hand held pAsties...

ok these little babies are pronounced pAsties not payyyyyyysteeeeeeeeis.. back when we took our little trip with tina and lo to the mountains tina told me about pAsties and that her family has been eating them for years and how they were a very popular dish in northern nevada for the miners.. i, of course, growing up in sin city had never heard of them.. ask me about a 99 cent breakfast or a prime rib the size of volkswagen i can tell you .. but pAsties not so much.. being curious i googled them and found they have a rich history and tradition in mining communities across the united states.. and while each region has different variations they are all basically the same.. not sure if mine are anywhere close to traditional or not but they sure were good.. i made hand held ones and then with time running out last night i made 2 big ones.. pete and shell really enjoyed them.. also at the end of the post i thought i would throw in a few photo's from our trip to their mountain cabin..

prep time: 10 minutes

cooking time: 40-45 minutes

servings: 40 mini "pies" or 4 large "pies"

ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey, uncooked (ground beef can be used and obviously it's more traditional)

2 large waxy potatoes, diced small (i put mine in boiling water for about 10 minutes after i diced them)

1/2 an onion, sliced and sauteed for about 10 minutes to get them soft but raw is ok too 

1 cup frozen peas and carrots, zapped in the microve for 1-2 minutes to get the chill off

salt and pepper

2 boxes ready made pie crust

1 beaten egg with a tblsp. of water

heat oven to 350 degrees (f).. while it's heating combine uncooked meat, pre cooked potatoes, onions, peas, carrots, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.. for the hand held cut out individual circles and put a spoon full of filling and bring up the sides to the center and crimp edges.. 4 ready made pie crusts will make 40 mini pAsties or 4 large.. if making the large roll out your dough and place 1 cup or a little more into each pie crust and fold over and crimp the edges.. for the mini ones i poked holes in the top for steam to escape and in the larger ones i cut small slits.. brush with egg wash and bake for 40-45 minutes or until slightly golden.. remove and let sit for 5-7 minutes.. warning taking a big bite out of one of the smaller ones before it has had time to cool can be hazardous to your mouth holy guacamole they are inside is hot.. :) it is apparently very traditional to serve with ketchup and while i am not a ketchup lover by any stretch of the imagination it was perfect with these.. go figure..

 their cabin is in or by bridgeport california and there are 2 beautiful lakes i believe called twin lakes..

we got there late at night like around 12:00 and went to bed and woke up to it snowing..

the next day not nearly as much as snow as the day before..

took a stroll around the lake

boys found a fishing bank and they fished the afternoon away 

glad i wore compfy hiking/snow boots..

day of fishing coming to an end..

leaving the lake with a cooler of "dinner" aka fish.. had us a fish fry that night..

woke up to a few friends vising the next morning!

tina had thrown out the strawberry tops from the night before and boy were they enjoying them!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!