Many great new recipe ideas come to me at night, when I’m
lying in bed, waiting for sleep. The same story was with these pies. Just the
day before, I had made a delicious turnip and red lentil soup and I couldn’t
get enough of this combination. Turnip has grown to be a really big favorite of
mine. These pies are actually really authentic Estonian, since my ancestors ate
lentils even before they got to know potatoes, and turnip has always been a pretty
popular root vegetable in my country.
I also thought that it would be much easier to just make a
one big pie, but I had to make little ones this time. And they were perfect!
So, so delicious. My boyfriend really loved these. They are also suitable to
take along to the picnic or on a road trip.
20-21
medium pies
Yeast dough:
·
2 Tbsp / 11 g active dry yeast
·
½ tsp salt
·
a pinch of (brown) sugar
·
1 ¼ cups / 200 g all-purpose flour
·
1 cup / 120 g whole-wheat flour
·
1 cup + 1 Tbsp / 250 ml handwarm water
·
2 Tbsp oil
Mix the dry ingredients (yeast, salt, sugar and flours). Add water. Mix
with your hands a little bit and then add the oil. Mix again and knead hard on
a floured surface until the dough is elastic. Put the dough ball into a bowl
and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm place to rise
for about an hour. In the meantime you can prepare the filling.
Filling:
·
2 ½ cups / 350 g cubed turnip
·
½ cups / 100 g red lentils (uncooked)
·
3-4 Tbsp oil
·
3 onions
·
salt and pepper to taste
·
½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
·
4 Tbsp tomato juice or tomato sauce
·
handful of chopped fresh chives
Boil the turnip cubes and red lentils in a lightly salted water until the
turnip is soft. In the meantime, heat up some oil on a deeper pan. Add chopped
onions with a dash of salt and pepper. Cook, until the onions are golden brown.
Drain the turnip cubes and lentils and add to the cooking onions. Cook for a
couple of minutes. Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, tomato juice or
tomato sauce and chopped chives. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Taste
and add some salt if needed.
When the dough has risen, dip your fingers in a little bit of oil and
divide the dough ball into 20-21 little dough balls. Put the little dough ball
on a floured surface and roll it into a little "pancake". Add about
one tablespoon of filling onto the "pancake" and fold the dough edges
onto the filling. Seal the dough tightly with your fingers, leaving the sealed
bump under the pie. Put the filled pies onto a big baking tray covered with
parchment paper. Put the pies back into a warm place to rise for another 15
minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. When the pies have
risen, bake them in the oven at 400 F / 200 C for 25 minutes until golden
brown. Cover the baked pies with a clean kitchen towel and let them cool down a
little.
