Savoury pies and pasties

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 CARROT PASTIES

pasty dough:

300 ml fine rye flour *)
pinch of salt
100 ml water
1 - 2 tbsp turnip rape oil

filling:

300 g carrots, diced
pat of butter
100 - 200 ml cream
2 egg yolks
dark molasses
pinch of salt

for brushing:

butter

Sauté the carrots in butter, add the cream. Cook until the cream is almost entirely absorbed in the carrots. Puree the carrots through a food mill and let cool a bit. Add the egg yolks and season with salt and molasses  —  the filling should taste slightly sweet. Mix to get a smooth, not too runny paste. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the pasty dough: mix the flour and salt, add the oil and water little at a time and mix to get a firm, non-sticky dough. Divide the dough in equal-size pieces and roll them into small balls. With a tapered rolling pin, roll out the flattened balls one at a time into very thin disks, about 1 mm thick and 7 - 8 cm in diameter. (You could also try to use a pasta machine for rolling.) Cover the pie disks lightly with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.

Spread the carrot filling on the centre of the pie disks, see figure 1. Raise the edges of the pie disks towards the centre, pinching the edges with your fingers (see figure 2) to make the pasties look like shown in figure 3.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Place the pasties on baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 260 °C for about 7 minutes or until brown specks start to appear. Melt some butter and brush the hot pastries generously with it. Place the pasties in a large bowl, cover the bowl tightly with parchment paper and a towel, and let the pasties soften for about half an hour.

Serve the warm pasties as cocktail snacks, spread with butter. The pasties can be reheated in oven or a toaster.

See recipes for Karelian potato pasties and Karelian rice pasties.

*) Use rye flour that's finer textured and lighter in colour than regular rye flour. If this flour is unavailable, use half regular rye flour and half wheat flour.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

KARELIAN POTATO PASTIES

pasty dough:

500 ml fine rye flour *)
½ tsp salt
150 - 200 ml water
(1 - 2 tbsp turnip rape oil)

filling:

about 700 g potatoes, peeled
50 - 100 ml potatoes' cooking liquid
50 - 75 ml cream
2 eggs
lump of butter
pinch of salt

for brushing:

whole milk
lump of butter

Cook the potatoes in water until tender. Reserve the liquid. Puree the potatoes through a food mill and let cool a bit. Add the eggs and enough cooking liquid and cream to get a smooth mixture. The amount of liquid depends on the quality of the potatoes  —  the filling must not be too runny. Add a lump of butter and mix. Season with salt, cover and set aside to cool.

Prepare the pasty dough: mix the flour and salt, add the oil and water little at a time and mix to get a firm, non-sticky dough. Divide the dough in 15 - 20 equal-size pieces and roll them into small balls. With a tapered rolling pin, roll out the flattened balls one at a time into very thin disks, about 1 mm thick and 10 - 15 cm in diameter. (You could also try to use a pasta machine for rolling.) Cover the pie disks lightly with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.

Spread the potato filling on the centre of the pie disks, see figure 1. Raise the edges of the pie disks towards the centre, pinching the edges with your fingers (see figure 2) to make the pasty look like shown in figure 3.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Place the pasties on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 255 - 300 °C for about 5 - 7 minutes or until brown specks start to appear. Meanwhile, heat about 150 ml whole milk in a saucepan, add a big lump of butter and let it melt. Dip the hot pasties one at a time into the hot milk-butter mixture and place them in a large bowl, preferably in one layer. Cover the bowl tightly with parchment paper and a towel, and let the pasties soften for about half an hour.

Serve the warm pasties spread with butter. The pasties may also be served with various savoury toppings, like ham, cheese etc. Pasties can be reheated in oven or a toaster.

See recipes for Karelian rice pasties and carrot pasties.

*) Use rye flour that's finer textured and lighter in colour than regular rye flour. If this flour is unavailable, use half regular rye flour and half wheat flour.

Recipe source: traditional Finnish recipe.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

KARELIAN RICE PASTIES

pasty dough:

500 ml fine rye flour *)
½ tsp salt
150 - 200 ml water
(1 - 2 tbsp turnip rape oil)

filling:

150 ml short grain rice
300 ml water
650 ml whole milk
1 - 2 eggs or egg yolks
pinch of salt

for brushing:

whole milk
lump of butter

for serving:

egg and butter spread

Start making the filling by bringing the water to the boil. Add the rice and simmer until the water is absorbed in rice. Add the milk, bring the mixture to the boil and let it cook for a couple of minutes, stirring continually with a wooden spoon.

Reduce the heat to the minimum  —  or turn it off completely  —  cover the pan with a lid and let the mixture simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes, stirring every now and then. The filling is ready, when it has thickened into a velvety, white porridge. Add a lump of butter, mix, cover the pan with lid and set aside to cool.

It would be best to prepare the porridge on the previous day and store it covered in refrigerator, so that it will thicken and not be too runny when used to fill the pasties.

Prepare the pasty dough: mix the flour and salt, add the oil and water little at a time and mix to get a firm, non-sticky dough. Divide the dough in 15 - 20 equal-size pieces and roll them into small balls. With a tapered rolling pin, roll out the flattened balls one at a time into very thin disks, about 1 mm thick and 10 - 15 cm in diameter. (You could also try to use a pasta machine for rolling.) Cover the pie disks lightly with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.

Mix the egg(s) or yolk(s) in the rice porridge and season with salt. Spread the porridge filling on the centre of the pie disks, see figure 1. Note: the filling must not be too runny, it should hold its shape when spread on the pie disks. Raise the edges of the pie disks towards the centre, pinching the edges with your fingers (see figure 2) to make the pasty look like shown in figure 3.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Place the pasties on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 255 - 300 °C for about 5 - 8 minutes, until brown specks start to appear. Meanwhile, heat about 150 ml whole milk in a saucepan, add a big lump of butter and let it melt. Submerge the piping hot pasties one at a time in the hot milk-butter mixture and place them in a large bowl, preferably in one layer. Cover the bowl tightly with parchment paper and a towel, and let the pasties soften for about half an hour.

Warm pasties are traditionally served with egg and butter spread (see picture on right). The pasties may also be eaten topped with plain butter, cheese, ham or reindeer roast slices, gravlax, shrimps or whatever you happen to like! The pasties can be reheated in oven or a toaster.

See recipes for Karelian potato pasties and carrot pasties.

*) Use rye flour that's finer textured and lighter in colour than regular rye flour. If this flour is unavailable, use half regular rye flour and half wheat flour.

Recipe source: traditional Finnish recipe.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 MEAT PASTIES

pasty dough:

about 360 g flour
about 200 ml (180 g) water or milk
10 g fresh yeast
10 g sugar
salt

filling:

500 g ground beef
90 g onion
50 ml short grain rice
(120 g smetana or sour cream)
salt
white pepper
butter

for glazing and dipping:

1 egg
milk
butter

Start making the dough by putting the flour, the liquid and the crumbled yeast into the mixing bowl of a heavy-duty tabletop mixer fitted with a dough hook. Knead for 13 minutes, add the salt and sugar and knead for 2 minutes more. The dough will be quite firm. Let the dough rise, tightly covered, until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Cook the rice until tender and drain thoroughly. Fry the ground beef in a skillet on high heat, until all the moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Chop the onion very finely and sauté in butter until tender and translucent.

Combine the meat, rice, onion and smetana. Smetana makes the filling juicier, but it may be omitted. If you like, add some chopped hard-boiled egg, fresh herbs, garlic or other spices to the filling.

Punch down and knead the dough on the work surface and then let it rest for 5 - 6 minutes to relax the gluten. Divide the dough into 10 equal-sized pieces and roll them into balls. One at a time, roll out the balls into flat disks, about 15 centimetres in diameter.

Take one dough disk, place a small pat of butter on the centre of it (butter can be omitted) and about 55 grams of filling on top. Pinch the edges of the disk together firmly to make a closed, oval pasty. Fill the rest of the dough disks.

Place the pasties seam side down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover the pasties with a damp towel and let rise for 15 - 20 minutes. Brush the pasties with egg, prick with a fork and bake at 225 °C for 15 - 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat about 150 millilitres of milk in a saucepan, add a big lump of butter and let it melt. Submerge the piping hot pasties one at a time briefly in the hot milk-butter mixture, tilting the pan if necessary. You can use barbecue tongs to dip the pasties. Place the pasties in one layer on a large plate. Cover the plate tightly with parchment paper and a towel and let the pasties soften for about half an hour.

Serve the pasties warm with mustard, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise or smetana and pickled Russian-type gherkins, pickled beetroots, fresh salad, potato salad etc.
Makes 10 pasties.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 MUSHROOM PIE

pie crust:

125 g butter
200 ml coarse wheat flour or about 250 ml fine wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
about 150 g peeled, floury potatoes

filling:

2 large shallots or 2 small yellow onions
about 600 - 650 g chanterelles and/or mixed mushrooms  —  fresh or frozen
200 g (low-fat) crème fraîche
2 eggs
1 tsp potato flour or cornstarch
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp (or less) salt
100 ml grated mozzarella cheese
100 ml grated sharp Emmental cheese
(sesame seeds)

First prepare the crust. Bring the butter to room temperature. Boil the potatoes until tender and let them cool thoroughly. Grate the potatoes very finely, there should be about 150 grams of grated potato. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Pour the flour mixture and the grated potatoes over the soft butter in a bowl. Rapidly mix the ingredients together to form a dough. Do not mix or knead the dough more than it is necessary to get the ingredients mixed. Flatten the dough, wrap it in plastic and place in refrigerator to rest and harden. You can do this on the previous day.

Prepare the filling. Clean the mushrooms and chop them in small pieces. If you are using frozen mushrooms, let them thaw partially in refrigerator before chopping. For the filling, you can use solely chanterelles or replace part of them with wild or cultivated mushrooms, like boletes, funnel chanterelles, champignons and shiitake mushrooms. If using funnel chanterelles and shiitake mushrooms, remove their fibrous stems and use the caps only.

Chop the onions extremely fine and slowly sauté them in a little butter until soft and translucent. Set aside. Fry the mushrooms on high heat in dry skillet, mixing continually, until most of the moisture has evaporated. Reduce the heat, add some butter and slowly cook the mushrooms until tender, stirring every now and then. Note that softer mushrooms, like boletes, cook much quicker than harder mushrooms, like chanterelles.

When the mushrooms have softened, mix in the cooked onion. Set the mixture aside. Soften the dough and roll it out into about 5 mm thick, flat disc. Butter the bottom and sides of a springform cake or pie pan (Ø 26 - 28 cm). Lift the dough and place it in the pan, pressing it against the bottom and sides. The sides of the dough should be high enough to hold the mushroom filling. Cover the pan with plastic and place in refrigerator to harden.

Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the filling. Pour the crème fraîche in a bowl and stir until smooth. Add the eggs, potato flour, pepper and salt and mix. Set aside.

Prebake the pie crust. Prick the crust with a fork and line it with a piece of buttered foil. Fill the foil with baking beans, dry peas, rice etc, to help the crust hold its shape while baking. Bake the crust in the lower part of the oven at 225 °C for about 10 minutes, or until it feels firm enough to hold its shape without collapsing. Gently remove the foil and the beans and continue baking for about 2 - 10 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown around the edges and on the bottom.

Take the pan out of the oven, and fill the crust with the mushrooms. Drizzle the cream filling on top. Using a fork or a knife, help the cream run between the mushrooms to make the filling more even. Sprinkle the mixed, grated cheese on top. If you like, you can brush the edge of the pie with egg and sprinkle it with some sesame seeds. Bake the pie at 200 °C for about 30 minutes, or until the filling has set.

Let the pie cool and set for a few minutes before loosening and removing the rim of the pan. Lift the pie on the serving plate, cut in wedges and serve while warm.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 PASTY FORCEMEATS

1 portion of pasty dough

Prepare the pasty dough and fill, bake and soften the pasties according to the instructions given in the recipe for meat pasties. For filling, use some of the forcemeat recipes below.

Serve the pasties warm with mayonnaise or smetana and pickled Russian-type gherkins, pickled beetroots, fresh salad, potato salad etc.

CRAB FORCEMEAT

200 g flaked cooked crabmeat
200 ml grated cheese (eg mild Emmental, Cheddar, Gouda etc)
200 ml crème fraîche
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
cayenne pepper
black pepper

Mix the crabmeat, grated cheese, crème fraîche and dill together. Season with pepper.

SALMON FORCEMEAT

400 g poached, baked, canned, cold-smoked or salt-cured salmon (gravlax)
3 eggs
butter
90 ml rice
crème fraîche (to taste)
fresh or dried dill
lemon juice
white pepper

Cook the eggs for 10 minutes. While still hot, peel and chop the eggs and mix thoroughly with some butter to get a soft paste. Cover and set aside. Cook the rice until tender and set aside to cool.

Using a fork, flake the cooked or canned, drained salmon flesh. If using cold-smoked or salt-cured salmon, cut the flesh in thin strips. If the cold-smoked or salt-cured salmon is very salty, soak it first in water or milk for 1 - 2 hours.

Gently combine the egg and butter mixture with rice and salmon and season the mixture with pepper, chopped dill and lemon juice. Let the mixture cool thoroughly before using to fill the pasties.

SHRIMP FORCEMEAT

1 shallot
150 g soft cream cheese
100 g coarsely chopped cooked shrimps
1 hard-boiled, chopped egg
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped dill
salt
pepper

Finely chop the shallot and lightly sauté it in butter. Let it cool. Stir the cream cheese smooth and mix in the onion, shrimps, chopped egg, lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 SALMON PIE

1 portion of quark-butter dough
400 g cooked, baked, hot- or cold-smoked or salt-cured salmon (gravlax)
4 eggs
butter
1 onion
90 ml rice
bunch of dill
(juice of ½ lemon)
white pepper

Cook three of the eggs for 10 minutes. While still hot, peel and chop the eggs and mix thoroughly with a knob of butter. Cover and set aside. Use the extra egg for glazing. Cook the rice until tender, set aside. Chop the onion and sauté in butter until translucent, do not brown.

Cut the salmon in strips. If using cold-smoked or salt-cured salmon and it is very salty, soak it in water or milk for 1 - 2 hours. Gently combine the egg and butter mixture, rice, onion and salmon and season the mixture with pepper, chopped dill (and lemon juice). Mix as little as possible, so that the mixture will not become mushy.

Divide the chilled quark-butter dough in two portions and lightly flatten each into a square shape with your palms. Place each square between two sheets of plastic wrap or floured parchment papers and roll them out into about 5 mm thick sheets, making the other sheet 2 - 3 cm wider than the other.

Brush the edges of the bigger sheet with egg wash and spread the filling evenly on the centre of it. Cover with the smaller sheet and seal the edges thoroughly. You may roll out the dough sheets into the shape of a fish and garnish the pie with any leftover dough, shaping it into fins, scales etc.

Brush the pie with egg wash, prick with a fork and bake at 200 °C for 20 - 30 minutes or bake first at 220 °C for 20 - 30 minutes and then lower the temperature to 150 °C and bake for about 15 - 30 minutes.

Towards the end of baking, watch the surface of the pie  —  if it is getting too brown, cover it lightly with foil. Serve the pie warm with melted butter, Finnish curd cream or crème fraîche flavoured with lemon juice and dill or tzatziki.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 SPINACH AND FETA PHYLLO PASTRIES

phyllo dough sheets, fresh or frozen *)
melted butter (about 70 g)

filling:

1 small onion or ½ medium onion
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp olive oil
about 280 g fresh spinach or 150 g frozen spinach
115 g feta cheese
1 small egg or 1 large egg yolk
pinch of grated nutmeg
black pepper

If you are using frozen phyllo dough and/or spinach, let them thaw. Let frozen spinach thaw in a colander placed over a bowl, so that the resulting liquid runs out, then squeeze it dry. Rinse fresh spinach in a large bowl of cold water, strain and pat dry. Remove any withered leaves and thick stalks.

Chop the spinach, onion and garlic finely. Sauté the onions in oil until softened and translucent. Do not let them brown. Add the spinach and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture on a plate and let it cool down.

Crumble the feta cheese and add it into the cool spinach mixture. Mix in the egg and spices. Place the thawed phyllo sheets on the work surface and cover with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.

Depending on the size of the whole sheets, it may be easier to first cut them in half (lengthwise) before starting to work with them. Keep the unused sheets covered with the damp towel.

Take one phyllo sheet and lightly brush it with melted butter. Place another sheet of the same size on top, then cut the sheets into long, narrow strips (about 7 cm wide).

Place a good tablespoon of the spinach filling on one end of a phyllo strip. Work with one strip at a time, keeping the rest covered with the damp towel. Fold one corner of the strip diagonally over the filling so that the short edge meets the long edge (see the picture below). Continue folding from side to side until you reach the end of the strip and have a triangle-shaped package.

Turn and wrap the dough around the filling until you get a triangular packet

Brush the pastries with melted butter and bake immediately at 190 - 200 °C for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.

Brush the pastries with melted butter once again right after baking. Serve them as appetizers.
Makes about 15 to 20 pastries, depending on the size of the phyllo strips used.

*) For this recipe, I use five phyllo sheets sized 35 × 48 centimetres, weighing about 200 grams. I cut every sheet in five equal-sized strips, 7 cm wide and 48 cm long. Using two strips per one pastry, this makes 12 pastries.

Recipe source: adapted from "Spanakopita", Société Radio-Canada/Saveurs de saison, 1999.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 VEGETABLE PIE

1 medium or large zucchini
2 onions
3 bell peppers: red, yellow and green
200 g green beans, fresh or frozen
200 g fresh or canned champignons
150 g (or more) grated Emmental cheese
100 - 150 ml cream
black olives

pie crust:

120 - 150 g butter
120 - 150 g smooth, soft quark
120 - 150 g flour

Thoroughly mix the softened butter with quark, add the flour and mix rapidly until smooth. (Use equal amounts of butter, quark and flour.) Do not knead. Wrap the dough in plastic and place in refrigerator to harden.

Cut the zucchini, peeled onions and mushrooms in ½ cm thick slices. Cut the bell peppers in ½ cm wide strips, but reserve a few round slices of each colour for garnish. Cook the beans in a dash of water  —  very briefly, especially if they are frozen.

Fry the zucchini slices, mushrooms slices and bell pepper strips (but not the reserved round slices) individually in butter until tender but still crisp. Fry the onion in butter until soft and translucent. Set aside to cool.

Roll out the cold dough into a thin rectangle between two floured parchment papers or sheets of plastic. Line the bottom and sides of a (buttered) rectangular pie pan (about 23 × 33 × 5 cm in size) with the dough.

Place the zucchini slices on the bottom of the pan, then the onion slices, the bell pepper strips, the beans, the mushroom slices and finally the grated cheese. Pour the cream evenly on top. Garnish the surface with the reserved round bell pepper slices and dot with black olives. Bake at 200 °C for about 25 - 30 minutes. Serve warm.