How to Make Northern Michigan Pasties (With Pasty Recipe)

If you travel to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, you can't miss the restaurant signs for pasties. Pasties are a food that was brought here from Cornwall, England, by Cornish miners. The pasty was an easy meal for the miners to take along when working. They could be eaten without a fork and easily heated so that the miners could have a hot meal. The pasty was just put on their shovel and then heated over the overhead lamp in the mine.

As time went on, other ethnic groups added their own ingredients. Most pasties are made with rutabagas, but the recipe here uses potatoes instead. I've included ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

How to Make the Pastry Dough

Ingredients

• 3 c flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c. + 2 T lard or shortening
• 7-9 T ice water

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the flour and salt.
2. Cut in the lard or shortening until it resembles a coarse meal.
3. Add the ice water, toss together, and gather the dough into a ball.
4. Go back to the instructions above.

How to Make the Filling and Put It All Together

Ingredients

Makes 6 pasties

• 1lb round steak, cut into ½” cubes
• 2 c peeled, diced potatoes or use rutabaga or turnips
• 2 tbsp butter
• Pastry (recipe and instructions follows)
• 1 ¼ c chopped onion
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp thyme
• Beaten egg for glaze

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the steak and the potatoes. Set this aside.
3. Now add to the steak and potato mixture the onions, parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme.
4. Now divide the pastry into six different balls.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll each individual ball into a 7” circle.
6. Spoon ¾ c of filling in a strip across the center of each circle.
7. Bring both sides of the dough up over the filling, forming a seam.
8. Pinch the seams to seal.
9. Brush with the egg glaze and then place on baking sheet.
10. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.

These are great to serve immediately hot as a meal or use later and heat up.

Enjoy the good eating!