Pasties

Pasties aka Coal Miners Pockets ~Frisky

For the dough- (this will make 6-8)

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup shortening or 1 cup lard
3/4 cup ice water (the colder the better!)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1 Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
2 Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (or 2 forks or a fork and butter knife)
3 Add ice water a little at a time, tossing with a fork to make a pastry-like dough.
4 Add a bit more water if it seems dry and won't hold together when squeezed lightly.
5 Gather into a ball and divide into 6-8 pieces, press firmly now, then wrap with plastic wrap and chill while preparing the pasty ingredients (see below ).
6 Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface (or on top of a piece of plastic wrap which can easily be folded over and then peeled off once the pasty ingredients are loaded).
7 Edges of pasty should be brushed with a smidgen of water and then crimped VERY firmly with a fork (and I fold them and crimp again -- so none of the liquid seeps out). Also put 3 small slits in the top for steam to escape
8 Brush tops of finished pasties with milk (or whisked egg) to enhance the crust (it will bake to a beautiful golden brown).
9 NOTE: Like pastry dough, pasty dough should be handled as LITTLE as possible to ensure flakiness. So, *handle with care* !

For fillings-
( I always make these in the winter with leftovers from the week) anything from beef stew to turkey, stuffing, veggies and gravy ) and you can make these with taco mixes in them , sloppy joes anything you can think of

For filling from scratch -

8 ounces ground beef
4 ounces rutabaga, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup picked fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes These freeze very well after you bake them and last for about 6 months You can reheat them in the oven at 300 F for about 20-30 minutes

My changes:

I use leftover beef stew for this recipe, it's much more savory and tastes amazing.  It's a pretty labor intensive project, but soooo worth it.  I chop up the leftovers into very small pieces and warm them in a pan while I make the dough.

For the dough, I make a savory dough with thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.  I've debating on adding dried rosemary I've crushed in my mortar and pestle and I think I'll try it again.

The verdict:

We were FIGHTING over the last ones.  They saved nicely and warmed up perfect and crisp in the toaster oven the next day.  This is a labor intensive and time consuming project so save it for a rainy day when you feel like getting creative in the kitchen.  I'd say start to finish, it took about two hours.