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!