Each hostess wants to surprise loved ones with sumptuous dishes. What about the royal treats that the most sophisticated gourmets loved? Probably, many people think that preparing such a treat is very difficult. But in fact, everything is accessible and simple. In Russia, ordinary people and the most senior officials “respected” pies with various fillings. And it’s quite simple to explain: hearty, simple food that could be served every day was appreciated.
Many travelers and gourmets described the meat pie in their memoirs. They talked about the cake, which occupied a large plate. Inside it was a filling (fish, meat), a small piece of butter was put on top of it before serving and a little broth with chopped herbs was poured. It is worth noting that this delicious product was served with soups and yushka.
What is this dish?
There is an opinion: the cake was modified due to the fact that it was served in restaurants and on royal tables. That is, from a large, whole, it turned into a portioned pie with a hole on the top. It has its unique name because of the so-called seam - “pie”, which stretches the pie and secures its edges. The secret of cooking is to properly make this very hole. After all, the filling should be visible, give your flavor, but not fall out of the dough.
It’s worth showing a little patience, efforts and you will surely succeed! Pie with meat can be the main dish of any housewife, as well as an eminent chef. Our ancestors invented many wonderful dishes, so why not take advantage of their secrets?
Delicious pastry dough
According to Russian traditions, dough for a noble pie was prepared using yeast. Moreover, it was not edible, that is, without butter, milk, sugar. Modern chefs do not refuse these ingredients, and the pies are softer and fluffier. Consider one of the most popular and delicious recipes. The meat pie is not difficult to prepare, but it is important to strictly observe the process. Only then can you cook a real masterpiece in your kitchen. For the pastry test you will need:
- flour (premium) - 400 g;
- white sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
- water - 130 ml or milk (then the dough will be more rich);
- refined sunflower oil or melted butter - 2 tbsp. l .;
- dry baker's yeast - 1 tsp;
- egg - 1-2 pcs.;
- salt to taste (about a quarter tsp).
How to knead?
First of all, you need to sift the flour well. Culinary experts recommend doing this twice, which will not only help get rid of possible debris, but also enrich the flour with oxygen as much as possible. The more carefully you follow this recommendation, the easier your dough will rise.
Heat water or milk in a deep bowl. The liquid should be warm, but not hot at all! Pour a spoonful of sugar, add yeast and rub everything well into a homogeneous mass. Pour some flour (100-150 g) into the workpiece and mix again. You will get a liquid dough that you need to leave and let it come up (about 20-40 minutes, depending on the quality of the yeast). Watch her. As soon as you notice that small bubbles have appeared on the surface, you can continue to work.
The remaining flour and butter are added to the dough. Combine the eggs with salt and beat a little (there is no need to finish the foam), pour to the rest of the ingredients.
If you want to make a real tasty pie with meat, you have to knead the dough well. It is necessary to achieve complete homogeneity, no lumps or delaminations are allowed. When the process is finished, put the dough in a bowl or saucepan and be sure to cover with a towel, put it in a warm place. It is unacceptable that it stood on a draft, otherwise the sponge will fall, and it will not work.
Stand it for about 1-2 hours. When the dough significantly increases in size, it must be taken. To do this, wet your hand in sunflower oil and knead well. Our ancestors performed such a ritual up to 5 times! It was believed that the more “approaches” in the batch, the more airy pies. If you have the time and desire, try this method.
The right lumps
The dough is ready, you can begin to prepare for delicious pies. Sprinkle flour generously on the table and roll up a long tourniquet. Try to divide it into even pieces (you get about 15-20 lumps). In this form, you must definitely leave them to “breathe”. After the lapse of time, each blank is rolled out into cakes, they should be quite large in size. The thickness of the dough is about 0.5 cm. You can spread the filling. But first, learn how to cook it.
"Heart" dishes
Both ordinary people and kings preferred pies with meat, fish and cabbage. A pie was prepared with meat and potatoes, rice, eggs, and game. For a classic dish you will need:
- 700 g of pork or beef, you can mix two types of meat in a ratio of 1: 1;
- hard boiled eggs - 2 pcs.;
- vegetable oil for frying - 2 tbsp. l .;
- butter for ready-made pies - 30-50 g;
- pepper, salt to taste, you can add a little ground coriander, it will emphasize the taste of meat;
- meat broth - 100-150 g;
- onions - 100-200 g.
Cooking stuffing
Rinse the meat thoroughly, free from veins and hymen. Cut into small pieces, dry and send to a hot skillet. Fry until golden brown and add finely chopped onions. Cooking time is approximately 12-15 minutes. It is very important not to dry the meat, it is better to leave it unfinished. It comes to condition in the oven.
Cool and grind it in a meat grinder, combine with finely chopped boiled eggs. The mixture should be homogeneous. Pepper, salt and add spices if desired. There is an option when a little broth is added to the meat for juiciness. Boil it with bay leaves, carrots and a small onion. The liquid should be saturated and aromatic, but not too oily. Great for broth chicken.
Final stage
So, all the components are ready, it remains to connect them. On the rolled pieces of dough we put the filling (about 1.5-2 tbsp. L.). Crumble the minced meat into an oblong roller, because you need to achieve the shape of a “glass” - this is how pies were prepared in Russia. Raise the parallel edges of the dough and pinch, do not forget to leave a “window” in the middle of the product.
Put the prepared pies on a greased baking sheet at a distance of 5 cm. Leave them for another 10-20 minutes to approach. Beat the yolk and coat the surface of the workpiece. Send to a preheated oven, bake at a temperature of 180-200 ° C for 15-20 minutes.
If you don’t want to bother with every pie, you can cook a large product in the form of a cake, in Russia it was prepared at first. Roll the dough to the desired shape, leave the edges to cover the filling, from the entire surface. You can close the stuffing completely, and then cut through the "windows". In general, fantasize as you like.
Ready cakes should be covered with a towel for 5 minutes, then add a small piece of butter to the “window” and pour in a spoonful of broth. Your delicious meal is ready! Now you know how to make meat pies.
Varieties of pies
In fact, every hostess is a real magician in her kitchen. It is only a little imagination, and you will invent a new unique dish. So it is with pies. There are many additives that can make your pies more delicious and unusual. If you prefer lean and dietary meat, you will like chicken pie. It is prepared in almost the same way as the classic one with meat. However, this recipe involves boiled poultry, not fried. Note that it is better to take oily chicken, while the filling includes peel and giblets. The meat is cut finely and mixed with fried onions and carrots. An egg is not added to such pies.
You can, of course, ease your task and prepare a pie with minced meat, which you will get ready-made. Make sure it is bold and fresh enough. You can add a little boiled rice to the filling - the taste of such a dish is very delicate. Croup must be added in a ratio of 3: 7 to the minced meat. If you like potato pies, you can make a dish with this ingredient. For this, mashed potatoes are prepared and mixed with the filling. Some people prefer to use diced root vegetables.
Culinary is a real art whose heritage is transmitted to us from the very depths of centuries. It is very interesting to try to cook new tasty dishes that the kings themselves regaled. In addition, with a little effort, this will be quite simple. Pie with meat is not only tasty and fragrant, it looks great on any holiday table. Indulge your family with a great meal!