We LOVE the 50 nifty United States of this awesome country and believe each state is special. Every Monday we feature a sandwich unique to its state as part of our “50 Sandwiches, 50 States, 50 Weeks” series beginning with Alabama and ending with Wyoming.
Also known as the Cornish pasty, the pasty is more of a handheld meat pie than sandwich but since it’s unique to Michigan, I thought it would be great to include it in our sandwich series. In fact, May 24 is Michigan Pasty Day and Calumet, MI has an annual Pasty Fest. My mouth is watering.
So where’d these hand pies come from? In the middle of the 19th century people from Conrnwall, England immigrated to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to work in the copper mines. Shortly thereafter, an influx of Finnish immigrants followed and took a liking to the pasties which had become a favorite meal for the miners. The pasty uses pastry dough filled with meat and vegetables and is crimped shut with a large ridge that acts as a handle. The pies can stay warm for hours and the “handle” kept the contaminated hands of the miners off the filled part of the pasty leaving the “handle” to be thrown away. Pretty neat, huh?
So here’s the deal: I’m not much of a baker and I cheated big time. I used store bought pie crusts and my handle is less than impressive- it’s non existent. I know as a food blogger I should be making pastry dough from scratch but pretty pies with a perfectly crimped crust is not my forte and I took the easy road. Regardless, these babies are awesome and this is my FIRST time to use or even eat a turnip! Boo-yah! So what are ya waiting for? Just grab yourself a box of pie crusts, ground meat and some root veggies and you’re on your way to making 4 large, easy breezy, savory pasties.
- 1 (box of 2) refrigerated pie crusts
- ½ lb. 85% lean ground beef
- ½ lb. ground pork
- 1 cup potato, diced
- ½ cup onion, minced
- ½ turnip, minced
- 1 tsp. (2 cloves) garlic, minced
- 1½ tsps. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- On a floured surface unroll a pie crust and cut in half.
- Using your hands, mix the remaining ingredients except the egg yolk together in a large bowl and divide into 4 equal parts.
- Place ¼ of the meat mixture on one side of the halved pie crust. Dip your pointer finger in water and run around the edge of the crust half. Fold over to form a wedge and crimp together. Repeat with the remaining meat and pie crust.
- Cut 2-3 slits on the top of eat pie and brush with beaten egg yolk (optional).
- Place on a baking sheet and bake 40-45 minutes.
Looks tasty!