The Art of German Food

One of my very favorite meals is “cabbage burgers,” a delicious staple among German immigrant families in Midwestern states like Nebraska.  They are also sometimes called “bierocks” or “runzas.” I learned how to make them from my mom, who learned from her mom, who learned from her mom, who probably learned from her mom. I don’t honestly know how far back it goes, but they’re delicious, authentic,  and cheap to make!

(please excuse the fork scuff marks on the plate, haha!)

Don’t let the word “cabbage” deter you, like it does my husband. Ryan will not touch them. Instead, if I’m making cabbage burgers, he makes this:

Sausage and green beans in the crockpot. Ick.

Ryley has called it “porridge” since she was a little thing, and both she and I refuse to eat it. I call it his “poor people’s food,” since you can literally purchase the sausage and green beans for under $3. I guess Ryan’s family used to eat this all the time when he was growing up, so it’s sentimental for him. Poor kid.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the kitchen, I’m suffering through the pungent smell of boiled sausage to put together my yummy cabbage burger ingredients:

1 package hot roll mix

1 lb ground beef

1 head of cabbage

1 onion

(come to think of it, my ingredients are pretty cheap, too; they probably come in under $8, with 10 times the tastiness!)

Check the hot roll mix box to see what it requires. I know there’s flour and water. Not sure if there’s an egg? Anyway. Make the dough as the package directs and let it rise.

While the dough is rising, assemble your filling ingredients. If you look at cabbage burger recipes online, you will see all kinds of potential filling suggestions. I think mushrooms would be fun to try, or jalapenos. But really, I like the basic ingredients the best.

Brown your ground beef, seasoning it well with salt and pepper. Add a cup or so of chopped onion and an equal amount of shredded cabbage. I always do more than a cup of each; just make sure that you equalize the ingredients. Saute everything together with salt and pepper.

My food processer got a little too excited and pretty much liquefied the onions on this go-around. And the cabbage also appears more “ground” than it does shredded. I prefer larger pieces, normally.

When everything is tender and fragrant (yum!), you’re ready to proceed!

Roll out the dough in circles roughly 5” or 6” in diameter. Spoon some of the beef filling into the center.

Carefully take the edges of the dough and wrap around to meet in the center, forming a pocket around the filling. Squeeze the dough shut to make it as sealed as you can. Then pick up the pocket and flip it over onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until the dough is baked and lightly browned on top.

Then, while your husband slops spoonfuls of his poor people’s porridge into his mouth, you’ll be enjoying your own German tradition, relishing a family recipe that’s withstood the test of time.

And they’re even better when microwaved for lunch the next day! Let me know if you try it!