Minced Meat Pie
6 servings
120 minutes
Meat pie is a cozy culinary creation of European cuisine that combines tender yeast dough and juicy meat filling. Its roots go back to the traditions of home baking, where each housewife had her signature recipe. The aromatic filling made with fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices gives the pie a rich flavor that is harmoniously complemented by the light sweetness of caramelized onions and the spiciness of khmeli-suneli. This pie is perfect for family dinners as well as festive feasts. Its crispy golden crust hides a soft and juicy filling, while the addition of original rose shapes makes it not only delicious but also aesthetically appealing. It is served hot with aromatic broth or fresh vegetables, creating an atmosphere of coziness and warmth.
1
You can make the dough like this (Khrushchev dough): 3.5 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of dry yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of milk and 200 g of melted butter or margarine – knead the dough and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
2
For the meat filling, take 500-600 grams of lean beef, half a celery root, 2-3 celery stalks, parsley root, a medium carrot, an onion (washed with skin), salt, peppercorns, and half a teaspoon of oregano. These are all the ingredients for boiling the meat on low heat. All these roots are added only after the meat has boiled and either all the foam has been removed or the water has been changed.
3
For the filling you will need: 3 boiled eggs and 1 egg for greasing, greens (any, my favorites are cilantro and dill), 2-3 medium onions, vegetable oil for frying, butter for greasing the pan and finished pie, a pinch of sugar for frying the onions, a jar of champignons in their own juice, half a glass of broth in which the meat was boiled, salt, black pepper, fragrant pepper and khmeli-suneli.
4
So, boil the meat and 3 eggs until cooked. While the meat is boiling, prepare the other ingredients.
5
Chop the greens finely. Boil the eggs too, but do not chop them finely. Sauté the finely chopped onion with a pinch of sugar until caramelized and golden. Sauté the mushrooms in vegetable oil until all excess moisture evaporates (about 15 minutes).
6
Pass the cooked meat through a meat grinder along with the roots it was boiled with, adding all the rest (carrots, celery, parsley), except for the onion, which we can throw away. Sauté the prepared meat a bit in a pan, adding chopped greens and the aromatic broth from boiling the meat. To the already sautéed minced meat, add sautéed onions, eggs, and mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, add favorite spices, and mix well.
7
Grease the baking pan with butter (by the way, you can also bake directly on a baking sheet – either greased with butter or lined with parchment paper). Divide the dough into two equal parts and set aside one smaller piece for decoration.
8
Roll out the dough to about half a centimeter thick, with a diameter slightly larger than the prepared baking pan. The edges of the dough must cover the sides. Cut off any excess.
9
Grease the bottom of the prepared pie with beaten egg white and set aside to let the white dry and become glossy. The white should seal the pores and protect our pie from soaking from the juicy meat filling.
10
While the egg white dries, we roll out the second half of the dough into a circle of the same thickness. We generously place the filling on the dried egg white. We cover it with the second layer of dough and fold the edges, tucking the top layer under the bottom. Everything is sealed tightly, preventing even the slightest hope of the filling breaking through. The juiciness of the pie will be guaranteed to be preserved.
11
Roll the last, third piece of dough as thin as possible and cut out 15 circles with a glass to make 'crazy roses'.
12
To make a rose (even two), take 5 circles and layer them. Slightly secure them together and roll them into a spiral. Press in the middle and cut into 2 equal parts, roses. Then, decorate our pastry with roses and leaves in a random order.
13
Brush with yolk mixed with milk, make holes in the top layer of the pie with a knife or fork to let steam escape and prevent the top crust from getting soggy, and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Until a perfectly beautiful golden color. Brush the finished pie with butter and cover it with a clean towel.