BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Meat pies and turnovers are almost a religion in some parts of the world – the Australian Meat Pie is a very delicious example. My Blenditarian Meat Turnovers in Shortcrust Pastry is a meat-filled pastry, which is similar to the Australian Meat Pies. This recipe for meat turnover has been given a Blenditarian makeover with the addition of minced mushrooms and vegetables.

My favourite choice for the pastry is shortcrust dough because of its sturdy, crispy and buttery characteristics. When a pastry is eaten out of hand, a sturdier, lean pastry is most suitable. In this post, I will guide you through how to make a Blenditarian Meat Blend and a shortcrust pastry, which includes a gluten-free option. The tips and techniques provided will simplify the overall process to inspire the chef in you.

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Blenditarian Meat Turnovers in Shortcrust Pastry

CHEF TALK: This Blenditarian Meat Blend has a slightly different spice and vegetable ratio that makes it a perfect filling for hand pies (small pastries that can be eaten out of hand or packed along in a picnic lunch. A food processor makes the job of mincing the vegetables much easier. I use Cremini or Portobello mushrooms because of their darker colour and ‘meatier’ taste. You will find other Blenditarian Meat and Vegetable Blends on the Urb’n’Spice website under The Blenditarian Challenge Series.

Yield: 1 kg. Blenditarian Meat Blend (enough for approximately 20 turnovers)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 recipe Shortcrust Pastry (recipe follows)
• 1 ½ lb. (680 g) lean ground beef
• ¾ lb (340 g) ground pork
• 1 large onion
• ½ lb. (226 g) mushrooms
• 2 medium-sized carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 beef stock cubes or 2 teaspoons (10 ml)  bouillon paste
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) onion salt
• ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml) ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) celery salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) mustard powder
  1 Tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) soy sauce
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• 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
• ¼ (60 ml) cup water

METHOD:

1. Place the ground beef and pork into a large Dutch oven and cook over low to medium heat, breaking up the meat with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, mince the vegetables (onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery, garlic) finely either by hand or with a food processor. Add to the meat mixture. Stir through the meat mixture thoroughly.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the flour and ¼ water. Continue cooking over low-medium heat for 40 -60 minutes, or until the meat and the vegetables are a similar texture. If the mixture starts to stick, add a little water or beef stock (I didn’t have to add any water or broth to my mixture).
4. Combine the flour and the ¼ cup water. Mix into the meat-vegetable mixture and cook for 10 minutes more.
5. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary with additional salt and pepper. The mixture should be highly flavoured. Drain any excess liquid if necessary. Refrigerate the liquid to use for other purposes (soup, sauces, gravy). Remove the layer of fat after the liquid has chilled.
6. Pour the mixture on a baking tray to cool quickly. Refrigerate until needed.

The Shortcrust Pastry:

Yield: Makes approximately 770 grams dough or enough for 1 dozen turnovers

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. (454 g) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
• Pinch of salt
• 8 oz. (226 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• 90 – 120 ml cold water

METHOD:

1. Using a food processor put the flour, butter and salt in the food processor.
2. Pulse until the butter is worked into the flour (they will look like coarse crumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining).
3. With the motor running, gradually add the water through the feed tube of the food processor until the dough comes together. You may not need all of the water. Only add as much water as needed for the dough to bind together.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

Here is your visual step-by-step in photographs:

Blenditarian Meat Turnovers in Shortcrust Pastry

The Turnovers (Using Wheat Flour Dough):

Roll out the shortcrust dough to 1/16th-inch thickness using wheat flour dough (gluten-free dough requires a special approach – this explanation follows below).   Cut 5” squares. Place a scoop (50 g) into the bottom section of the square as shown in the photographs. Brush the bottom edges with egg wash. Turn the top of the pastry over to the other side, forming a triangle. Cut two slits into the top of the turnover to allow steam to escape. Bake at 375^oF/350^oF if using convection setting for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately, or cool on a rack and then refrigerate or freeze.

The Round Pockets (Using Gluten Free Flour Blend Dough):

The gluten-free dough needs a different treatment given its characteristic tendency to crack. For the gluten-free version, use a round 3.5” cutter for the bottoms of the meat pockets. For the tops, use a round 3.75” cutter and cut an ‘X’ in the centre of each of the top rounds as shown in the photographs. Brush around the outside of the bottom round pastry cutout with egg wash. Place a scoop (30 g) onto the centre of the pastry round. Fit the round top with the ‘X’ cut out onto the top of the filling and press the edges firmly to seal around the edges. The opening of the ‘X’ will open slightly over the filling as shown in the photograph. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Bake at 375^oF/350^oF if using convection setting for 20 – 25 minutes or until the pastry is a light golden brown. Note: Gluten Free Flour Blends do not brown like conventional pastry. Serve immediately, or cool on a rack and then refrigerate or freeze.

 

You Might Also Enjoy:

Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend – A Blenditarian Series Post

Date Night Spaghetti Sauce

Australian Meat Pies

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Basic Tools – Scoops for Portioning
• Gluten-Free Flour Blends
• Oven Temperature Accuracy
• Tweaking
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If you try my recipe for Blenditarian Meat Turnovers in Shortcrust Pastry, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

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