I had my first pasty when I was a young teen and my friend, Janelle, asked me to babysit with her for the weekend. She usually invited me when she was babysitting for the doctor with the big house or the “hot tub people” as we liked to call the family with the hot tub. This time we’d be at the doctor’s house and she was bringing pasties her Dad made along for dinner. Special Northern Michigan pies and hanging out with my friend sounded like a great Friday night.
We had fun playing with the two kids and immaturely laughed at the human body pictures that were everywhere. We were very excited when it was time to heat the pasties for dinner. Janelle had forgotten her Dad’s oven directions and with teen logic and no experience in the kitchen, we ended up with a cold and doughy mess. Sadly, we threw them out and ordered pizza.
For the longest time I had really terrible thoughts when thinking about the pasty. What we cooked up that night was disgusting. Fast-forward to 2010 and I have a new friend originally from Northern Michigan and she invites Marc and I to a pasty party. She likes to make huge batches and freezes them for easy meals in the winter. We had delicious snacks and wine as we chopped and chopped. For dinner that night we enjoyed warm pasties homemade only minutes earlier. I definitely wanted to give the whole thing a try myself.
Pasties dates back as early as 13th century England and there is evidence that Jane Seymour made one for Henry the VIII! Sorry, I might be the only one excited by that fun fact. In the 17th and 18th century their popularity shifted to working class people and in particular, tin miners from Cornwall. The pasties did not require cutlery and the pockets stayed warm for an extended period of time. If the pasties did become cold, they would reheat them on a shovel over a candle in the mines. Some stories say the miners would hold the crimped crust in their dirty hands, eat the pocket of filling and toss the crust.
Wondering how they came to Northern Michigan? Around 1864 migrating Cornish miners and an influx of Finnish immigrants spread pasty love when working in Northern Michigan copper mines. If you ever visit Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, you will see pasty shops around. It’s their thing. Some adorn these with gravy, but my friends prefer ketchup with their pasty. I apologize if I grossed you out just now.
I love these pasties just the way they are; a tender butter crust and a flavorful filling. The two kinds of meat and the root vegetables are enhanced only with a bit of salt and pepper. It can only be described as something humble and perfect for a cold night.
I adapted the crust and filling recipe below from one I found on a forum a year ago while looking for an authentic pasty recipe. Her Grandfather was a miner and the recipe was from her Grandmother. The technique for the small dice on the veggies and freezer directions come from my Northern Michigan friend, Shannon. A labor of love, but I feel like I stumbled on a new fall tradition.
Recipe: Michigan Pasties
The key to success with this recipe is to chop your vegetables in the same small dice (onion can be finer) to ensure even cooking. The food processor helped me to make a tender and flaky crust by not overworking the dough, but you can use a pastry blender to combine the butter into the flour as well. I doubled the recipe below and made 18 pasties. The filling doubles easily, but make each batch of the pastry crust separately.
Makes 8-9 pasties
Pastry
4 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
2 1/4 sticks (or 18 T.) unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
2 1/4 t. kosher salt
12-16 T. ice water
1. Add the flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add 1-tablespoon-sized butter chunks to the flour mixture. Pulse 10 times or until butter is pea-sized and incorporated into the flour.
2. Start by adding 8 tablespoons of ice water and pulse. Keep adding more ice water a little bit at a time, until the dough holds together when you pinch it.
3. Lightly flour a surface and pour contents of the food processor onto that surface. Kneed gently into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. When ready to assemble pasties, remove dough from the refrigerator and cut dough into 8 equal pieces. I like to do this with a bench scraper.
Filling
1 lb. ground round beef
1 lb. ground pork
4 medium carrots, small dice
2 large onions, chopped fine
2 large white potatoes, peeled and small dice
1/2 C. rutabaga, small dice
2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine all of the above ingredients in a very large bowl and mix until fully incorporated. I recommend using your hands.
3. On a lightly floured surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll one piece of dough out into an even 10-inch circle, turning a quarter turn with each roll to keep it round.
4. Using a one-cup measuring cup, scoop one cup of packed filling and place it in the center of the dough. It is a meatball-type consistency, so while pulling the top of the dough over the bottom, press the filling into the pocket of the dough with your hand. Press ends together and make a decorative edge. I like to fold the dough in every inch or so, which looks a bit braided. Cut three slits on the top of the pasty with a sharp knife. Put finished pasties on prepared sheets, four per baking sheet.
5. Bake pasties for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and your house smells heavenly. If you would like to freeze extra pasties, let them cool and wrap in aluminum foil. Place wrapped pasties in the freezer and freeze overnight. Once they are frozen, pack in freezer bags or foodsave. To reheat, unwrap and bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes. Keeps in freezer for 3-4 months.
Pretty rutabaga
