The cream of mushroom soup can hide some of the gamey taste that wild meat can have, allowing the tenderness of the meat to be enjoyed.

 2 pounds moose steaks

Salt and black pepper

1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water
1 large onion, sliced

Season the moose steaks with salt and pepper. Fry the steaks over medium heat in a large skillet, until lightly browned on both sides. Combine the soup and water in a small bowl, then pour the mixture over the steaks in the skillet. Add the sliced onion to the mixture. Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the steaks are cooked through and tender.

 

AMISH PANCAKES:  This is a recipe from the Colorado Amish community.  Yum! Click here.

MONTANA OATMEAL COOKIES

Like the state, these cookies are big and the Amish woman in St. Ignatius that gave me this recipe said they often use local ingredients, locally grown oats, etc in these cookies. Yum!

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3 cups firmly packed brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups quick-cooking oats

 

Frosting  1 ¼ cups shortening

2 large egg whites, beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well between each addition. Stir in the vanilla and mix until the mixture is creamy and light. Add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and oats to the wet ingredients. Stir until all of the dry ingredients are evenly incorporated and a dough is formed.

Drop the dough by tablespoons onto cookie sheets, then flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water. Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Make the frosting: Combine the shortening, egg whites, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Gradually beat the powdered sugar into the shortening mix until a thick, smooth frosting is formed. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookies.

This recipe comes from St. Ignatius's Amish community and I almost hesitated to post it because ingredient amounts are not provided, but if you want to sort of play around and guess, this sounds good!

COWBOY CAKE  - this recipe comes from Missouri, does that count? Isn't Missouri the gateway to the west? Click here for the recipe!