I'm always a sucker for anything wrapped in a good pastry - I believe there is a British and/or Australian origin to the dish. You make expeditious use of whatever leftover meat and potatoes you have - or a vegetable or meat stew (I used beef and vegetable curry in ours with some leftover rice mixed in to hold the saucy filling together a little). This makes 16 meat pies. Enjoy.
Pastry
Mis en place:
8 cups all purpose flour
2 Tsp salt
2 Tbls white sugar
2 sticks cold butter
1 1/2 cups Crisco or LARD (chilled)
1 16 oz. glass ice water
egg wash (1 beaten egg with about 2 oz. water and a pinch of salt)
Preparation:
Mix flour, sugar and salt together in mixer, cut butter and Crisco into small bits and with mixer on low speed add butter and Crisco a bit at a time. Continue to mix on slow until the dough looks like peas, now add small bits of the ICE WATER until the dough just starts to come together. STOP mixer, remove dough and lup in into a large pile with your hands and place dough in a big zip lock bag and refrigerate, preferably overnight.
Make up your filling: if it is leftover meat and potatoes cut them in small cubes, add some fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and a bit of cream or a little white wine to bind it all together. Flour your work surface well. Remove dough from fridge and take a large golf ball sized bit in your hand - using the warmth of your skin shape the dough into a patty. Then place on floured surface and roll out into a small circle. Fiip dough over and roll again until you have about a 6 inch circle. You want the dough THIN.
Place about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of your filling in the center of the circle, brush the lower half of the dough circle with egg wash (fingers work ok), fold dough over filling and crimp edges with fingers or a fork. Place on parchment paper lined pan. Repeat until all dough (and hopefully the filling) is used up. Poke 3 sets of holes in top of each pie with a fork, brush pies with remaining egg wash, sprinkle a tiny bit of scoarse sea alt, sesame seeds or even oats on each pie. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven about 30-35 minutes until pies are golden brown. Remove and let cool. Keep refrigerated once completely cooled. These are great to take on a picnic, fishing trip or just a road trip someplace...
Pastry
Mis en place:
8 cups all purpose flour
2 Tsp salt
2 Tbls white sugar
2 sticks cold butter
1 1/2 cups Crisco or LARD (chilled)
1 16 oz. glass ice water
egg wash (1 beaten egg with about 2 oz. water and a pinch of salt)
Preparation:
Mix flour, sugar and salt together in mixer, cut butter and Crisco into small bits and with mixer on low speed add butter and Crisco a bit at a time. Continue to mix on slow until the dough looks like peas, now add small bits of the ICE WATER until the dough just starts to come together. STOP mixer, remove dough and lup in into a large pile with your hands and place dough in a big zip lock bag and refrigerate, preferably overnight.
Make up your filling: if it is leftover meat and potatoes cut them in small cubes, add some fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and a bit of cream or a little white wine to bind it all together. Flour your work surface well. Remove dough from fridge and take a large golf ball sized bit in your hand - using the warmth of your skin shape the dough into a patty. Then place on floured surface and roll out into a small circle. Fiip dough over and roll again until you have about a 6 inch circle. You want the dough THIN.
Place about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of your filling in the center of the circle, brush the lower half of the dough circle with egg wash (fingers work ok), fold dough over filling and crimp edges with fingers or a fork. Place on parchment paper lined pan. Repeat until all dough (and hopefully the filling) is used up. Poke 3 sets of holes in top of each pie with a fork, brush pies with remaining egg wash, sprinkle a tiny bit of scoarse sea alt, sesame seeds or even oats on each pie. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven about 30-35 minutes until pies are golden brown. Remove and let cool. Keep refrigerated once completely cooled. These are great to take on a picnic, fishing trip or just a road trip someplace...
