Mushroom pasties (paszteciki z pieczarkami)

The hearty Polish paszteciki are traditionally served with a clear soup, usually barszcz, a broth made from beetroot, onions, garlic and other vegetables. The pastries are often filled with mushrooms, as foraging for wild mushrooms is a traditional pastime for many Polish families.

• makes

  30

• prep

  1:50 hour

• cook

  12 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 265 g (1¾ cups) plain flour, plus extra, to dust
• 225 g butter, chopped, plus extra, to grease
• 125 ml (½ cup) sour cream
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Mushroom filling

• 60 g butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 500 g Swiss brown mushrooms, chopped
• 3 tbsp (¼ cup) finely chopped dill
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) sour cream

Chilling time 1 hour

Instructions

To make pastry, process flour and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sour cream and process until dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make filling, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, add onion and cook for 2 minutes or until just softened. Increase heat to high, add mushrooms and cook for 8 minutes or until mushrooms are browned and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool. Add dill and sour cream, and season with salt and pepper.

Remove pastry from fridge and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Whisk together egg and 1 tbsp water and set aside.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured work surface until 3 mm thick. Using a 9 cm-round, fluted biscuit cutter, cut out 30 rounds, using pastry scraps, if necessary.

Preheat oven to 200°C and grease 2 oven trays. Place 1 tbsp filling in the centre of one round, brush edge with water and fold pastry in half to enclose filling. Press edges together to seal and place on the oven tray. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry. Brush pasties with egg wash and pierce a few holes in the top. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Photography by John Laurie. 

As seen in Feast magazine, November 2011, Issue 3. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.