HOME Cooked Winter Recipes: Mushroom Pasty

THIS WEEK’S RECIPE: MUSHROOM PASTY
No, not that kind pasty. Get your mind out of the gutter. The British handheld pie kind—sort of like an empanada but with a stiffer upper lip. (For the record, “pasty” rhymes with “nasty.” Which it isn’t.) I had a hankering this week for one of these tasty little numbers, and while I am admittedly afraid of pastry dough, I forged ahead. And not to toot my own horn, but hot dang! This is one of the most successful dishes I’ve attempted. Like I-would-pay-money-for-this good. Serve-to-the-parents-in-law good. And the best part—besides eating a steaming hot, mouth-wateringly delicious hand pie for dinner when it’s 5 degrees outside? My fear of dough is gone. Vanquished. Kaput. Now, that’s what HOMEGROWN is all about. (More photos here.)

WHAT YOU’LL NEED
I used this bang-up recipe, courtesy of the blog From Kirsten’s Kitchen to Yours, as my starting point; prep time took about an hour, plus 30 minutes of baking. Makes six large pasties.

FOR THE PASTRY DOUGH
» ½ cup butter
» ¼ cup boiling water
» 1 ½ cup flour
» 1 tsp salt
» ½ tsp baking powder
» 1 egg yolk
» 2 Tbsp milk

FOR THE FILLING
» 1/2 lb crimini mushrooms, chopped
» 10 to 12 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
» 1 small yellow onion, minced
» 3 cloves garlic, minced
» 2 Tbsp olive oil
» 1 tsp each dried thyme and rosemary
» 1 tsp salt
» ¼ c red wine
» 3 Tbsp parsley, minced
» salt
» pepper

WHAT TO DO
To make the dough: Set butter out to soften in a small bowl and start water boiling. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. When water is boiling, pour over butter and stir to fully dissolve. Pour melted butter over flour mixture and stir well. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

To make the filling: In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add mushrooms, salt, and spices, and cook on medium-high, stirring, until moisture has cooked off, 10 to 13 minutes. When mushrooms begin to stick, add wine to deglaze, scraping up any bits. Stir and cook until all liquid has been absorbed. Add parsley, stir, season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400F. Divide dough into 6 balls and roll each into an 8-inch circle. Divvy up filling into six portions and place on half of each dough disc. Fold dough over to close, press down edges, and seal with the tines of a fork. Beat together egg yolk and milk. Brush mixture over each pie then poke holes to allow steam to escape. Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before eating—if you can muster the patience.

STILL HUNGRY?
With many farm shares winding down for the season, we’ve put the CSA Cookoff to bed for the year. Look for it again in late spring, sprouting along with the arugula and asparagus. In the meantime, meet HOME Cooked, a winter-friendly recipe file that revels in the earthier corners of the fridge and the pantry. Think root veggies and baked goods. We’ll post a recipe each week, featuring dishes from you. Don’t be shy. Share the goods. Especially the baked goods.