Norman’s Robust Pasties

Norman’s Robust Pasties

It won't be long before I'm back camping in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I'm already antsy to leave. Just thinking about it puts me in the mood for a pasty.

As I said in my previous posts, I’ve been making pasties for years now. At first I made them just like they are served in the UP, at any number of pasty places. As time went on, however, I started adjusting the recipe to my tastes. I really didn’t realize I was doing that at first. Eventually I had to acknowledge that I like more rutabagas in pasties than the Yoopers use.

I can’t claim that this version is better than the original, but I like it better. The main difference is that there is more rutabagas than potatoes. I love rutabagas, but if you don’t, you won’t like this version.

If you’d like, you could also substitute a juicy cut of pork for the beef. When I do, I like to chop up boneless country-style ribs. If you really want to push the envelope, you can used chopped lamb as well. I’ve made both substitutions with great results. 

Don’t get all worried about measuring everything. More beef, less beef; more potato, less potato; more rutabaga ... well, you get the drift. We're just baking pasties. We're not doing rocket science.

Crust:

5 cups flour

Olive oil

1 tsp salt

water

Filling:

2 pounds of coarsely chopped beef

2 medium potatoes, diced

1 medium rutabaga, diced

3 carrots diced

2 large onions, chopped

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp ground cayenne

salt and fresh ground white pepper

Corn meal

Preparation

The first step is the same as my traditional pasties. Add the flour, salt to a mixing bowl. Start adding olive oil to the flour while stirring with a fork. Keep adding the oil until the flour starts forming little pebbles. You have enough olive oil added when all the flour has a pebbly texture. Now start adding cold water, a little at a time, to the flour until a dough starts to form. You want a dough that is soft, not too stiff, but not real wet either. If it is easy to knead, you have it right. Now wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for a half hour.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the beef, potatoes, rutabagas, carrots and onions. Stir well and season with the thyme, cajun seasoning and cayenne along with a little salt and pepper.

Divide the dough into six or eight equal portions. roll each out until you get roughly a 12” circle. Cover half the dough with the filling. Fold the empty half over the filling and roll up the edges to seal and form a twisted crust ending up with a half moon shaped pasty.

Place each pasty on a cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal, but don’t crowd them. Poke about four vent holes in the top of each pasty to let the steam out. Bake at 400º for about an hour, or until golden brown.

Serving

I like to serve these with steamed, buttered Brussels sprouts, a crisp salad, and a jammy, peppery Zinfandel from California. The bold taste of this pasty goes well with a powerful Zinfandel. I’d offer a dessert, but I usually eat three of these in one sitting and I have no appetite for dessert.