PASTEL (ISRAELI SPICED MEAT PIE)

Pastel (Israeli Spiced Meat Pie) image

This gently spiced beef pie, adapted from the "Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking" by the chef Michael Solomonov, is scented with cinnamon, dill and parsley. The recipe calls for purchased puff pastry, which makes it extremely simple to make yet wonderfully rich to eat. Leftovers will last for a few days in the refrigerator. Reheat at 350 degrees before serving.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories dinner, pies and tarts, main course

Time 2h

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 pound puff pastry, defrosted (see note)
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped dill
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Steps:

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and sauté until vegetables have softened, but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add beef, cinnamon, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Cook until beef begins to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let mixture cool completely.
While beef is cooking, split puff pastry in half if it's in one piece. Roll out each piece with a floured rolling pin to roughly 9 x 11 inches. Line an 8- or 9- x 11-inch baking dish, or a shallow 2-quart gratin dish, with 1 piece of pastry, pulling up the dough to cover the sides of baking dish.
Whisk 2 eggs and add to cooled beef mixture. Spoon mixture over pastry and top with chopped parsley and dill. Top with remaining piece of pastry, pinching together the sides of both pieces of pastry. Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour (and up to 4 hours) or freeze for 15 minutes.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk remaining egg and brush over pastry. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden on top, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool 15 to 20 minutes before cutting. Pastel may appear wet when removed from oven, but pastry will absorb the moisture as it sits.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 692, UnsaturatedFat 30 grams, Carbohydrate 31 grams, Fat 51 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 27 grams, SaturatedFat 15 grams, Sodium 568 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 1 gram