Born to hand pie.
You're intrigued, right? What's a hand pie? Trust me, you've been eating these your entire life - think turnover or Pop-Tarts. They can be made with puff pastry, but most of the time I prefer an all-butter Pâte Brisée, otherwise known as the common pie crust.
Sure, you can fill these tarts sweetly with apples, peaches and berries. Sometimes, however, perhaps when picnicking, the scent of lilac and apple blossoms in the air, or sharing a light spring dinner with the windows open for the first time - it feels particularly red letter to fill them with something savory.
Those occasions recently inspired the creation of these hand pies. They are filled with a savory, French Provençal-inspired blend of ground beef, aromatics, fresh herbs and Piment d'Espellete, think Basque Paprika. They take more work than you'd like and less than you would think. Either way, the effort is absolutely worth it. Plated with a vinaigrette-tossed salad they celebrate spring delightfully, indulgently, and perfectly.
Beef hand pies
Makes 8 - 10
Carrots and garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme, and the delightful depth and mild heat of ground Espelette peppers delivers rich, complex flavor wrapped in the simple joy of flaky, tender pastry. If you have time, prepare the beef filling ahead of time and let the flavors blend overnight.
For beef filling:
2 tbs olive oil
2 onions, dices
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 medium carrots, cut in 1/2" dice
2 lbs ground beef chuck, 80/20
1/2 lb frozen or cooked spinach
2 tbs fresh thyme
1 tbs fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbs ground piment d’espellette or hot Paprika
1/2 cup Red wine
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
Red wine vinegar
For pastry crust:
12 1/2 oz all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
8 oz chilled butter, cut in 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup water chilled with a few ice cubes
1 egg, lightly whisked
Directions:
Make pastry: In a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, whisk together flour and salt. Add butter pieces and cut together using the pulse setting of the food processor (about six 1 second pulses) or by hand with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. Process until butter resembles peas and crackers. If using a food processor, at this point transfer to a large bowl.
Add 1/3 cup water and stir together with a fork until a dough begins to form. Squeeze dough in one hand. If it crumbles when you open your hand then add more water, 1 tbs at a time. Turn the dough onto your counter and knead several times until the dough comes together. Divide in half, shape each portion into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour in the refrigerator.
Make filling: warm olive oil in a 12" skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and carrots and cook five minutes longer. Add beef and cook to brown.
While beef cooks, place spinach in a tea towel and wring out any excess water. Finely chop spinach and add to beef along with thyme, rosemary, nutmeg and Piment d'Espellete. Cook 5 minutes longer. Add wine and Worcestershire and cook until liquid is reduced. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt, pepper and a splash of vinegar. Reserve and let cool to room temperature.
Shape hand pies: On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/8" thick. Cut rectangles - I found that 3 1/4" x 4 3/4" gives plenty of room for filling. Re-roll dough once or twice to get 16-20 rectangles.</li><li>Line two half sheet pans (13x18") with parchment. Place 5 rectangles on each and brush the edges of the pastry with egg. Place about 1/4 filling on each and cover with the remaining dough rectangles. Stretch the dough on top to line up with the dough on the bottom and press to seal with the tines of a fork. Cut 2-3 slits in the top of each pie to allow steam to vent during cooking.
Bake hand pies: Chill pies for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake pies for until crust is cooked and golden brown, about 20-22 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
