Piroshki (A Savoury, Filled Pastry)
Description:
Make these for your next party as an appetizer. Piroshki are a very popular pastry here in Greece, probably brought over with the return of the Greeks from ‘Pontos’, now a part of Russia. Here, they are traditionally fried, but I find them much too rich (although very good) that way. This version is baked, and does not suffer any (just less calories) for it. I have given 3 different filling recipes. One for meat, one potato, and one mushroom. They are all great and each recipe will yield enough filling for 20-22 pastries. The prep time approximate – the pastry does need two hours to ‘rest’.
Recipe Category: Vegetable
Keywords: Meat, Greek, European, Kid Friendly, Christmas, Savory, Weeknight, Brunch, < 4 Hours
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings/Yield: 20-22 pastries
Nutritional Information per Serving:
- Calories: 281.6
- Fat Content: 19.7g
- Saturated Fat Content: 11.1g
- Cholesterol Content: 108.3mg
- Sodium Content: 181.6mg
- Carbohydrate Content: 17.7g
- Fiber Content: 1.5g
- Sugar Content: 2g
- Protein Content: 9.2g
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 – 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups ground beef
- 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup water
For the meat filling:
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 potato, boiled, peeled, and mashed
- 1 cup cheese, grated
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the mushroom filling:
- 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
- 4 shallots, diced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1 egg
Instructions:
-
For the pastry:
- Cut the unsalted butter into pieces.
- Combine flour, unsalted butter, and salt using a knife or pastry blender.
- Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of ice water.
- Form into a ball as you would pie dough.
- You may need to add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Place the pastry dough on a floured board and roll it out into a rectangle.
- Fold it over into thirds.
- Roll it out again into a rectangle.
- Continue rolling and folding five times.
- Rewrap in plastic and return it to the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a baking sheet.
- Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough using a 3 ½-inch round cutter.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on each pastry circle.
- Fold the dough over, making half moons, and press the edges together using ice water to seal.
- Place the pies on the baking sheet.
- Whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water; brush the pies with egg wash.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
-
For the meat filling:
- Sauté the diced onion in 2 tablespoons of butter until soft.
- Add the ground beef and sear until a light gravy forms.
- Let it cool.
- Mix in the chopped hard-boiled egg, fresh dill, salt, and pepper.
-
For the potato filling:
- Fry the diced onions in butter until soft and golden-brown.
- Boil the potatoes in their jackets, then peel and mash them.
- Let them cool slightly.
- Season with plenty of salt and pepper and mix in the onions and egg.
-
For the mushroom filling:
- In a pan or skillet, sauté the chopped mushrooms, diced onion, and diced shallots in butter until the onion is translucent.
- Add the fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Continue to cook, stirring, until nearly all the moisture is evaporated.
- Cool the mixture slightly and mix in cream cheese or mashed potato.
-
Additional Notes:
- Sprinkle poppy seeds over the egg washed pastries filled with the mushroom filling for extra flavor.
- These pastries are also delicious made with phyllo pastry, if preferred.
Enjoy these delightful Greek-inspired piroshki pastries filled with savory meat, potato, or mushroom fillings, perfect for any occasion from brunch to weeknight dinners, or as a festive appetizer for Christmas celebrations! 🥟🎄
