Week 37 - Bierocks

 Bierocks

Week 37 of 52

Appetizer #5

    Bierocks are yummy, savory stuffed rolls. They're stuffed with ground meat (ground beef in this recipe), onion, sauerkraut and seasoning. Wikipedia tells us that Bierocks originated in Russia and were brought to America in the 1870s by German/Russian Mennonites.  They are popular among those of Russian and German ancestry. I have some German ancestry, and I'm studying the German language on Duolingo. So, when I saw this recipe, I was intrigued. This version is in the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano "From our Family to Yours" cookbook, published in 2016.  I never thought I'd buy sauerkraut (which I'd never tried before last night).  I liked the tangy-ness of the sauerkraut and it makes me so happy to successfully tried something I've never had. I made a couple of modifications to the recipe, which I'll highlight in italics and I was really pleased with how this came out. The original recipe says you can make three dozen. I ended up with two dozen and I liked the finished size.  I am curious about trying to make a smaller version, so I'll probably make these again. D

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (Don't worry too much about the leanness of it, because you're going to drain of the grease)

1 16oz can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (I used a 14 1/2 oz can)

1 package onion soup mix

1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced thinly

cayenne, to taste (I used 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon paprika

2 to 3 cans refrigerated crescent rolls (I used 3 cans of 8 rolls which gave me 24 Bierocki)

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, completely brown your ground beef, adding the onion about half-way through. When the onion is soft, drain the grease from the pan, return to the stove and stir in your soup mix and seasoning(s) followed by the sauerkraut. Make sure all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Lightly grease baking sheets (as many as you need for 24 Bierocki). The original recipe says to carefully unroll the dough, pinch together the dough and then cut into small squares. What worked for me was unrolling the dough, separating the pieces and bringing the small pointed bit up to the wide end.  So, it's more square than triangular.  Pat the dough out a bit and then spoon filling into the middle. Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch together. Place the seam side down on your baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. For my oven, a little bit less than 30 minutes would work. ou can freeze these, by wrapping completely cooled Bierocki in foil or other freezer wrap and store in your freezer. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator, and bake in vented foil at 300 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes. 

Bierocki

My first Bierocki!

Week 36 - Barley, Black Bean and Corn Burritos

 Barley, Black Bean and Corn Burritos

Week 36 of 52

Vegetarian Entree #5

    Let me start with the fact that you can make this Barley, Black Bean and Corn mix and make a burrito bowl like I did, or you can make burritos. Depending on your serving sizes, you could get at least 8 or 9  servings of two burritos each. With a couple of good sized scoops on bowl of rice, you could probably get about 8 bowls. I liked this recipe, as it was fairly easy to put together and it is a slow-cooker recipe.  The recipe comes from the Southern Living - Slow Cooker Cookbook published in 2002. Notes/Modifications in italics.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis (not drained)

1 cup uncooked fine barley 

2 cups vegetable broth (the recipe calls for chicken broth, but, um, that doesn't make it vegetarian)

3/4 cups frozen corn (whole kernel)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (I used bottled lime juice)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (I didn't have cumin, so I used extra chili powder)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (Plus extra for decoration)

shredded cheddar or monterrey jack (Optional)

shredded lettuce (optional)

salsa (Optional; I used medium heat)

sour cream (Optional)

18 tortillas if you are making burritos

2 cups cooked white rice if you are making bowls

Directions:

Add the first eleven ingredients to a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker and combine thoroughly. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hrs or until the barley is tender. I cooked the full five hours. Stir in cilantro. 

Bowls: Place a couple of scoops of cooked rice into a bowl and top with the Barley, Black Bean and Corn mixture. Add spoonfuls of sour cream and salsa. Sprinkle cheese over top, followed by a sprinkle of chopped cilantro. 

Burritos: Heat tortillas evenly on both sides on low to medium heat on a cast-iron comal, griddle or skillet. Basically, whatever you use to cook pancakes, you can use to heat tortillas. You want the tortillas to be warm and flexible. If you overcook them, they'll get too crispy to roll. Heat tortillas one at a time. In the center of each tortilla, spoon some of the Barley, Black Bean and Corn mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and roll up. The recipe in the book says to make a bed of lettuce and lay the burritos on the lettuce, but nope, that is not for me. Top with salsa, sour cream and chopped cilantro. 

Barley, Black Bean and Corn Bowl

     

Week 35 - Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

 Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

Week 35 of 52

Dessert #5

    This Summer I traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first time. My oldest, friend, moved there after retiring, so I stayed with her, while another good friend was there to celebrate her 40th birthday. Being able to travel to help one friend celebrate her birthday, and to see another, was pretty awesome.  We all live in different parts of the country and I don't get to see either of them very, often. A bonus was that two of my best friends got to meet each other for the first time. 

    One of the fun things we did together, was visit The Mob Museum - National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement. That was a fun museum to visit. It was fun and educational. For an additional cost, you can add on one of three experiences to your tour and I can't remember off-hand, what they all are, but the one I did was the "Speak Easy Experience". You have to be 21 or older for that add-on experience. You learn about Prohibition in this "experience" and get to sample moonshines that the museum makes, sells and enters into competitions. You also have the opportunity to enjoy their Underground bar/speak-easy and to purchase keepsake bottles of moonshine. I bought the tiniest jar of moonshine they had, although I hadn't actually finished any of my samples (there were two 100 proof and one 90 proof samples and I just couldn't do it). Anyhow, I digress. In the museum's gift shop, I bought a copy of Henry Hill and Priscilla Davis' The Wiseguy Cookbook. The recipe are Henry Hill's favorites from his life as a "GoodFella" and on the run. The movie "GoodFellas" was based on Henry's life. This delicious Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte is the first recipe I've made from this book. It was not difficult to make and it turned out good. I liked the walnuts and the hint of orange from the zest. You should try it! If you do, let me know what you think. My notes in italics.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened and more for greasing pan

3/4 cup flour and 1/8 cup for pan

10 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate (1 3/4 cups) (I used a combination of dark chocolate chips and chocolate bar)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

7 eggs, separated (You'll use both the yolks and the whites)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest (I used a little less than a tablespoon, because I'd gotten one orange and it's zest did not quite fill up a tablespoon)

1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

whipped cream (optional)

shaved chocolate (optional for decoration)

fresh mint leaves (optional for decoration)

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan. Cut out a circle of waxed paper or parchment paper and place in the bottom of the pan. Butter the paper and then lightly coat the bottom and sides with flour, shaking/tapping the pan upside down, to remove excess flour. Melt your chocolate (If you're using a chocolate bar, break it into smaller pieces)  in a double boiler, or small bowl over water. Myself, I actually just melted the chocolate in a pan, on the lowest setting, on my stove; stirring to ensure that it melted evenly and did not burn. Cool the melted chocolate to room temperature. 

    Mix together your flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in your orange zest and chopped walnuts. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until a little fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until they are a pale yellow. Add your cooled chocolate and beat for about a minute, until it is well mixed. Mix in your flour mixture and thoroughly combine. 

    Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the cake batter mixture. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for one hour. Cool to room temperature on the counter (which will take longer) or on a wire rack. Loosen sides, place a plate over the pan, turn it over and tap the bottom of the pan to remove the cake. Turn your plate right side up, and using a small sieve, shake powdered sugar on top of the cake. Shave extra chocolate bar over the confectioner's sugar for an extra little decoration and add fresh mint leaves for decoration. Serve with whipped cream or even a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.  

Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte - Side View