So, the original recipe I found called for a mixture of ground beef, onion, garlic, jalapeño, beef broth, bread crumbs and spices rolled in a purchased pie crust, then brushed with an egg and curry powder wash and baked.
Thing is, I have, apparently, been stockpiling linguiça – a spicy Portuguese garlic sausage – my downstairs freezer is, um, kinda full of them. Then, I planned to make a savory shortcrust, but found myself with a fresh batch o’ ciabatta dough, so…
INGREDIENTS
Filling:
•1 pound linguiça sausage
•Yellow onion, finely diced – about 2 cups
•1 cup diced mixed peppers
•12 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 tsp smoked paprika
•1 tsp dried thyme
•1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
•1 tsp seasoned salt
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1/3 cup jalapeño nacho slices, chopped
•1/2 cup Panko crumbs
•1/2 cup veggie stock
For the dough:
•Ciabatta dough or savory shortcrust
•1 beaten egg
•1 tsp curry powder
•1 tbsp water
If using shortcrust (or store-bought pie crust), heat your oven to 400º. If using ciabatta dough, that’ll come later.
Remove the casings from the linguiça and brown in a large pan over medium-high heat, breaking the sausage up.
Add the diced onion, peppers, garlic, and spices, then continue cooking until the linguiça is cooked through and the veggies are tender.
Drain well and return to the pan.
Add the Panko, jalapeño nacho slices, and veggie broth, stirring to combine well.
Taste and, if you think it needs it (I did) stir in a teaspoon of sugar or maple syrup.
Set aside to cool completely.
Make the egg wash my whisking together the egg, water, and curry powder in a bowl and set aside.
Roll out your dough and cut into three-inch circles with a biscuit cutter.
Arrange the circles on parchment lined baking pans and fill each with a good tablespoon of the cooled meat filling.
Fold the dough over to make a half-moon shape. Press the edges together, then crimp with a fork to seal.
If using savory shortcrust or pie dough, brush with the egg wash, arrange on two racks in the oven, and bake for thirty minutes, switching the pans after fifteen minutes.
If using ciabatta dough, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for one hour. Heat your oven to 400º after 30 minutes.
Brush with the curry egg wash and bake for 30 minutes, switching pan positions after 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or cool and stash in the fridge or freezer to reheat in a low oven and serve at a later time.
I ended up with two dozen tasty little meat pies – more than enough to serve for a gathering with some left over to stash in the freezer for a quick lunch, snack, or dinner.
I served mine with a choice of honey mustard or jerk sauce; but a zippy gordita-type sauce would be a good thing.
BTW, if you can’t find linguiça, feel free to use your favorite sausage, or even ground beef, turkey, or chicken, and play around with the spices and egg wash to suit your own tastes, that’s the whole point of making stuff yourself.