Finnish meat pasty

Name: Finnish meat pasty (Lihapiirakka)
Cuisine: Finnish
Ingredients: 250 g/9 oz/2¼ cups plain (all-purpose) flour; 250 g/9 oz/1 cup plus 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp unsalted (sweet) butter; 250 g/9 oz/generous 1 cup curd cheese; 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp butter; 1 onion, chopped; 1 small celery stick, thinly sliced; 500 g/1¼ lb minced (ground) beef; 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped; 200 g/7 oz cooked rice (see Cook’s tip); 5 ml/1 tsp ground allspice; pinch salt; 2.5 ml/½ tsp ground white pepper; 1 egg beaten egg, to glaze; 1 egg beaten egg, to glaze

Lihapiirakka

Preparation info

Makes
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Food and Cooking of Finland

By Anja Hill

Published 2007

About

Finnish pies and pasties originated in Russia and were traditionally made with rye pastry and filled with a cooked rice mixture. This recipe uses a rich pastry, made with cheese, and a flavoursome egg and beef filling.

Ingredients

250 g/9 oz/2¼ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
250

Europe
Finland
Snack
Nordic

Method

To make the pastry, put the flour in a bowl. Cut 250g/9oz/1 cup unsalted butter into small pieces, add to the flour and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively put the flour in a food processor, add the butter and, using a pulsating action, blend to form fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the curd cheese and form the dough into a ball. Leave to rest.