Non-Chili Guest Appearance: VonderHaar-Family Getta

Okay, taking a little detour from the chili to share some of the recipes we've honed and perfected over the years. This one goes way back...like, multiple generations of Vonder Haar's back. We all have those recipes our families wax nostalgic about: especially when the master of that specific recipe is no longer with us. In my dad's family, that dish is getta.

Yeah, most people haven't heard of it. Think a German breakfast meatloaf made of pork and oatmeal, in the same vein as scrapple. My grandfather Virgil grew up on this and my grandmother would break out this recipe for Christmas morning. It's something my dad always talked about on Christmas mornings, but nobody really knew how to make it (the few attempts I can remember were deemed "not as good as Grandma Dodie's").

As we got more into cooking, I got it in my head that I wanted to bring this dish back. The first step was locating the actual recipe, which you'll see in the type-written picture above (courtesy of my Aunt Mary Lou, who saved this from my great uncle's belongings). Not exactly the specific step-by-step with photo instructions we're used to in the Pinterest age!

Our first attempt was, admittedly, not picture perfect. The getta tasted pretty good, but kept breaking apart in the pan when we tried to cook it. But I will say, one of the things I love most about "trial and error-ing" these kinds of family recipes is that they make me feel closer to the loved ones who've mastered the dish before me. As I struggled to get getta cooked and together for just a couple people, I was blown over at what a labor of love it must have been for my grandmother to cook this for NINE kids (and later, nine kids and significant others!) on Christmas morning. I'm told she'd have an electric girddle, plus several pans going at once, dishing the finished getta into a pre-heated oven.

This year, we did a little more research on other getta recipes and incorporated those tips (plus lessons from last year) into the method and the result was getta that was much firmer and able to stay in one piece for the thin slices my dad remembers from Christmas morning! Here's our loosely adapted getta recipe and pointers. It makes 2-3 loafs of getta (depending on your loaf tin)

Ingredients:

3 lbs pork butt (closer to 4lbs if using bone-in)--make sure to get one with some fat on it, as my great grandfather would say "that's where the flavor is!" 8+ cups of water 1lb oatmeal

Salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Rub down pork with salt and pepper 2. Add 8 cups of water to a large pot with pork and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until pork is very cooked (about 2-3 hours depending on amount of pork). Flip/rotate pork a few times during process. Note: this will not seem like enough water (and likely won't cover the pork)...DO NOT add more. Too much water results in getta that won't hold together! 3. Remove pork from the bone (if applicable) and pulse through a food processor to create "pork mush" 4. Return "pork mush" to the pot and water, bring to a boil. 5. Add in oatmeal and salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and cook slower for about an hour, until oatmeal has absorbed/cooked into mixture. NOTE: If the mixture seems incredibly dry, NOW you can add another cup or two of water to the mix. It will be very thick, that's what you want--just make sure to stir/watch the bottom to avoid scorching. 6.. Once oatmeal is cooked, remove pot from heat and let cool slightly. 7. (optional) Prepare loaf tins by lining with saran wrap (will make the getta easier to remove for cooking and/or freezing). 8. Pour getta into loaf tins (no need to fill to the very top) and refridgerate to let set (overnight is ideal). 9. To cook getta: heat oil/butter/bacon grease/pam in a pan. NOTE: We've tried all methods and found butter to be the best...VonderHaar lore suggests it was bacon grease Grandma Dodie used.

10. Slice getta (the thinner the better!) and place in pan to brown on both sides. We discovered the best way to do this without breaking the getta is to: 1) leave ample room in the pan for flipping and 2) be patient (let the gettta get nice and deep brown before trying to flip). You'll notice it looks an awful lot like a meat hasbrown when done.

11. Serving suggestions include: ketchup, eggs, maple syrup, egg sandwiches...we tried it the first time with a Peretz family classic: latkes!