Discovering the runza

I have always had a love for German foods and enjoy the recipes and foods that come out of Altenburg and surrounding areas. One such food is the German-Russian bierock, or runza. These meat-and-cabbage-filled bread pockets pack a load of taste and enjoyment to those willing to make the bread from scratch. Purchased frozen bread dough works well, but homemade is really good.

I saw a television show on The Food Network that featured the restaurant chain Runza, located primarily in Nebraska. on the show. I kept on the search for someone from Nebraska so I could further investigate the runza, but I had forgotten the name. But my new-found friend and former Nebraska resident Dara Bennett of Cape Girardeau helped me with the name. As soon as I mentioned it was a cabbage-and-meat-filled pie, she yelled out, "runza." I did some Web searching and found there is one basic recipe with a few variations. Here is what I found.

Runza

Dough:

2 packages active dry yeast

2 cups warm milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup shortening, margarine or butter

7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour

Put dry yeast and milk in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt, eggs and softened butter. Mix. Gradually add flour while mixing. Add flour until dough pulls together into a ball. Knead for 4 to 5 minutes or until dough is smooth. Use dough hook on mixer if possible. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled. Punch down dough and let rise again. Remove dough from bowl and divide into thirds. On a floured surface, roll one portion of the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 5- or 6-inch squares. Give each square an extra roll with the rolling pin before filling.

Filling:

2 pounds ground beef

1 head cabbage, finely shredded

Lots of salt and pepper

Brown ground beef. Add shredded cabbage and cook over medium heat until cabbage is softened. Add salt and pepper to taste. It takes quite a bit. Start this about halfway through the second rise of the dough. Set aside until dough is ready.

Put a large amount of filling in the center of each dough square. Pull opposite corners of the dough together and pinch to hold. Pull the opposite two corners and use your fingers to pinch all edges together to seal in filling. Turn runza over and put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Space runzas about 1-inch apart. When cookie sheet is full, put a towel over it and let rise for about 15 minutes. Bake runzas in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are a deep brown. Remove from oven and rub butter on the top of each runza. Cool on cooling rack or eat right away.

This recipe should make about 28 runzas. They can be made and frozen. To reheat just put one in the microwave for one minute. Package them in individual bags and they make a great lunch treat.

Try variations to the above recipe with the addition of chopped onion browned with the beef, adding caraway seeds, using sauerkraut in place of the cabbage, or as a quick time saver, use fresh buns and serve as in Sloppy Joe style. Try them with cheese added or even chopped fresh mushrooms sautZed with the beef.

In searching the Web I also came across a runza casserole.

Runza Casserole

2 pounds ground beef

2 onions, chopped

4 cups shredded cabbage

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls

1 pound mozzarella cheese

Use a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Begin to brown ground beef and onion for a few minutes in a large pan and add cabbage to steam. Spread 1 tube of crescent rolls over the bottom of pan, pinching together the seams. Spread meat on top and add cheese. Place second tube on top and pinch together again. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Cover the last 10 minutes to soften crust. This is perfect for runza lovers and so much easier and quicker than making individual ones.

Give the runza a try. I think you will be glad you did.

This recipe was sent to me by Jodi Thompson of Jackson. I am anxious to give it a try.

Hot Corn Dip

1 (15 ounce) can white corn, drained

1 (15 ounce) can yellow corn, drained

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers, drained (like Rotel)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, diced and softened

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium baking dish, mix white corn, yellow corn, diced tomatoes with green chili peppers, cream cheese, chili powder, garlic powder and cilantro. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until hot bubbly.

PB&J Sandwich Cookies

School's out and kids are always hungry. Double the fun and taste for kids with two cookies jammed with frosting.

Makes 18 sandwich cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix oil and egg called for on cookie mix pouch

1/3 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/3 cup favorite jelly, jam or preserves

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Make cookies as directed on pouch; cool completely, about 30 minutes. Stir frosting and peanut butter until smooth. For each sandwich cookie, spread generous teaspoonful frosting mixture on bottom of 1 cookie; spread scant teaspoonful jelly over frosting mixture. Top with another cookie.

Triple PB&J Sandwich Cookies:

Make cookies as directed.

In microwavable bowl, microwave 1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips and 2 teaspoons shortening uncovered on High about 1 minute or until almost melted; stir until smooth. If necessary, microwave additional 5 seconds at a time. Dip half of each sandwich cookie into mixture. Immediately roll outside of frosted edge in chopped peanuts. Lay flat to dry.

Do-Ahead Tip: Keep a stash of baked cookies in the freezer ready to be filled and served.

Variation You can make sandwich cookies with Betty Crocker¨ oatmeal, chocolate chip and sugar cookie mixes, too.

This may provide a little summer time fun for children while home over their long vacation.

I am once again all out of room. Have a wonderful week and until next time, happy cooking.