Sausage and Feta Hand Pies
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small head fennel (about 1 pound), trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- Pate Brisee (page 224)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons fennel seeds
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Crumble sausage into pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towellined plate; set aside.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet along with the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
- Add sliced fennel and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper.
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they release their juices, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the reserved sausage, and stir to combine.
- Remove from heat, and let cool completely.
- Stir in feta cheese and parsley; set filling aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
- On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out one piece of dough to a 16-by-11-inch rectangle.
- Trim to 15 by 10 inches.
- Cut into six 5-inch squares.
- With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour.
- Place 1/2 cup filling in the center of each square.
- Fold up all four corners around the filling, so that the points meet in the center but do not touch (leave about 1/4 inch of space between them).
- Repeat with remaining piece of dough and filling.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheets.
- Brush tops of dough with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with fennel seeds.
- Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until pies are golden brown and filling is set, about 40 minutes.
- Cool slightly on a wire rack.
- Serve warm.
- The corners of these squares of pastry dough are folded toward the center to cover, but not enclose, a savory filling of sausage, fennel, and feta cheese.
extravirgin olive oil, sausage, onion, head fennel, red pepper, salt, tomatoes, feta cheese, parsley, flour, brisee, egg, fennel seeds
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sausage-and-feta-hand-pies-390264 (may not work)