Runzas Aka Bierocks Or Krauts |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 60 Minutes |
Ready In: 60 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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Runzas, Bierocks, or Krauts. Whatever you call them they go back a long way to euro roots and I am told they are a traditional Russian and German kind of food. A friend of mine made some of these recently and I thought they were quite lovely. Read more . The problem is I can’t leave well enough alone so I smashed and twisted a traditional recipe and this is the result. Why it may even be illegal to call these Runzas now. If that is true then book me Dan-o, just another case of blatant disrespect for law and order. Leftovers are welcome because they freeze well and reheat easy for those living the busy life of juggling parenthood and the four letter word (work). Serve hot out of the oven or reheat right out of the freezer for 30 minutes at 350F and dinner is ON! You may just want to stuff one in junior’s lunchbox and send him off to band camp. Ingredients:
equipment |
large heavy dutch oven |
colander |
2 to 4 baking sheets |
aluminum foil |
rolling pin |
all purpose flour |
non stick spray |
ingredients |
4 cans refrigerated unbaked croissant rolls, 6 rolls in each can |
butter, melted |
coarse salt (kosher) |
1 tablespoon olive oil |
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root |
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic |
1.25 pounds hot italian sausage, casings removed |
1.25 pounds ground beef |
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce |
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes |
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
1 teaspoon sea salt |
1 small head of cabbage, shredded medium to fine |
1 medium onion, chopped medium to fine |
4 stalks celery, chopped medium to fine |
2 red bell peppers, chopped medium to fine |
2 carrots sliced very thin |
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
12 oz shredded parmesan cheese |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Line baking sheets with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
3. I start rolling the dough while the filling is cooking and assemble while a batch is in the oven. This is where more than 2 baking sheets come in handy. I only bake 6 on a sheet and can have them all assembled long before cooking is completed.
4. FILLING:
5. In Dutch oven over medium heat add olive oil, ginger, and garlic and cook until you can just detect a slight color change, about 4 minutes.
6. Add sausage, ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and sea salt and increase heat to medium high.
7. Cook uncovered until meat no longer shows any pink, about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat into fine pieces, do not drain yet.
8. Add cabbage, onion, celery, red bell pepper, and carrot.
9. Cover and cook until carrots are softened but not limp, about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Pour mixture into colander seated in large bowl and allow mixture to drain and cool slightly to manageable temperature. Draining is important, you don’t want juices running out the dough or they will be ugly and will stick.
11. DOUGH:
12. Remove croissants from can and unroll them, being careful not to tare them at the perforations.
13. Use flour to keep the dough from sticking to surfaces, rolling pin, and each other.
14. Separate the dough into rectangles at the perpendicular perforations.
15. Firmly press fingers along diagonal perforations to seal.
16. You should have an un-perforated rectangular piece of dough now.
17. Flour and roll dough rectangle to roughly double in size.
18. Cut rectangle in half into 2 rough square shapes.
19. Repeat with all 4 cans of dough, making 24 dough squares.
20. ASSEMBLY:
21. Place a small flat layer of cheese in center of dough square.
22. Place a mound of the filling top of cheese.
23. Bring 2 opposite corners together over the center and pinch to hold.
24. Bring the remaining 2 opposite corners together and pinch all edges together to seal.
25. Place on baking sheet, seam down.
26. Brush tops with melted butter.
27. Sprinkle tops liberally with kosher salt.
28. Bake in 350F oven for 30 minutes.
29. Assemble next batch while one batch is in the oven.
30. Serve hot.
31. Freeze leftovers in zipper freezer bags.
32. TO REHEAT:
33. Preheat oven to 350F
34. Directly from freezer, place frozen runzas in oven on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turn oven off and leave in oven another 10 minutes, DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR UNTIL TIME IS UP. (total of 30 minutes)
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