“Runza” Muffins
If you ever travel to Nebraska, you can’t leave without eating a runza sandwich from a Runza Restaurant. The runza originated in Russia, spreading to Germany and eventually to America. What is it? It’s a pocket of dough filled typically with beef, pork, onions, cabbage/sauerkraut and seasonings. Cookie magazine (2007) had this simplified, individual muffin-style version that taste great and freeze well.
Ingredients:
3/4 lb ground pork
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 (9") discs pre-rolled, refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
2 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 375F.
Grease two 6-cup muffin tins with butter.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the dough and 1 tablespoon of the eggs; refrigerate.
Unroll the dough and cut out twelve 4” circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass. Re-roll the scraps, then cut out 12 more 2” circles.
Divide the filling evenly among the cups. Press the 2″ rounds on top, pinching the edges together to seal.
Poke a decent-sized hole in the center of each pie (I used an extra-small cookie cutter).
Brush with the reserved egg and bake until the tips are browned and puffed slightly, 30-45 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in tins for 15 minutes before removing them. Serve warm.
These also freeze well for another time…
