Puff pastry stuffed with meat, an easy recipe for sharing
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Total: 1 h 5 min Diners: 8
In Spain, we do not have much tendency to wrap things in puff pastry, but it is never too late to start and take to the gastronomic Olympus this type of preparations.
Today’s recipe is one of those that when you see them finished you think… “Have I really been able to make such a delicacy?” And is that, generally, this type of cakes/pasties/Wellington seem relegated and destined to be consumed in restaurants, although they are extremely easy to make. It is similar to the sea bass in crôute that we cooked for last Christmas, but in its carnivorous version.
Just as a paella consists of putting all the ingredients in the pan of the same name, turn up the heat and let it just cook; in the meat puff pastry we are going to make today you just chop meat, season it to taste and introduce it in a thin, shiny and delicious butter puff pastry dough (you can find very good quality in many supermarkets).
The most important thing to keep in mind is the temperature of the oven and how to handle it, as we have to achieve the balance between a proper cooking of the meat and the perfect point of the puff pastry. As the inside of the pastry is “protected” by a layer of dough, cooking times increase, seriously endangering the survival of the pastry. That is to say, basically, that it can burn. To avoid such nonsense, it is best to cover it with aluminum foil so that it does not brown excessively and the inside can cook placidly.
These types of elaborations are very tasty and gratifying because the filling, of whatever type, cooks in its own juices and joins with the flavor and aroma of the butter creating a truly satisfying combination. Perfect symbiosis between the flavor of the meat and the crunchiness of the puff pastry. Ah, well! One important point: there is nothing and no one a bigger liar than an oven. So, the time indicated here is based on the one I have, so the ideal is to have a probe that, when pricking the meat, marks 70 ºC. If not, nothing happens. Trial and error.
How to make puff pastry stuffed with meat
Ingredients
. Puff pastry, 1 slab Onion, 1/2 pc Garlic clove, 1 pc Chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons Honey, 1 teaspoon Sliced bread without crust, 2 slices Milk, 3 tablespoons Minced beef, chicken or pork (or a mixture), 500 g Minced Iberian bacon, 100 g Eggs, 2 pcs (one for inside and one for painting) Duck pâté, 200 g Pistachios, peeled, 80 g Sultanas, 1 tbsp Salt and black pepper, to taste Perrins sauce, 1 tsp Dried thyme, 1 tsp
Step 1
Soak the shortbread in the milk for a couple of minutes.
Step 2
If we have the opportunity to mince the meat at home, it is ideal to buy the cut we like the most and also add a little bit of Iberian bacon fat that will give us more juiciness in the filling when cooking it. If not, we can ask the butcher or buy it directly chopped. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
In a food processor or very finely chopped with a knife, process the onion, garlic and parsley until it is very finely chopped (but not crushed, mind you. If the onion is crushed, it turns into a liquid with a texture and aroma that is not very good). Add the bread soaked in milk and give it one more pass. Set aside. You can also grind the bread in the mincer.
Step 4
Gather the meat with the onion, garlic, bread and parsley mixture in a bowl. Mix until it becomes a homogeneous mixture. Season to taste and add the pistachios and raisins as well as the egg. Add the thyme and Perrins sauce and seasonings to taste.
Step 5
Spread the puff pastry sheet on a strip of greaseproof paper. Spread the pâté all over the left half of the pastry and place the meat mixture on top.
Step 6
Close in a nice shape and brush with egg. Open a small opening in the center as a chimney and bake, previously preheated, at 200 ºC for 40-50 minutes, the ideal is to prick with a thermometer through the hole of the chimney until it reaches 70 ºC inside. Keep in mind that halfway through baking, cover the puff pastry with aluminum foil so that it does not burn excessively.
