Pirozhki
Instructions:
- This substantial meat pastry is sometimes served with straw potatoes and vegetable salad. At Christmastime, however, pirozhki is more often served with hot borscht (a beet soup) and caviar.
- Filling:
- 4 tbsp. sunflower oil
- 3 medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2lb. ground beef
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- Dough:
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 to ¾ c. water or skim milk melted butter
- Filling:
- In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add onions and sauté until golden brown.
- Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining oil to pan and heat for 1 minute over medium-high heat.
- Add meat and cook until brown, mashing with a fork to break into small pieces.
- Drain off fat. Place meat, onions, salt, and pepper in a food processor.
- Cover and blend on maximum speed for 5 to 7 seconds. (If you don’t have a food processor, place meat in a large bowl and mash well with a fork.)
- Dough:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, and egg. Add liquid, a little at a time, until dough is stiff.
- Knead dough for 2 to 4 minutes on a floured surface. (You will have to add more flour.) Roll out dough to 1/8 -inch thickness with a rolling pin. With a glass or cookie cutter, cut out rounds of dough 3 inches in diameter.
- Put 1 tbsp. filling on one half of each circle. Moisten edges of dough with a little water. Fold dough over filling and press edges together first with your fingers, then with the tines of a fork.
- Place pirozhki on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and serve at room temperature.
- Preparation time: 1 hour
- Cooking time: 30 minutes
- Makes 12 to 18 pirozhki