Piroszhki (little Russian Pastries)

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill weed (you can use 1 teaspoon dried dill or parsley) or 1 tablespoon parsley (you can use 1 teaspoon dried dill or parsley)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup butter or 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Recipe

• 1 for the filling, cook and stir beef with onion in 10-inch skillet until no pink remains in beef; drain. stir in egg, dill (or parsley), salt and pepper.
• 2 for the pastry, cut butter into flour and salt until dough resembles small peas. stir in sour cream. gather pastry into a ball. divide dough into fourths; cover with damp towel to prevent drying.
• 3 roll each fourth into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. cut pastry into 3-inch circles. place rounded teaspoonfuls of beef filling on center of each circle. fold one side of pastry over filling, to form a half-circle. dot pastry edges with water, and fold the bottom pastry over the top pastry about 1/4" (to keep filling in), and pinch edges to seal. then fold the two ends in about 1/2 inch.
• 4 place, seam side down, on ungreased backing sheet. repeat with remaining pastry. (pastries can be covered and refrigerated no longer than 24 hours at this point.).
• 5 heat oven to 400°f.
• 6 mix egg yolk and water, and brush pastries with the egg yolk wash. bake about 15 to 20 minutes, or until pastries are golden brown.