“Ham-Lettuce Mixture”: the awkward title caught my eye. The recipe opened with this: “A hearty country dinner, fit for guests or family. A good conversation menu!” I thought the recipe was so odd, I had to make it immediately. I invited friends over for dinner. I told them what I was making. My friends politely declined.
In practice, “Ham-Lettuce Mixture” is basically a warm salad, packed with hearty eggs and potatoes and topped in a sweet-and-tangy cooked dressing. It was just fine! Tasty even.
The recipe appears in the 1969 “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread,” a hefty 350-page cookbook compiled by St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hagerstown.
The recipe’s author, Dodie Rupprecht, included lots of commentary in her recipe. “To serve, let each one help himself,” to helpings of ham, eggs, lettuce, onion, potatoes, and gravy. “Heap it on a dinner plate, and cut it all up finely (this is the true country spirit),” she wrote. “If you have enough small platters for each guest, this is an ideal way to eat lettuce mixture.”
I ignored this last bit and cut the items up in advance. Sorry, Dodie.
I believe “Dodie” Rupprecht to be Dorothy Eleanor Rupprecht, born in Baltimore in 1909.
Like Eva Reeder, whose Kinklings I made a few weeks ago, Dorothy Rupprecht had a lot of German ancestry, as did her husband John G. Rupprecht, who she married in 1930.
Unlike Reeder, Dorothy (maiden name Gohdes) and John had families more involved in industry than farming. Dorothy’s German-born grandfather was a liquor dealer in Baltimore. John’s German immigrant parents were in the piano business. Dorothy’s father, Dr. Rev. Conrad Bruno Gohdes, was born in Germany. He was known as the “last of the Lutheran horseback riders,” traveled regionally preaching, and wrote several books. Dorothy and her husband are buried in the Mount Olive Lutheran Church Cemetery in Peru, WV. The land bears a historical marker honoring Conrad B. Gohdes, who founded the small church.
During their lives in Hagerstown, Dorothy was involved in church and charity, volunteering at local hospitals. John seems to have been busy in the insurance business, which got mentioned in the papers a lot for some reason.
When Dorothy died in 2009, she was living in Colorado.
After digging through Dorothy Gohdes Rupprecht’s ancestry, it occurred to me to search the words “ham,” “lettuce,” and “German” together.
Lo and behold, I found many variations of a ham and egg salad, “Schinken Käse Eier Salat,” sometimes served with cabbage or lettuce.
If Ham-Lettuce Mixture is German-inspired, the dish didn’t quite catch on like, say, “Kinklings” or Sour Beef. Still, it was far from the worst thing I’ve made for Old Line Plate. Most importantly, it gave me another reason to follow some trails from Germany to Maryland, around the country, and back again.
Recipe:
- 2 packages Jamestown ham, sliced
- 6 medium or large potatoes
- 3 medium onion, chopped
- 6 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 head lettuce, cut in wedges or opened into leaves
- .5 Cup water
- 3 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Cup water
- .333 Cup vinegar
- .333 Cup sugar
- salt
A hearty country dinner, fit for guests or family. A good conversation menu! Fry the ham in a bit of oil to brown slightly. Lower heat, add 1/2 cup water; put on a lid. Simmer until done, about 15 minutes. Remove ham to platter and keep warm in oven. Use the juices in pan for ham gravy, thickening it with 3 tablespoons cornstarch, adding 2 cups water and 1/3 each vinegar and sugar. Meanwhile, have potatoes boiling in salted water, and the eggs peeled and put into a separate dish. To serve, let each one help himself to all of the above. Heap it on a dinner plate, and cut it all up finely (this is the true country spirit). Put the gravy over all. If you have enough small platters for each guest, this is an ideal way to eat lettuce mixture.
Recipe from Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread, 1969, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
