Bierocks and Soup

Larry is 100% German, from a very German part of the country, Hays, KS.  Bierocks are very popular in Hays, and especially Ollie’s bierocks (Larry’s mom).  Bierocks, also known as runzas, are meat pockets made with ground beef and cabbage, wrapped in dough and then baked.  A Little Taste of Germany  Ollie used to make them for the school and then has sold them to her loyal customers for years and years.  She doesn’t make them so much anymore, because it is to hard for her to make them now.  She is, after all, 90 now.  She does still make bierocks for the family on special occasions and for their birthdays though.   When she came into town for Randy & Roger’s party, More Festive Celebrations  she brought a batch of fresh bierocks for the birthday boy.  Growing up, a typical meal for Larry and his family was bierocks and soup.  We had that meal the other day.  Ollie made the bierocks and I made the soup.

After Thanksgiving, I froze most of our turkey, since it was just the two of us eating it then.  I still have quite a bit left in my freezer, and I am pulling it out a little at a time.  But I did pull out enough to make a big pot of turkey and vegetable soup.

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Just a few simple ingredients and a lot of vegetables, and before you know, it’s time for soup.

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Turkey Soup with Vegetables

2-2 1/1 lbs cooked turkey, diced

4 carrots, peeled, cubed small

3-4 celery stalks, cubed small

1 onion, diced fine

2 TBSP garlic

1 cup of frozen peas’

1 cup or frozen corn

1 cup of green beans, cut in pieces about 1/2 ” in size

3-4 TBSP flour, optional

3 TBSP olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

6-8 cups chicken broth

pasta, optional

2 tsp fresh thyme

 

Saute all the vegetables in the oil until the onions are translucent.

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When the vegetables are cooked, add the turkey, seasonings and the chicken broth and mix everything together well.  If you like a thicker soup like I do, add the flour and make sure to mix it in very thoroughly.  No one likes lumps of flour in their soup.  You do not have to use flour if you want it more like a broth though.  Cook for about 20-30 minutes, at a medium heat, stirring occasionally.

IMG_9906If you are using noodles or pasta of any kind, add it right at the end, bring the soup back up to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and continue to cook for about 10 additional minutes.  If the pasta or noodles are in for too long, they will absorb the liquid and you will have more of a casserole than soup, which can still be very good too.  If this does happen, no big deal.  You can either add more liquid to make it soup again, or you can add some cheese and breadcrumbs and bake it to make it more of a turkey tetrazzini type of dish.  Because I made such a big pot of soup, I might just do that with some of the leftovers.  The Queen and I are always thinking about what we can do with the leftovers.  🙂

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Once the soup is ready, dish it up and enjoy.  There is always something comforting about eating a big bowl of turkey and vegetable soup, especially on chilly days.

I went with a white vin blanc to accompany the soup, but I could have gone with a red, like a merlot or a pinot noir too, to go with the beef in the bierocks.  Red or white, either way, you can’t go wrong.

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Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people.

29 thoughts on “Bierocks and Soup”

    2. I don’t know what happened. I was trying to respond to you, and POOF! I lost it, as well as your response saying she only speaks French and Russian. Could you translate it if she sent it to you? It doesn’t surprise me she speaks Russian. Larry’s family, though German, settled in the Volga River area of Russia before coming to the US, and to Kansas.

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  6. 1. I have no idea how people can add noodles/rice/diced potatoes/etc. to a soup that is already so thick (vegetables).
    2. Yes, I remember cooking chicken noodle soup back in the day and I added the noodles at the end, but I was worried they would not cook, so I left them in there for quite some time. Brothy noodles instead of broth with noodles. Like you said – still tasty though. LOL

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