Best My Pirukadpirukas Stuffed Pastries Recipes

MY PIRUKAD/PIRUKAS STUFFED PASTRIES

Steps:

• 1. I am getting lazy in my old age. It's hard to get good help now days..lol So there are times I use Bridgeford frozen white bread. For every pound of ham you will need 4 hard boiled eggs. DO NOT CUT ALL THE FAT OFF THE HAM TRIMMINGS..it adds moisture to the hard boiled eggs and ham. plus it adds flavor.
• 2. When I bake my ham for the holidays or anytime. I NEVER put any kind of sweetner or cloves on it. It's not the way Europeans make ham. First boil the eggs and set aside to cool. Cut your ham in chucks and place in food processor. Pulse till you have made the ham look like coarse corn meal. Peel the boiled egg and chopped the eggs. Add them to the ham and stir to combine evenly. Set cover and aside in the refrig.
• 3. To make bread dough. Scalded the milk, add the butter and salt. Cool to 120* Desolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water 120* with the sugar. **Hot tap water has the perfect temp.** Set aside till it foams. Add Yeast to the warm scaled milk, add a cup of flour and stir. Keep adding and stirring until you can't stir anymore flour in. Flour a cutting board or your clean counter. Place the dough on and knead as much flour in until it is just sightly sticky and smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl and turn. Cover let rise in a warm place until double. (I usually use my oven that has a pilot light) Turn out on floured surface and knead again until you hear popping sounds.
• 4. Cut dough in half. Use 1/2 the dough at a time, turn out on a floured surface and roll out to 1/4 inch. Cut with a large round cookie cutter or jelly glass, dipped in flour. Yes I really do have an old Jelly drinking glass from Welchs. Take each round and place a heaping tsp. of ham and egg mix in the center of dough. Fold the dough over, it will look like a half circle. Some may have a crescent shape. Moisten your fingers tips with little water..moisten the edges. Pinch the edges closed. Set aside till you have used all the dough.
• 5. In a 4 quart pan, heat the crisco to 350*. You will need enough crisco melted so it fills the 4 quart pan half full. Carefully with a slotted spoon place as many Pirrukad in the hot oil. Turn them as they brown. When they are brown on both sides they are finished. Left out with a slotted spoon and place on a brown bag or paper towels. Serve hot or cold. They go excellently with pea soup and crowders. My kids use loved it when I would pack them in their lunch pails.
• 6. Notes: These can me bake in a 350* oven. And instead of using crisco you can use oil or lard. If you have any filling left..freeze it.

PEARS STUFFED WITH ROQUEFORT AND WALNUTS IN PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Mash together cheese, bread crumbs, walnuts, and pepper to taste with a fork. Freeze mixture just until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Scoop out center of bottom of each pear with large end of a melon-ball cutter, then continue to remove core to make a 1/4-cup cavity. Fill each cavity evenly with cheese mixture and seal bottom with a small piece of bread.
• Roll out pastry 1/16 inch thick into a 15-inch square on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut dough into quarters to make 4 equal pieces.
• Stand 1 pear in center of a pastry square and brush pear all over with egg. Bring 1 corner of pastry up toward top of pear, pressing it against pear to adhere. Repeat with adjacent corner, then generously brush extending pastry fold with egg before pressing closely against side of pear. Repeat process with remaining 2 corners. Fold top points of pastry 1/4 inch down (see photo) and brush with egg. Transfer wrapped pear to a buttered large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan and chill while wrapping remaining pears (make sure pears are 5 inches apart in baking pan).
• Chill wrapped pears 30 minutes.
• Bake pears in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until fruit is just tender when pierced with a knife and pastry is golden and cooked through (pastry will shrink a bit). Cool pears at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.