When I was visiting a friend a couple of weekends ago, his dad (who's originally from Montana) made pasties as a special dinner. I've heard of pasties through a couple of Montanans, but had never seen them before. When I brought them up in another online forum, I was told they are also big in Michigan (specifically the Upper Peninsula). Friends tell me they became popular as a meal for miners who needed something portable that didn't require a plate and utensils.
Anywho, I figured it might be fun to take a few photos of the pasty-making process. They aren't world-class photos, but I think we'll all live.
I'm sure B would want me to mention that he made the pie crust ahead of time and felt it was a little too dry/crumbly as a result. Just in case you're inspecting these photos with an eagle eye. Later they decided to warm the dough and add some water to bring it back to it's pliable self.
S peels carrots for the filling which is basically ground beef, carrots, onions and potatoes. After rolling out the dough and scooping a generous portion of filling onto the center, B added a pat of butter.
Then the pouch is sealed, and a vent is cut into the top.
Ready for the oven!
After they bake for about an hour at 350 (with bit of water added into the vent halfway through), they are ready to eat. This one broke on top a bit, but that means you can see the filling better.
It's popular to serve them with beef gravy. The end result is not unlike a pot pie, but the awesome thing is that they don't contain peas like store-bought pot pies often do (so gross!).
I couldn't stay for the official meal, so they sent me home with two unbaked pasties. If this finished one looks wrong, it's because I had nothing to compare it to. :)
Those look pretty darn good! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the U.K. I had to try a pastie. It looked pretty much like this, and it was deeelicious. Thanks for sharing it! Now I'm in a pastie mood .... : )
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, R and Jonathan! Hey Jonathan, you've started commenting on my entries directly! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhen you mentioned pasties the other day I was going to comment that we eat them in my husband's family and they are originally from the Upper Penisula. We usually make them at Christmas.
ReplyDeleteWell, those look delicious!! (Kind of reminds me of the look of an empanada, except they're deep fried.) If you get the recipe, you can make them from scratch and you can give it to me, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, love, Mom
The finished product looks exactly how it's supposed to : ) Except it needs more gravy!
ReplyDeleteEmily - cool! Yeah I think they come from England or something, but I guess the UP was the first place in the US to have them. From what I've read, anyway.
ReplyDeleteMom, yeah, I'd definitely like to make some one day!
Dan, oh okay. :) Well, I'm not into overly-saucy things.