I went back and forth about making these – on the one hand, they are a baked pastry.  How different could they be from the bridies I’d made just a few days ago?

 

But then, faced with a large bag of leftover bridie filling, I decided that the best way to use them up would be to put them into scotch pies.  And who doesn’t love a good way to use leftovers?

The nice thing about making these with the leftover bridie filling was that I was able to improve on the original bridie filling recipe by pre-cooking it and adding lots of spices like cinnamon, cumin and paprika.

To make these, you will need:

Approximately two cups of your favorite bridie, pasty or empanada filling, or

1 lb minced lamb or beef sirloin

1/4 cup brown beef or chicken stock

1/2 small onion, grated

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

For the dough, you will need:

3/4 cup butter or lard

1 cup water

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

In a large skillet, brown the meat.  Add the onion, stock, Worcestershire sauce, and spices and cook an additional ten minutes.  Set aside.

Measure out the flour and salt and combine in a large bowl.  Meanwhile, heat the lard and water over medium heat until boiling.  Make a well in the flour, and pour in the lard and water.  With a spoon or fork, carefully combine the lard and flour.

Pour out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for three minutes until it comes together and is well-incorporated.

Divide it into three pieces, and place two pieces back into the bowl and cover with a towel to keep them warm.

With the third piece, divide it in half and roll one half out to about 1/8 inch thick.  Cut out a large circle of 6 inches and a smaller circle of 4 inches.

Using a mold, carefully fit the large circle into the mold and press down the folds evenly.

Fill the dough with the filling, and cover it with the smaller circle, pressing down the edges.  Using your finger or a knife, press down the edges of the pastry against the mold so they are trimmed and even.  Then gently push the pastry out of the mold.

Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough to make six total pastries.  Using a sharp knife, cut two small vent holes in the top of each pastry. Refrigerate the pastries for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F; brush the pastries with egg wash and bake for 35-45 minutes.

These aren’t as pretty as the picture in the cookbook, but they smell delicious!  I think it was the right call to cook the filling and season it first.