Greek cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Fried Meat Hand Pies

Small fried pastry pockets with a spiced ground meat filling of onion, mint, and parsley, eaten hot.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300 g flour
• 150 ml lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 400 g ground beef
• 2 onions
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1 tbsp dried mint
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 600 ml sunflower oil (for frying)
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Knead the flour with 1 tsp salt, the olive oil, and the lukewarm water for 8 min. into a smooth, supple dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 min. at room temperature.
2. Finely dice the onions and fry with the ground meat in a pan without added fat over high heat for 8 min. until crumbly and the liquid has evaporated.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, cook for another 2 min., then mix in the chopped parsley and crumbled mint and let the filling cool completely.
4. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll each out on a floured surface into a circle about 12 cm across.
5. Place 1 heaping tbsp of filling in the center of each, fold the dough into a half-moon, and press the edge firmly and seal with a fork — do not trap any air, or they will burst.
6. Heat the sunflower oil to 175°C and fry the pies in batches for 3–4 min. per side until golden, drain on paper towels, and serve hot.