Savoury Vegetarian Hand Pies

The recipe may seem intense however these are far from that. Once, in your groove, you can create these scrumptious morsels at ease. Using ready made puff pastry is fine and saves  time, if you are like me and haven't quite mastered the art of puff pastry; although shortcrust pastry I have. On their own or served with a salad either way these are simple and delicious. 

Savoury Vegetarian Hand Pies

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1 carrot, washed and peeled 

1 small zucchini, washed, with the skin on

1 medium potato, washed with the skin on

1 shallot

half a block of frozen spinach, defrosted or thawed and water gently squeezed out

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

a few splashes of low sodium vegetable stock

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 box of ready made frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package 

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and line a baking tray with baking parchment paper set aside. 

Dice the shallot, set aside. Grate, the freshly washed, carrot, zucchini, and potato; gently squeeze out any excess water from the vegetables, if there is any. Place all into a large bowl and set aside. Prepare the spinach, as stated above.    

In a large fry pan, add the vegetable oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the diced shallot. Stir frequently. Allow the shallot to become tender. Then add the vegetable mixture. Stir to combine. Allow to cook and become tender. Stir in the spinach. Add the few splashes of vegetable stock; stir, then sprinkle in the curry powder and turmeric. Stir to combine and allow the vegetables to be coated in the seasoning and the liquid to be absorbed. You may add more curry powder, if you wish as it will depend on your taste. Sauté for a few minutes then remove from heat and place in a bowl to cool. 

Once the filling has cooled it is time to make the pies...  

Ready made rolled sheets of puff pastry work well for this recipe as they will save a bit of time, if you can not find them and all what is on hand are ready made puff pastry blocks, you'll have to prepare them according to package directions... essentially roll each one out. 

On a clean surface, lay out the sheet of ready made puff pastry with the backing paper still on, this will make it easier to release the puff pastry, and using a 2 3/4 inch (69mm) round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as the sheet will allow, approximately, 6 to 9, take the other sheet of ready made puff pastry, every box should come with 2 sheets, lay out the sheet and cut out the same amount of rounds as you did for the first sheet. You should have an even amount of puff pastry circles, one for the bottom and one for the top. You can collect the scraps of discarded puff pastry and reshape and roll to cut out more circles.  Making  approximately 12 to 16 circles in total.

Fill half the circles with a tablespoon of the savoury vegetable mixture. 

Using your finger, lightly wet the edges of the cut rounds with water. Cover the tops with the remaining circles, pressing the two dough halves together. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal. You may need extra water for the fork crimping.  

In bowl, beat the egg with the water. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash. Use a sharp knife, cut a ventilation hole, or a slit, into the top of each formed pie. Arrange the pies on the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Serve warm.   

Notes: Be creative try different vegetables and seasonings. Add cheese. Make them with fruit. If shortcrust pastry is what you prefer then try using that, the baking time may vary although the prep and assembling will remain the same. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! - JD