MICHIGAN U.P. PASTY
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Sugar-Free Recipes (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov. 1987, p. 108).
(Pronounced: pass-tea) Cornish Meat Pies… brought to this country by Welsh miners who worked in the copper mines of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This was their meal, in a pocket pie that they were able to carry into the mines and eat it any time, anywhere, with or without silverware.
From The Red Onion, in Escanaba, the pasty we enjoyed was made with ground beef. But some are made with leftover beef roast. All genuine pasties have rutabaga!
INGREDIENTS:
THE CRUST:
1 ½ cups Bisquick
3 TB hot water
3 TB margarine
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix the crust ingredients together in medium bowl. When smooth, knead in bowl 5 times, dipping hands in just enough more Bisquick that dough becomes smooth and elastic like a biscuit dough. Roll out ¼-inch thick. Cut into 8-inch circles.
THE FILLING:
1 ½ lbs. ground sirloin
4 medium potatoes, peeled & diced fine
1 large carrot, grated
2 onions, each the size of an egg, diced
½ cup well-chopped rutabaga
Salt & pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine filling ingredients and spoon ¾ cup filling into center of each circle. Fold in half. Seal and crimp edges. Make slits in top to let steam escape. Wipe top of each with dab of margarine. Arrange on greased jellyroll pan, 1-inch apart.
Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes and, at once, reduce heat to 325°F to bake another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 6 to 8 pasties.
See also…
