German Burgers

In my hometown school district there were certain favorites made in the cafeteria, of course there was the inevitable "mystery meat" dishes but there were some that still haunt alumni of the school district.  We had REAL cooks in our cafeterias, not the heat some stuff up that I think is fed to my kids for lunch.  Our lunch ladies knew soul food and got the best out of the commodities and mediocre ingredients they were given.  The days that certain meals were on the menu it was a given that even those of us who rarely ate in the cafeteria (an option granted when we got to the high school campus in 7th grade) would show up for lunch.  Not many people can say they crave foods that were made in their grade school / high school cafeteria but there are some from a small town in the Arkansas Delta that do.

German Burgers are the one that we all seem to miss and for some reason I seem to be the only one who holds the recipe for this.  Word seems to have gotten out that I have the recipe - I do, it was published in a community cookbook sometime around 1990 and I get request for it now and again.  I will copy it here so I can simply give a link to it.  So if I've given you the link there is a chance I know you in real life, if I do, please pretend you don't know my real name.  Please understand that the blog has become more than just a communication device, it's my place to dump the things that are driving me crazy, the place where I scream to the world (my robust following of about 6) and get things off of my chest when I can no longer keep the craziness in my head.  Yes, probably a diary in my bedside table would be more appropriate than a public blog, but this started as a way to keep folks up to date on the drama of Igor's adoption and has continued as a cathartic hobby.

Without further ado GERMAN BURGERS:
maybe some day I'll make them and take artsy fartsy photographs like a food blog, but I know a former drum major who is waiting on the recipe.

2 lb ground beef
2 c grated cabbage
2 grated onions
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
salt & pepper to taste
yeast dough

brown meat; drain and season.  Saute onions in small amount of fat; add cabbage and continue cooking and turning until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain.  Combine meat, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and ketchup.  Add cabbage and onions.  Cool.  Roll yeast dough to about 4 inch square.  Put 1/4 cup meat mixture in center of square.  Bring up edges of dough; seal to form bun.  Place in greased baking pan; lightly spread butter on each bun.  Let rise 30 minutes.  Bake at 350 about 30 minutes.

My notes on the recipe:
I usually make the dough in the bread machine, though you can probably use frozen bread dough.
If you have a food processor use it for all that shredding.
Seal the buns tightly and put them seam down or else they will split open when rising and baking.
This always seems sweeter than what I remember in high school, I think it's the use of real ketchup and not the homemade stuff that was used in the cafeteria. 
I suppose it's "german" burgers because there is cabbage in it.
This makes a fair amount, and I would say will feed 5 or 6 people easily - possibly more it's been a while since I made it.