Pasties

From miners to loggers, winter skiers to ice fishers, Michigan outdoorspeople have been toting pasties for generations. The practical and portable hand pie, filled with tender roots and often meat, provides a nourishing and filling meal easy to eat at any moment. The Michigan Upper Peninsula Pasty is directly descended from Cornwall, but savory hand pies exist all over. In Finland, for example, Karelian pies are a staple. In our travels there, we also discovered many delicious small savory pies filled with wild mushrooms and tender onions. You can really take the form in so many different directions. It can be made to suit any kind of dietary path, but it is a dish truly tailored to cold climates and active lifestyles. 

Filling Ingredients

1 cup Cooked Rice

1 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Dried Oregano

¼ cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

½ tsp Sea Salt

Bay Leaf

1 Medium Onion

2 Carrots

2 Potatoes

2 TBSP Butter (divided)

¼ cup Finely Chopped Parsley

½ tsp onion powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sausage (optional)

Pasty Dough

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

1 cup (8 ounces) grassfed butter, very cold, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Ice water

Mix dough by combining dry ingredients first. Cut in the butter by adding small chunks, then breaking apart by hand or by using a fork. The butter should be pea sized. Keep adding ice water slowly until dough forms a ball. Wrap in silicone bag, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 380 F.

Mix rice together with the oregano, thyme, cheese, and salt. Sauté the onion in one TBSP butter until translucent. Add a sprinkle of salt and 2 bay leaves. Stir in the potatoes and carrots and reduce heat to low. Cook until the roots are al dente. Then, stir in the onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley and 1 TBSP butter stir until butter is melted then remove from heat. 

Divide pasty dough into parts that are 85-100g. Roll out circles to a ⅛ thickness. Cover one half of the circle with a thin layer of rice mixture. Top with the root mix and sausage if using. Fold over and seal edges with a fork. Place on a parchment lined sheet and bake for 30 minutes.