2017 Gameday Meals - Week 7 Vs. Nebraska

Sorry for the late post, but I had a conference all week (OTEC), and then was in the field all day yesterday out in god's country (Shelby, Ohio).

This week, with Nebraska on tap, I wasn't sure what we were going to make. I did a little reading, and apparently one of Nebraska's claims to fame with food is something called a Runza. It is a beef-stuffed sandwich with onion and cabbage. So here is the recipe I found online and am going to try out:

Ingredients

For the dough:

3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon dry active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons water
1/4 cup melted butter
2 large eggs

For the filling:

2 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 1/3 lb. lean grass-fed ground beef
1/2 of a medium cabbage, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
Red Robin Seasoning (or salt), Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (or Mrs. Dash) & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

Put the bread dough ingredients into a bread machine and set it on the dough setting. Press the start button. Check in a few minutes in to see if the dough is forming into a ball. If not, add a bit more water or if it is too sticky, add a little more flour.

While the bread dough is forming, make the filling: put the garlic and onions in your food processor and pulse to chop into little bits. Remove from the food processor and add the cabbage. Pulse to chop the cabbage well.
Heat a medium saute pan or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and ground beef and cook, chopping the meat frequently with a rubber spatula, until the meat is all browned. While cooking, season the meat generously, tasting as you go.

Add the onion powder, garlic power and white pepper and stir to mix. Stir in the chopped cabbage and continue cooking uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very, very tender and soft. Add seasonings until it tastes just a little too peppery.

When the dough is done, preheat the oven to 375 F. and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Separate the dough into 12 pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough as thin as possible without making holes or tearing (about 1/8 inch thick).

Dust a bowl with flour and put one of the rounds in the bowl, letting it go up the sides of the bowl a bit. Put 1/3 – 1/2 cup of filling in the middle, then pinch the dough up around the filling until it’s sealed. When you flip it over, it should be a nice rounded rectangle shape.

Set each Runza seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the Runzas are formed. Bake at 375 F. for 20 – 25 minutes or until the pockets are nicely browned on top. Spray the tops of the hot Runzas with cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Enjoy!

R unzas