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Corned Beef Pies

Actually I follow this lady from Ghana where I got the idea on now to make these but I am putting my spin on it. So it goes like this, what you will need is 1 cup each of all purpose unbleached flour and whole wheat flour. Add this to a mixing bowl and add 3 pinches each of yeast and baking powder. If you can get yeast in a bag or in a jar then use this messurement or use 1 packet of yeast and it has to be the rapid rise or quick yeast type. Add 1 pinch each of turbidano sugar and either pink salt kosher salt or plain sea salt. Add 6 tbs of butter ghee or if you can get dalda ghee it would work just as well. Mix until it looks crumbly. Grate some nutmeg mix make a well in the middle and add 1/4 cup of cold water a little at a time and keep kneading until you have a dough made. It should be firm not a soft dough. Let sit covered for 30 minutes.

For the filling make Curry Powder. Open 1 can of corned beef. If the key breaks then do what I did I bought a pair of pliars for the kitchen use only. Take this and pull that metal tab all the way around the can to open it. Actually nearly every time I open a can of corned beef I run in to this problem and I do not know why. In a cast iron skillet add 1/4 cup of either corn, canola, vegetable or peanut oil, 1 onion or shallot, let this brown and add 1 bullion cube, the contents of the mortar and pestle which is my curry powder for single use only, 1 pinch of peppercorns ground and I think the mixed color ones is a good idea. If you do not have that then add 1 pinch each of pink green white and black and grind that then add this, 2 cloves of garlic minced, 1 pinch of thyme, 3 dashes of maggi or knorr aroma and 1 tomato chopped. Let it cook until it becomes mushy then add the can of corned beef.

Punch the dough and knead it again and this time break it off in to a little bigger then golfball size pieces. Dunk each one one at a time in to the all purpose unbleached flour and add a handful to the work surface which mine is a large tray and dust the rolling pen roll the dough in to a flat circle and get a huge round cutter. I bought mine from a German store on Lincoln Av here in Chicago before they went out of business. However there is hope Amazon may have them or perhaps even Walmart or Target if you get them online. Also an empanada maker is found also in these places too and on Ebay. Just avoid buying the used ones by new only. Oops also if you do not have any of these just remember to keep the circle perfectly round as you are flattening the dough that you can just add the filling directly then fold over like a turnover and just crimp the edges with a fork, This will work too as well.

If using an empanada mould place this flattened dough on here and take a teaspoonfuls of the filling and place it in the middle and carefully close it and seal it to make a pie and if you are using a large round cutter then place the filling near the front but leave room enough to seal the pastry itself and take the part away from you and fold it towards you and then press to seal and crimp with the tines of a fork at the ends. Flip and do the same on the other side, Place on a cookie sheat lined with either parchment paper or silpat, beat 1 fresh chicken egg in a bowl and use this egg wash on top of the pies which makes it shiny and place in a oven set to 375F or 150C. Bake for 15 minutes or you can do this too in an instant pot in pan compatable with the cooker on a trivet or air fryer basket lined with either parchment paper or silpat that will fit inside. Select bake at 376 for 15 minutes then start. Repeat until there is no more filling and dough left. Also if you have egg left then you can cook it and eat it so it doesn’t go to waste. Also if you are using an intant pot multi functional cooker then you may have to bake 1 or two at a time until all of the pies are made while in a bigger oven with a cookie sheet that they can fit on there nicely. Enjoy this at any party or get together as an appitizer or as a meal to go with a green salad.

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