Brown paper packages tied up with string may be a favorite thing for many folks, but tasty meats and vegetables packaged up in pastry are a favorite treat in cuisines from around the globe. From the English kidney pie to the Latin empanada, savory stuffed pastries—pies, empanadas, or turnovers—are great for dinner, lunch, or hot snacks.
Because they can be filled with just about any ground or cut up meat, vegetable, or combination of both, making pastry packages is a quick and easy way to use leftovers. Even pureed or mashed vegetables, such as squashes or potatoes, make terrific fillings.
Perfect for Leftovers
Pies, empanadas, or savory turnovers, are a perfect way to revamp leftovers because the fillings must all be cooked ahead of time anyway. Also, the pastry itself can be made in advance (and even frozen). When ready to use, bring to room temperature and its ready to roll. (Check out Dreamy Chicken Pot Pie for a delicious pastry package made from leftovers.)
Pastry packages, especially smaller ones, are also terrific food extenders. You only need a spoonful of filling to fill an empanada or turnover, so a little goes a long way. Also, fillings can be made by mashing small amounts of foods together, such as potatoes and peas, or carrots and squash.
Spice up your pastry packages by adding your own signature spice blend, adjust the seasoning, and add a little sauce—even jarred salsa or mustards are great.—either on the inside with the filling or as a dip.
This recipe is a good standard pastry for making meat/ vegetable pies or empanadas. Throw it together while making dinner the first night and then just pull it out of the refrigerator the next night. Easy as pie.
Pastry for Packages, Big and Small
- 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 TBS butter, frozen
- 2 TBS shortening, frozen
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4-5 TBS ice water
Directions:
- Add flour and salt to food processor and pulse a couple times
- Add frozen pieces of butter and shortening and pulse until mixtures looks grainy, like sand
- Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each spoonful
- When dough forms one big ball, stop pulsing
- Remove food processor blade then drop dough ball out onto a piece of plastic wrap
- Fold the plastic wrap around the ball, seal the edges, then squeeze and shape the ball together and flatten into a disk
- Refrigerate AT LEAST 1 hour; longer is better and overnight is best
- When ready to fill the pie plate, remove dough from refrigerator, let warm for a bit, remove from plastic wrap, place on a floured surface, cut in half (if you want a top crust) and roll. Moving the dough clockwise (or counter—doesn’t really matter) a half inch or so after every roll will help ensure a round and even finished result.
- Lay in ungreased pie plate and gently push down and around the bottom so that it sits nicely in the pie plate.
- Let rest before adding filling.
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