Pirozhki

Yield: 1 Servings -

Ingredients:

2 tb To 3 dried yeast
1 pn Sugar
5 tb Water; warm
2 1/2 oz Butter; softened
1 lb Flour
1 pn Salt
1/2 c Milk
2 Eggs
1 Filling*

Instructions:

Dough: Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of flour and leave for 15 minutes in a warm place. Pour into a bowl mix in the softened butter sifted flour and salt the milk and the beaten eggs and knead into a smooth dough. Leave to rise until it has doubled in volume. Knead again and roll out. To assemble: Cut (the dough) out in small circles in which you can enclose the filling in a semi-circle or canoe shape. Choose from any or all of the fillings given (below) and seal the edges carefully with a little milk. Either brush with egg and bake in a moderate to hot oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown or fry them uncoated in deep fat. Meat filling: Lightly fry 1 onion in 1 tbsp. oil or butter add 1/2 pound minced beef or veal or chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Combine in a bowl with the seasoning and herbs and allow to cool. Mushroom filling: Chop 3/4-1 lb fresh mushrooms into quarters and cook gently in butter with finely chopped herbs for 15 minutes. Season add a little chopped onion chopped hard-boiled egg or rice or both and enough sour cream to make a fairly moist filling. Fish filling: Any white fish though preferably firm is suitable here. You will need 1/2 to 3/4 pounds weighed after boning. If the fish is cooked specially for the purpose bring it to the boil once in a court-bouillon remove and bone it. Combine with 2-3 oz rice or cooked unsweetened semolina or sago add seasoning and chopped herbs especially dill to taste and chopped hard- boiled egg. A little anchovy essence or jellied fish stock will add greatly to the flavour of these pirozhki and keep the filling moist. Note: " Pirozhki often come out rather dry because of the small quantity of filling which cannot...be moistened by the last-minute addition of stock. ...A (good) solution I think is to use stock either naturally or artificially jellified with gelatin. Add 2 teaspoons finely chopped to the mixture when it is absolutely cold from the refrigerator bind with egg and use straight away....These tiny pasties (are) usually eaten with a clear meat chicken or mushroom broth.... Source: The Food and Cooking of Russia by Lesley Chamberlain Formatted by: Nancy Filbert March 1995