Piroszhki (Little Russian Pastries)

Submitted by NorthwestGal

"This recipe is from the Betty Crocker International Cookbook, stating it is a savory appetizer (or often served as a light supper) popular in Russia and Eastern Europe. Since those are my dad's family's roots, I made some for him and he really enjoyed them. He said he recalled a similar recipe from his childhood that his grandmother and great-aunts used to make for family gatherings."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Yields: 42 Pirozhki appetizers
• Serves: 42

ingredients

• Filling

• 1⁄2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill weed (you can use 1 teaspoon dried dill or parsley) or 1 tablespoon parsley (you can use 1 teaspoon dried dill or parsley)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper

• Pastry

• 3⁄4 cup butter or 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup low-fat sour cream

• Pastry Wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon cold water

directions

1. For the filling, cook and stir beef with onion in 10-inch skillet until no pink remains in beef; drain. Stir in egg, dill (or parsley), salt and pepper.
2. For the pastry, cut butter into flour and salt until dough resembles small peas. Stir in sour cream. Gather pastry into a ball. Divide dough into fourths; cover with damp towel to prevent drying.
3. Roll each fourth into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Cut pastry into 3-inch circles. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of beef filling on center of each circle. Fold one side of pastry over filling, to form a half-circle. Dot pastry edges with water, and fold the bottom pastry over the top pastry about 1/4" (to keep filling in), and pinch edges to seal. Then fold the two ends in about 1/2 inch.
4. Place, seam side down, on ungreased backing sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry. (Pastries can be covered and refrigerated no longer than 24 hours at this point.).
5. Heat oven to 400°F.
6. Mix egg yolk and water, and brush pastries with the egg yolk wash. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes, or until pastries are golden brown.