Beef Turnovers Ingredients: 4 cups flour 4 egg yolks 1/3 cup milk 1/2 cup butter 3 leveled tablespoons yeast 1 leveled teaspoon salt 1 lb. ground beef Vegetable oil for frying (you may also use olive oil) 1 small onion Parsley Tomato Sauce Directions: 1. Warm the milk until lukewarm, then crumble the yeast into it with your fingertips. Add 1 cup flour & mix all into a smooth dough. Cover & let stand in a warm area to rise. 2. Next, add the butter, egg yolks, salt & the rest of the flour; stir well. Knead into a rather tight & elastic dough. If necessary, add water or flour. Cover with a towel & again set in a warm place to rise a second time. 3. Then knead once more to knock down the dough. Break into small pieces. 4. During the rising of the dough, cook the ground beef. Mix it with 2 tablespoons of butter, a finely chopped onion, chopped parsley & a small quantity of tomato. Cook well, adding 4 or 5 tablespoons of grated cheese just before it is finished. 5. Take a small piece of dough & roll it flat, on a floured board with a rolling pin. Lay one spoonful of cooked ground meat in the center of the dough. Fold the dough in half to form a half-moon shape & enclose the filling. Shape it a little in the palm of your hand to make a more oval shape. Smear with egg white. Place on a greased baking tin & set aside in a warm place to rise. 6. Then deep fry the turnover in oil until each turns a golden brown. Take them from the oil with a perforated spoon, lay on paper towels to drain & serve them warm.
Here are some interesting variations to this recipe: 1. Instead of frying the turnovers, you can bake them in an oven. In this case, after wrapping the turnovers, put them in a buttered baking pan to rise. Brush the tops with egg white. Then put them in a moderate oven (350ºF) & bake until brown. 2. The meat filling can be made from lean chicken, ham, fish or hard-boiled eggs, chopped & mixed with bechamel sauce or mashed potatoes. 3. Another variation is sweet Russian turnovers. Add 3 tablespoons of sugar together with the salt to the dough. Fill with jelly or marmalade and chopped candied fruit. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. |