Dinner Recipe #2

Next Healthy Budget Friendly dinner  :  Homemade Pasties 

For those that do not know what Pasties are:  Pasties were a must years ago when men worked the mines in Northern Michigan.  The housewives made them in the morning and wrapped them tightly in newspaper so they would stay warm until lunch break. 

Original Recipe: 
5 Servings

3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound ground beef (uncooked)
1/4 pound ground pork (uncooked)
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Pastry:
4 cups all purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup water

1) In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots,onion, salt and pepper.  Crumble beef and pork over the potato mixture and mix well.  Add butter and toss to coat.  Set aside
2) For Pastry, in a large bole, combine flour and salt.  Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs  Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms.
3)Divide dough into five portions; roll each into a 10 in circle.  Place 1 cup of filling in the center of each circle. Fold pastry over filling and seal edges tightly with a fork; cut slits in the top of each.
4)Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 374 for 50-60 minutes until golden brown. 


Alterations that  I made to the original recipe.
1)  I doubled the entire recipe
2)  Although I have made this with beef and pork before, I made it with chicken this time because it was more budget friendly.    So I used 1.5 pounds of very tiny cubed chicken
3)  Anyone that has eaten pasties for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan knows that you need to add Rutabaga to get the " authentic taste."  I used 1 rutabaga (which gave me 4 cups).  So then I cut up 2 potatoes to make up 2 cups.-  instead of having 6 cups of potatoes.
4)  I used half WW flour and half All purpose flour.  Although it is healthier to use all WW, I find that sometimes it makes pastries very dense
5)  I used no shortening.  I substituted half coconut oil and the half butter
6)  Also we decided from previous times that we have made it that we do not like large pasties,  we would much rather make smaller ones.  So I made 5 in circles and put in 1/2 cup of mixture.  This mixture ended up yielding us 23 small pasties.


Your family can help with this one by :
1) rolling out the dough
2) mixing up the ingredients
3) folding over the dough and making the cute pasties



Here is the price breakdown.  Depending upon where and when you shop your prices may vary.  But this is what this meal cost me. 

1lb carrots  (2 cups)-  .33
1 Rutabaga-  $1.89
2 Potatoes - .23
1/2 onion - .50
1.5 lb chicken-  $1.80
8 cups of flour (half WW, half All Purpose)-  $1.20
1 cup butter-  $1.00
1 cup coconut  oil - $1.87

Total  Cost = $8.52       For a total of 23 servings  =.37 per servings

We ate 8 for dinner.  Then I froze 8 and left the other 7 in fridge for dinner/snacks later this week.    So really for $8.52, I could get 3 full meals out this 

I will say that this  is a labor intensive recipe; in the fact that you have to roll out the dough.  If you get help it will go by faster.  And if you do what I did (double and make them smaller) with end up with at least 2 if not 3 meals worth.