Amish Style Ham and Bean Pot Pie

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Please be gentle, here is my first contribution.  

I
 grew up in rural central Pennsylvania.  Most the dishes that I grew up 
with simple farm fare (roasted meats, mashed potatoes, stews, …) with 
influences from German, English and Amish settlers.  What follows is a 
very simple recipe for an Amish style Pot Pie (pronounced popeye).  This
 is not a meat pie with a crust, instead it is a stew with large 
homemade noodles.  Growing up, this dish always anticipated.  This dish, more than any other, brings back memories of gathering around my parent’s 
table with my brother and his family and my Grandmother at the stove.  

It
 is a dish is somewhat iconic in the area where I grew up.  After going 
to college, I moved approximately 150 miles toward Pittsburgh where this
 dish is not well known.  

When
 my daughters were younger they didn’t like it, so my mother stopped 
making it when would visit.   Fortunately, now it is one of their 
favorites as well. 

The
 recipe for the dough is from my paternal grandmother.  While it is the 
recipe she gave to my wife, I’ve NEVER seen her measure anything in 
making it.  

Regarding
 the beans, my family traditionally didn’t use beans in the dish, but my
 wife’s family did.  I really enjoy them and I’d say that we include 
them about ½ the time that we make this.

Ingredients

2-3 pound ham
4-5 potatoes
1    onion
3 cans of butter beans (optional) 
3 TBS parsley

Noodles
6 cup flour
4 eggs
4 tsp shortening
2 1/2 cups cold water

Roast
 the ham in oven.  While the ham is cooking, clean and cut 
the potatoes into cubes that are approximately ¾ inches in size.  Dice 
the onions into pieces that are approximately ¼ inch square.

Here is a picture of the potatoes, beans and onions ready to got in the pot.

Once
 the ham is done, strain and retain the broth.  Cut the meat into bite 
sized pieces and place back into the broth.  

Add water to the broth to 
provide a cooking liquid for the potatoes and noodles.  The amount of 
water will depend on the amount of broth that was rendered.  In this 
batch, we used approximately 6 cups.   Bring the broth to a light boil 
and place the beans, onions, potatoes and parsley into the liquid.  

Here is dish just after adding the ingredients to the pot.  

Let 
the broth boil for approximately 15 minutes before adding the noodles.  The onions will have cooked down a little and the starch in the potatoes will start to slightly thicken the broth.

Now,
 make the noodles.  Mix the egg, flour and shortening together.  Slowly 
mix in the cold water until you get a thick dough.  Flour the dough and 
roll until it is approximately ⅛ thick.  
The flour on the dough will 
help to thicken the broth. 

Cut the dough into noodles that are 
approximately 2-3 inches square.  

Gently, place the noodles into the broth. 
 Some people like the noodles to be balled up so they are a little 
doughy.  

At
 the table, almost everyone uses black pepper on their pot pie.  There 
are two other toppings that people will either love or hate.  First is 
raw onion.  I’ll occasionally use raw onions, but interestingly enough 
only if I’m at one of my grandmother’s house.  The other condiment is 
vinegar.  I love vinegar,and not just a light sprinkle, on my popeye. 
 For whatever reason, this dish is always served on plates instead of in
 bowls.  It is great with a loaf of warm bread to soak up the broth.

Regarding
 leftovers, they can be fried in a little oil to create a very tasty and
 hearty side.  Here the noodles and broth will fry until they get a nice
 brown crust.

The
 same dish is often made beef or chicken. I’ve never seen beans used for
 any type other than ham.  While I like beef pot pie, my family has 
never made chicken pot pie.