Gidget Roots - Journey Through Family Recipes - Episode 31: Spinach Rolls

 Hey there Scrappy Gidget friends! If you have been following along with the #GidgetRoots journey  you may recall Chapter/Episode 8 where we made "Not your King's Pasty". Although this is NOT that recipe, the way it is made is really similar, so if you were brave enough to try that you should be an expert!

I found it interesting that there were two different dough recipes, one for the Pasty, and another that was called "Granny M's Dough" - they are very similar but still slightly different and I wish I could speak to my 3x great grandma to ask why there are differences.  I believe either dough recipe would work. 

I will admit I was apprehensive for this dish - I have not really had many introductions or experiences with savory pastry dishes. I will admit now I feel like I am a fan - or at least am excited to experiment!

First step is the dough. We navigated away from the cookbook by using two of our own dough options. My aunts made their homemade dough, and I chose to use a refrigerated french dough (I have a really small kitchen, limited counter space, don't judge! )  :-)  Once you have the dough, you can roll it out. If you are using the refrigerated dough like I did, you will want to spread it out evenly.  After I had finished I felt that I maybe should have tried rolling it out a little thinner.

Next, you can use fresh spinach or frozen spinach that has been thawed and well drained. I used fresh spinach that was cut chiffonade while my aunts chunked out and separated some well drained frozen (thawed) spinach and spread it evenly over the dough.

Next step - time to get CHEESY!  The recipe says to "sprinkle" with either cottage cheese or Velveeta cheese that has been cut into cubes. 

Our cookbook says that my great grandmother used a little of both, so my aunts decided to go that route and used both.  

 

 

 

 AGAIN with the word choice - I am not sure how to "sprinkle" cottage cheese - if anyone figures it out let me know ha! I did not have Velveeta so I went strictly with some #OurFamily Cottage cheese and carefully spread the cheese over the spinach. 

 

Next - time to season! Again, if you have been following along, some of our family recipes are slightly missing some of that spice. Although the recipe simply said to season with salt, we decided to add a little garlic powder, along with salt and pepper - I also added some red pepper flakes because my ancestors told me to. 

 Now its time to get rolling! Roll like you would the pasty, similar to that of rolling a cinnamon roll, and set on a pan to bake in a 350 degree oven.

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately our original recipe didn't provide a time.  I believe our spinach rolls cooked for quite some time (I may have to remake the recipe to get a specific time!)  Until the outside is golden brown about 25-50 minutes??? This is the downside to being behind on the story posts of experiencing the recipes - poor notes equals poorly relayed data!

 

 

 Once we thought the rolls were done it was time to cut up and serve.  I felt mine could have baked longer as the dough still seemed 'steamed' and slightly gummy on the inside. 

 

Although this was a little disappointing and did not quite meet my expectations I was truly inspired. I have so many food combo adaptations in mind for this recipe so we shall see what the future holds in that regard. What do you think? Are there any food combos you think would be fantastic to try?

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ORIGINAL RECIPES:

GRANNY M'S DOUGH

This dough recipe can be used for Pasty, Spinach Roll, and for Pumpkin Roll. 

Ingredients: 4 1/2 cups flour        2 1/4 tsp salt                 2 cups shortening

Enough warm water to make dough that can be rolled out.

Directions:

Sift the flour and salt together into a mixing bowl. You can use a spoon or 2 knives to do this. Add enough water, a little at a time, so you have a ball of dough.  Turn the dough out on a floured surface and roll out until the dough is quite thin. This will be quite large.

Spread on whichever filling you want. Roll up and place in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. Depending on the size of the roll and least an hour and a half. 

 FILLINGS FOR THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ROLLS:

SPINACH ROLL:

Spread the rolled out dough with spinach. You can use fresh spinach which has been chopped or frozen spinach that has been thawed and well drained. Then sprinkle with either cottage cheese or velveeta cheese that has been cut into cubes. (Bopka - I use some of both) add salt and roll up into a roll. Place in a pan and bake in a 350 degree oven.

SWEET ROLL:

Spread rolled out dough with cottage cheese and raisins that have been softened in hot water and drained. Add 1 or 2 apples that have been peeled, cored and cut into fairly small pieces. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up into a roll and bake in a 350 degree oven.

PUMPKIN ROLL:

You can do this one of two ways. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and scrape the pumpkin meat with a spoon or you can peel the pumpkin and shred the pumpkin meat like you do potatoes for hash browns. (This is much easier for me). Spread the pumpkin on the rolled out dough. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up into a roll and bake in a 350 degree oven. 

Gidget Roots - Journey Through Family Recipes - Episode 30: Kraut Brocks

As we continue on our journey through my family recipes we found the gem of all gems - the Kraut Brocks.

This recipe intrigued me - it seemed similar to a hand pie dish, but was clearly different. When I read the recipe I felt like I had had these before (remember some of these recipes are newly discovered to me). When I realized the "dish" I was thinking of was actually "Hot Pocket 'Side Shots' " I couldn't help but find amusement in the fact that my family (and others) had the niche on these delicious packages of delicious goodness before Hot Pockets were even invented!  

I love researching my roots and genealogy - which means I also enjoy learning about where these recipe roots stem from.  I believe this recipe may have been meant to be "Bierocks" and not "Brocks" (thank you phonics and Polish derived mid-western accents). So of course, I researched this dish!

The title is misleading in "Kraut" we initially thought "sauerkraut" however I came to learn that "kraut" directly on its own means herb. After some online research, I discovered "Bierock is a yeast dough pastry pocket sandwich with savory filling, originating in Eastern Europe, possibly in Russia. The dish is common among the Volga German community in the United States and Argentina. It was brought to the United States in the 1870s by German Russian Mennonite immigrants."  My aunts and I loved this history lesson as the timeline is close to our family's immigration history. 

I loved these hand held pockets of savory beef with the salt and umami from the cheese and slight texture provided by the fresh cabbage. 

When I first read the recipe we were wondering - "Where is the seasoning!?" Another family recipe with just the basics - salt, pepper, and onion. :-) So of course, we added garlic - we couldn't help ourselves!

For this recipe you can either make your own bread dough or use a frozen / refrigerated one. My aunts used a delicious homemade sourdough bread and I needed a quick something simple so I chose to use a refrigerated French Bread dough. 

First things first, we had to start our mis en place. Chopped up the onion, garlic, and thinly sliced the cabbage. 

 

Because the ingredients will be encased in puffy golden brown blanket of dough, I felt the ingredients needed to be a little smaller stature in order to mix well and have a well rounded bite. 

We begin the cooking adventure by sauteing the garlic, onion, and meat until the beef begins to lose it's red color. 

 

While cooking the meat it is a perfect time to salt and pepper to taste preference.

 

When the hamburger meat has browned, add the shredded cabbage and continue cooking until the cabbage is soft. (I chose to add about 1/2 Tbs of butter to help cook everything down).

Once everything is cooked, remove from heat. Although the original recipe doesn't say it, we decided to let it cool a little bit just to ensure the inside of the dough doesn't get soggy from the warm filling. 

"Take a fair sized piece of bread dough" whatever that means!  For me at least I guestimated the amount of dough and decided to split the dough into six equal pieces. 

 

Once you have your pieces of dough pat into a circle or square, then put a Tablespoon of filling in the center and fold the sides and ends over, closing up the bierock. I decided to use the same technique that is used when closing up dim sum dumplings. 

Once closed up, place the folded side down on a baking sheet. By setting the "sealed" side down, it will help keep the bierocks filling from escaping their pod of dough. 

Bake until golden brown and cooked through. Once they were out of the oven, I felt a little bit of butter love was needed to help add a little extra flavor.

As I mentioned, after making these they seemed so familiar. But my memory had an ooey gooey cheese burger type center where these tasted classic, clean, and delicious.  I love this recipe and whether one decides to use homemade dough or make it semi-homemade while you are getting crafty in the kitchen, I am excited to play around with the filling for this recipe! 

 

Who knows - maybe one day you will be reading about a multitude of trial and error in new trials of fun fillings for this delectable masterpiece.

Next Episode: Spinach Roll

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ORIGINAL RECIPE:

KRAUT BROCKS

Ingredients:

1 -2 lbs of hamburger (depending on how many you want to make)

1 medium sized onion diced

1medium to large finely shredded cabbage

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute hamburger and onion until the meat begins to loose its color. Add the shredded cabbage and continue cooking until the cabbage is soft. 

Take a fair sized piece of bread dough and pat it into a circle or square.

Put a tablespoon of filling in the center and fold the sides and ends over, enclosing the filling. Place the folded side down in a baking pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

NOTE: Cousin K made these and used well drained sauerkraut. They were good too.

Gidget Roots - Journey Through Family Recipes - Episode 29: Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes

 

I love recipes that take you back to innocent and blissful childhood memories. This recipe was one of those. My great-grandparents owned a Ranch in Wyoming. I remember as a child going to visit my Bopka and Poppa and seeing landmarks that still are there today, getting excited knowing we had an adventure and house full of love waiting for my siblings and I.  The large green swing on the tree in the front yard. The twisting concrete steps curling around the back down to the lower part of the house - all the dishes laid out for the cats with food and milk. Running around the yard, swimming in the cattle trough (cleaned and filled with hose water - yes that was us!). Camping and looking at the stars that were not outshone by street lamps - coyotes howling in the not so far distance. After a night of shenanigans I remember waking up, my Poppa sitting in the corner kitchen chair, his deep laughter filling the room. The sound of frying pans and skillets cooking delicious food for our nourishment. These buttermilk pancakes were one of the staples for morning eats that accompanied the bountiful bacon, SOS and warm coffee (okay that was for the adults but I still loved the smell). 

The other fond memory I have was that these pancakes were kept in a stack (if they survived the breakfast barrage) on a plate on the kitchen table for a few hours. Easy flapjacks to grab and go as we raced through the house and out to our outdoor play ground. When I have kids of my own, I will make this for them and tell them all about our adventures and hopefully this will become a staple for them one day. 

 As with most handmade pancakes, this recipe begins with combining the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

 

 

In separate bowls, separate egg white and egg yolks. 

 

Then it is time to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks formed.

 

Next, to the dry ingredients, it was time to add the buttermilk and mix it together.

After the buttermilk was well incorporated it was time to add the egg yokes and melted butter and mix it together. 

 

 Once combined, it was time to gently fold in the stiff peak egg whites. I love this batter because it is thick but still light and airy because of the egg whites. 

 

The recipe says to "bake" on a hot griddle, well, I don't have a hot griddle :-)  but I do have a trusted cast iron pan which happens to work just fine. 

 

Once you see the bottom edges start to lightly brown and bubbles form in the batter it is time to flip them over and agonize the waiting until they are done....

Once golden brown and cooked through it is time to serve! I highly recommend serving hot (or at least warm) initially with a dollop of butter. When you bite into them you will taste how fluffy the cakes are and taste the incredible tang that the buttermilk provides.

 

 Incredibly, deliciously good! And, as I mentioned before, they are delicious cold as well - perfect for an on the go easy breakfast or a mid-day snack!

I really hope you try this incredible recipe!

NEXT EPISODE: Kraut Brocks

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ORIGINAL RECIPE

OLD FASHIONED BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Ingredients:

2 cups flour                     1 tsp of baking soda            1 tsp salt

2 cups buttermilk        1 cube melted oleo, cooled (or butter)

3 eggs - separated

Directions:

In a bowl, mix in flour, salt and soda. Add buttermilk and mix well. Add egg yokes and mix, stir in melted butter. Beat egg whites until stiff. Carefully fold egg whites into the batter. Bake on a hot griddle. 

NOTE: If you use sour milk, buttermilk or sour cream when you are baking you use baking soda - Bapka's Spice cake is an exception, it calls for both baking powder and baking soda.