Posts Tagged ‘cabbage’

Fall has definitely fallen here this past week. The temps have gone down and we have had several rainy days. It has been perfect weather for soup! We actually eat soups year round, but we especially enjoy them in the fall and winter months.

I think soups are one of the ultimate convenience foods. It's nice to fix a big pot of soup and then have those leftovers in the refrigerator for later in the week for another meal or to have as a "soup course" to help round out a rather skimpy meal. Many years ago I read a book where the mother of a large family said that when her children were teenagers the only way they survived all the diverse schedules was because she prepared a big pot of soup each day and the children could eat when they came home from their various activities.

I especially like to make this soup in the fall when we can get such good mountain cabbage. The heads are huge, solid, and crisp. Cabbage, potatoes and onions are all high in vitamin C and the carrots are a good source of vitamin A. I have made this soup when we were in Germany and in China as well. We found that these ingredients were available and fairly inexpensive in those parts of the world too.

Cabbage Soup

1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 stalks celery (w/leaves) sliced
1 Tbsp. oil
5 cups water
1 1/2 Tbsps. chicken soup base
4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
4-5 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1/3 cup spaghetti sauce*
pepper to taste
1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced

Heat oil in large soup kettle and saute onions and celery until wilted. Add water, soup base, carrots, and potatoes. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 mins. Add the cabbage and simmer 5-10 mins. longer or until cabbage is wilted down. Add the spaghetti sauce and sausage and season with pepper. If it seems too thick for your taste add more water.

*This soup needs just a touch of tomato in my humble opinion. I like the spaghetti sauce and I often have a partial jar in the fridge. You can also use a small amount of catsup, a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste or canned tomatoes, or a small fresh tomato that has been peeled and chopped.

So, the next cold, blustery day give this one a try.

Becka

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Many years ago one of my DH's students who was from Wisconsin gave us his mother's recipe for Bierocks. He told us these were very popular up there and they even served them in his school cafeteria. We tried it and have enjoyed these often. Bierocks are basically a turnover with a filling made from ground beef and cabbage.

Here is the basic recipe:
One batch pizza dough (see previous pizza post)
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups chopped or shredded cabbage (my daughter, Megan, uses coleslaw mix with good results)
1/4 cup finely chopped or shredded carrot (optional)
salt, peppper, and garlic powder to taste

Cook the ground beef until it is nearly done. Add the onion and cook until transparent and the meat is no longer pink. Drain well. Add the cabbage and carrot, cover and cook until vegetables are wilted and fairly tender. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I often cook the meat and cabbage the day before I want to make the bierocks. This filling must be cool before you put it in the dough. So, plan ahead.

When you want to make the bierocks make the pizza dough and divide it into 8-10 pieces. Roll each piece into a circle with a rolling pin. The circles should be about as large as a dessert plate.

Place some of the filling on one half of the dough and then fold the dough over the filling, stretching if necessary to cover the filling. Seal the edges with a little gizmo like this if you have one, or you can use a fork or just crimp the edges with your fingertips. If you have leftover filling you can freeze it and put it in your next batch of vegetable soup.

Place the bierocks on a greased baking sheet and brush them with a little oil. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 mins. Serve with cheese sauce or catsup. These freeze well if you don't eat them all right away.

Here's a basic cheese sauce recipe:
2 Tbsps. margarine or butter
2 Tbsps. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cubed or shredded cheese
Melt margarine in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and salt and cook for about one minute. Stir in the milk and cook until mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Add cheese and continue cooking until cheese is melted.

Have you ever heard of bierocks? I hope you will give them a try.

Becka

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