Foodie Blogroll

Monday, March 14, 2011

Irish Beef Hand Pies ~ Martha Mondays

Megan of Megan's Cookin' chose this weeks Martha Monday project Irish Hand Pies. How clever she picked a pie for Pi day! I was glad I got a chance to get it posted today. I was going to make it yesterday and have it finished in the daylight so I could photograph it nicely....but I didn't have the store bought pie crust and I had to make my own...and the day light got away from me. So I just made a quick soup and salad and made it today on PI day!

Our host Brette from Martha and Me is feeling under the weather and couldn't make it this week. Kudos for her though...she makes it every other Monday, rain or shine. I have to take a few Monday's off now and then, I don't know how she does it.

Here is the recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine.
Ingredients
Makes 8.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
1/2 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 pound ground beef sirloin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for rolling
2 piecrusts (9 inches each), homemade or store-bought
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium; add cabbage and potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add beef; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, and 1 cup water. Cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly mash mixture with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely.
2.On a lightly floured work surface, roll each crust into a 14-inch square; cut each into 4 equal squares. Place 1/2 cup filling on one half of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the filling. Brush borders with water; fold dough over filling to enclose. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. With a paring knife or scissors, cut 3 small vents in each.
3.Transfer pies to 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets; bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
4.To Freeze: Prepare through step 2. Arrange unbaked pies on a baking sheet (they should not touch); freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Wrap each pie in foil. Place in a resealable plastic bag; freeze up to 2 months.
5.To Bake from Frozen: Proceed with step 3, increasing baking time to 28 to 30 minutes.

I did make a few changes though (as always) I added some shallots and seasoned the meat with a season blend from Penzey's Roast Beef seasoning, and used beef broth instead of water. I also added some garlic, and on a few I put in some queso blanco fresco....I know, I know it's not Irish, but neither am I. :D


I did make my own pie dough, I had to call my mom to get her beloved recipe. So they are not the prettiest, but they did taste good.


Maranda had two and she didn't even have to put sour cream on it. She asked if it would go with it, I told her to at least try it without first. They reminded me of empanadas or pasties, maybe I should of used my empanada dough :)
I am going to freeze the others and warm them up when we want them....or maybe lunch tomorrow!
Thanks Megan, good pick, and it got me to make my own(or my mom's) pie crust again. Check out the other's that participated in Martha Monday's or better yet, come on and join us!

32 comments:

  1. Mmmmm... these look great. It does sound a bit like an empanada.

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  2. I could easily devour this pie! There is something instantly seductive about a savory pie presented like a little bundles of goodies!

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  3. Lindsey, I love this Irish Pie that I remember I had this years ago. So nice of you to share this lovely recipe.

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  4. Your pastry looks so good - I hope you have stored your mum's recipe for future use. I knew that you would make additions and I am pleased that you did - I would add beef stock to mine next time instead of the water. And good on Maranda having it without sour cream. I admit that I had some tomato ketchup with mine!

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  5. Oh my, I guess blogger do think the same! I just made a pie too. ha... Yours sounds incredible. I like the fillings. Very flavourful. This is the first time I heard of Irish Pie. Must check that out! Thanks for sharing. Hope you're having a great day.
    Blessings, Kristy
    p/s The situation in Japan is getting worst. So scary!

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  6. I'm so glad you guys liked them. Next time I'll make my own pastry too. My daughter did smother her's in ketchup, but we enjoyed them. And I do have to admit, I picked them because they were Irish for St Patty's Day. It was a happy coincident that it happened to fall on Pi Day. ;)

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  7. I don't think a little cheese ever hurt anyone, even if it's not Irish!

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  8. This look absolutely yummy!! gloria

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  9. I love pies with crust and this is so convenient to pack to work place! I like this!:)

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  10. I made a few changes to mine, too. I mashed the potatoes separately because I thought they would be chunky in the mix. I took the easy way out and got store bought dough. But I can see in your pictures how much more substantial homemade dough is. I BET IT WAS GREAT!

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  11. This reminds me of Mexican empanadas, which I have never made but I'm starting to think about finally trying my hand at them. I'm not really a pasty maker, but my mom has a good recipe, also.

    Kathleen

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  12. I have never tried making pies myself, it doesn't sound so hard, I really need to give this a try. Thanks for sharing :).

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  13. Oh, I love a meal like this. We don't do corned beef, so perhaps I'll steal your recipe for thursday. Looks delicious and homey!

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  14. Lyndsay, yes, empanadas or pasties I guess it depends where you're from!

    tasteofbeirut - I know what you mean, they're a weekeness of mine too.

    Ann- thanks, glad I could help you remember!

    Diane, thank you

    Sonia, thanks

    Pru, Yes I wrote down my mom's pie crust recipe and she gave me my grandma's too. Maranda eats sour cream on everything, no ketchup!

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  15. Kristy - Yes the situation in Japan breaks my heart, it is always on my mind.
    I think it's the filling that makes it Irish. I will have to check out your pie too! Thanks.

    Megan - and here I thought you were so cleaver to pick them for Pi day! I really did enjoy the flavor of the filling and you can always add your own touch!

    TKW -I knew you'd understand...my fellow cheese lover!

    Gloria - thank you!

    Jeannie - I think that's how the cornish pies, and pasties got there start to bring them with them when they worked in the mines and such.

    Ana - I would of taken the easy way out, but I didn't have any store bought crust on hand. It gave me a good excuse to make my own, and it turned out good...tasting anyway.

    Kathleen - yes it does, the empanadas dough I use is very simular. I don't use lard in mine. I am looking forward to seeing your post on that some day!

    Cooking Gallery - yes you should try it for sure.

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  16. Betty Ray - We don't do corned beef either. We do like sauteed cabbage with a little butter though, maybe I'll do that to use up the rest of the cabbage. *pssst...I actually used ground chicken instead of beef (I just don't use ground beef) it tasted just as good with the chicken...shhh don't tell anyone ;)

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  17. This looks so yummy. In England, savory hand pies are called pasties and they are super popular. My favorite flavour is cheese and onion. I love your version though.
    *kisses* HH

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  18. I love meat inside pastry. Your meat pies would be great as a grab n' go meal too. Very cool.

    velva

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  19. A perfect choice for this time of year. Yours looks crispy and delicious!

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  20. So good! Everything is homemade including the dough. The fillings sounds delicious too! What a perfect packet of goodness.

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  21. These sound like a hearty and delicious meal. I would definitely choose these over the store's Hot Pockets.

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  22. This sounds delicious! We would love this any time of the year. We are always chasing the sunlight for our photography...the life of a food blogger...sigh!

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  23. They look perfect!! I'd love to try them :-)

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  24. Perfect for St Patty's Day!

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  25. I love those pies!!The filling sounds wonderful!

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  26. I am hungry now...I haven't baked any pie for a while..yours looks really inviting!

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  27. HH - yes they have pasties in the upper peninsula of Michigan too, where I first had some, I guess it was the Cornish miners that worked the copper mines introduced it, and they've been there ever since.

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  28. Velva - I like a good grab and go meal too!

    Barbara - thanks, that means a lot coming from you!

    tigerfish - thanks! I really like the filling better than I thought I would.

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  29. Lisa - Lol! I would too!

    Biren - I wish I had some good lights to set up for photos instead of depending on natural light...at least we have daylight savings now.

    Maria - thanks, it's nice to meet you!

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  30. Bo - that's right, just in time for St Patty's Day!

    Erica - I did enjoy the filling...it's surprised me.

    Angie - thanks, I have some in the freezer for you!

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