German Skillet Supper for a Cold Day

The weekend weather sounds dreadful! This winter has had several really cold days, colder than usual for Kansas. I've heard so many people talk about how tired they are of winter cold. Here is a recipe to warm your day. The crisped potatoes, spicy kielbasa and tangy sauerkraut will make you think you're in Germany.
I made this skillet dinner a few weeks ago and was appreciated after the crew had been feeding cattle on a frosty windy day. 3 off us and a child (and its not a children's favorite) ate 7 servings! and the little bit that was left was good warmed up for a supper later. Thanks to Chef Alli for the recipe.

POTATO, KIELBASA, AND SAUERKRAUT SKILLET

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot minced (or small onion)

3 cloves garlic

1 red bell pepper (seeds and membranes removed) diced

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

Pinch of red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth

1-2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

14 oz. kielbasa sausage sliced in ¼” rounds

3 cups sauerkraut, drained well

½ cup sour cream

1 ½ cups shredded Swiss cheese

3 small Yukon gold potatoes, skin on, sliced very thin

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2.    In a 12” cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat; add shallot, garlic and red bell pepper and sauté until softened slightly. 

3.    Move vegetables in skillet to one side, then add the sliced kielbasa sausage to the skillet and sauté until sausage is browned on both sides. 

4.    Add sauerkraut, mustard, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, and pepper to the skillet. Stir all ingredients together, cooking until heated throughout, then add the wine (chicken broth) and parsley and cook an additional minute. Spread sour cream over the skillet mixture, then top with cheese. 

5.    Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, toss the potato slices with melted butter and salt; layer seasoned potatoes over the sauerkraut mixture, covering the entire top. 

6.    Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, or until potato slices are browned at the edges and the mixture is hot and bubbly throughout. Let stand 5 – 10 minutes before slicing into wedges to serve. 

Coffee Cake for Kansas Day and more...

We celebrated Kansas Day this week. Besides a proud heritage from pioneer settlers, Kansas has a interesting history of food facts. For instance: 

At one time it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas. My family would be upset! 

Pizza Hut restaurants opened its first store in Wichita. I believe that building is now on the Wichita State campus as a historical site. 

The graham cracker was named after Reverend Sylvester Graham. He was a minister who strongly believed in eating whole-wheat flour products. 

We usually acknowledge the day with special foods that have some Kansas connection. I took this coffee cake to our church's coffee time last Sunday and it was well liked. Of course, we claim the flour as Kansas grown wheat and the pecans were from the KSU Research Center in southeast Kansas. In the instructions I've noted some tips for preparation and why. 

CINNAMON STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE       

Ingredients:

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sour cream

Streusel Filling:

3 tablespoons butter, melted

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preparation:

1.     Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.     In the bowl of a standing mixer or with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. (Don’t skimp on this step, the creaming of butter and sugar not only thoroughly mixes the ingredients, the sharp edges of the sugar cut into the butter creating tiny air pockets to make the product lighter)

3.     Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate before adding the next one(one at a time allows the mixture to thicken and emulsify). Add the vanilla.

4.     In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5.     Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream to the butter until combined. (Additional steps, but it makes a difference. Adding flour all at once could cause the batter to be too thick. Adding liquid all at once could cause the batter to separate.) Start and end with dry ingredients. Stir after each addition, but only until just combined.

6.     In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir to combine well.

7.     Pour half the batter into a greased bundt pan, and smooth down with a spatula as this batter is thick and fluffy.

8.     Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture all over the batter in the bundt pan and pat in down lightly.

9.     Pour in the remaining batter and smooth down with a spatula.

10. Place the bundt pan in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Wheat Buns for Ag Day

National Ag Day is today (March 21) part of a week-long celebration to raise awareness of where our food comes from and appreciation for the ranchers and farmers who produce it. Yesterday was also the first day of spring. What a perfect day to make homemade hamburger buns and sloppy joes, using two of our Kansas agriculture products that our farm/ranch produces.

Kansas is a leader in the production of wheat, grain sorghum, and beef. Our farm is involved in all three. Beef is our primary product and one we take pride in. Beef from our ranch goes through many hands before it gets to the supermarket. From our cow-calf operation, the calves go to a finishing feedlot, then to a packer, and on to a wholesaler before being presented to the consumer as steaks, roasts and hamburgers. The beef we eat at home has a more direct route, it never leaves the ranch until it goes to the locker plant. We enjoy the high quality protein that our beef provides for tasty and nutritious meals. We also produce wheat, some of which is fed to cattle in a ground feed mixture; but most of the wheat is sold by the semi-truck load to be processed and milled for the flour we buy at the grocery store.
Greenwood County is a large county, comprised of 1152 square miles. Of that area, 95% is agriculture land; 80% of which is pasture. There are over 500 farms and ranches in our county, with many more cattle than people. We love our Flint Hills and wide open spaces!

The hamburger buns were quick to put together in a food processor and we could make any size. With my pint-sized helper we made a smaller one for her. The recipe is from the Kansas Wheat Commission. The sloppy joe recipe is featured in the Kansas Day column from earlier this year, at the right.

Lunch on the deck - a perfect First Day of Spring.
Notice the little hand with a sloppy joe bun just her size! 

QUICK BURGER BUNS

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour (may be part whole wheat)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package quick-rise yeast

3 tablespoons margarine, cut into pieces

1 cup warm water (90 degrees)

Instructions:

1.     In food processor bowl with dough blade in place, combine for 10 seconds the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and margarine.

2.     Begin processing on high speed, pouring 1 cup warm water steadily through tube. When dough forms a ball, stop adding water. Entire 1 cup may not be needed Process an additional 60 seconds to knead the dough.

3.     Take dough out, knead a few strokes to form a smooth ball, cover and let rest 15 minutes. Grease cookie sheet. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and shape into buns. Let rest 5 minutes and flatten slightly. Cover; let rise in a warm place (90 degrees) until double.

4.     Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 12 to 15 minutes.

dough is ready to rest

buns are ready to rise and bake

ready to enjoy....

Bierock Crescent Casserole

Do you say "Brook" or Brock" or even Runza? My origins must have some southern influence, I've learned it 'bur-ock', dragging it out to two syllables. But however you say it, this savory pastry baked with a stuffing of ground or shredded meat, onions, and shredded cabbage is a good winter supper. The traditional food was brought to Kansas and Nebraska (thats the 'runza') in the 19th century by German-Russian immigrants. They were the same ones that brought us Turkey Red Winter Wheat, making Kansas the breadbasket of the world. They were originally served as a pocket sort of sandwich, so it was easy to take to the field for workers. 

This recipe is from our Greenwood County Cattlewomen's cookbook and combines beef and bread - two great Kansas products. It made a good supper for the week of Kansas Day. We liked it as a casserole, easy to fix and servings sizes can vary. Serve with a cold Jello salad or applesauce. I made one-half the recipe in a 8x8-inch baking dish. 

Bierock Crescent Casserole

2 pounds ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 head cabbage, shredded (or buy slaw mix)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

2 packages crescent rolls

salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees (or directions on crescent roll package). Brown ground beef with onion and garlic, drain. Salt and pepper to taste. Add shredded cabbage. Turn heat down and cover skillet. Allow cabbage to wilt. Add shredded cheese and allow to melt. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Place one roll of crescent rolls on bottom of pan. Pinch perforations together. Add beef/cabbalge/cheese mixture to pan. Cover with remaining crescent rolls. Bake according to directions on crescent roll package. Cut and serve.