Hamburger Rocks, Rieska and Other Recipes

Here's a recipe for HAMBURGER ROCKS. Yeah, it's a weird sounding name but I've made them and found they were convenient during a time I lived without refrigeration.

Hamburger Rocks

1. Using a large skillet brown 5 pounds of ground beef on medium low heat. When thoroughly cooked, drain meat in a colander placed over a large stock pot. Rinse under hot running water to remove the fat. I save the juice for broths.

2. Clean the skillet to remove excess fat from the first cooking. Place the washed meat back into the skillet and fry it again over low heat, stirring until you see no more steam. Don't break the hamburger up into real small pieces or you'll wind up with hamburger granules, not "rocks".
3. Place the "twice cooked" rocks into an roasting pan. Turn the oven to 200 degrees F, stirring and turning occasionally as the meat continues to dry for one to two hours. Remove the roaster from the oven and check for dryness.
4. When the hamburger has cooled, pack it into zip lock bags or mason jars. Pack tightly and remove as much air as possible.
5. For long term storage, preheat canning jars in the oven at 250 F, simmer the lids as usual, put the "rocks" into the hot jars, then seal. About 15 minutes later the jars will cool and you'll hear the lids "pop." DO NOT heat the jars in a water bath as this interferes with the dehydration of the meat.
6. To cook with the hamburger rocks, place about a cup of meat in a bowl and add about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of warm water. Let sit for awhile to rehydrate. This recipe is best with hamburger, not lean ground beef. If you do use a leaner meat shorten the dehydrating time. DO NOT let the meat burn.

And here's a recipe for Rieska, a Finnish flat bread that requires no yeast. Like most homemade breads, it is best served warm, fresh from the oven.

Rieska

1 Cup Rye Flour, 3 Cups white flour, 1 Cup rolled oats, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons sugar, 2 Cups butermilk, 1/2 Cup butter, not margarine.

Mix all ingredients, shape into a flat ball and let rest a few minutes. Roll out on a floured board to about one inch thick. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes.

When out of buttermilk, I've used plain whole milk and it seemed fine. Do not use instant oatmeal. Quick- cooking oats give the bread a smooth texture. I prefer regular rolled oats for more texture.

I have doubled the recipe but, from my experience this seems to be a bread that is best made one loaf at a time. It really doesn't take that much time and it's delicious with soups and stews. I'm Norwegian and enjoy this bread for sandwiches, most often open faced.


And for the cabbage lovers...

Cabbaage Caraway Noodles

4 ounces flat egg noodles, butter, onion, 1-1/2 pounds shredded cabbage, 1 Tablespoon caraway seed, salt & pepper, 1 Cup chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Cup milk, 2 Teaspoons stone ground mustard, 1/2 Cup fresh bread crumbs, 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese.

Heat overn to 375 degrees and grease a baking pan. Cook noodles , drain and rinse with cold water. Heat some butter in a saucepan, add some diced onion and saute. Stir in cabbage, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and heat to a boil; then lower heat to simmer. Dissolve cornstarch in milk and add to saucepan mixture. Boil again and return to simmer and add mustard. Place noodles in baking pan and pour sauce over top. Stir this gently then sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan cheese over top. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

That's all for now folks. Treesong