IrishHandPie the Parlock

Delicious vegan Irish Hand Pies with a crispy, flaky whole wheat crust and a savory stuffing of cabbage, potatoes and lentils.

For the hand pie wrapper:

🥧 1½ cups whole wheat flour
🥧 1½ cups all purpose flour
🥧 1½ teaspoons salt
🥧 12 tablespoons vegan butter
🥧 Ice cold water

For the filling:

🥧 1 tablespoon oil (any neutral oil)
🥧 6 cloves garlic (minced)
🥧 2 medium potatoes (either red or yellow. Cut into small cubes)
🥧 1 cup cabbage (cut into small pieces or shreds)
🥧 14 oz brown lentils (cooked or canned)
🥧 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or oregano)
🥧 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
🥧 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce. Skip if soy-free)
🥧 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
🥧 Salt and ground black pepper to taste
🥧 4 scallions (finely chopped)

Make the pie dough:

🥧 1. Make the pie dough by whisking together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the vegan butter until it is evenly dispersed and there are no pieces larger than peas.

🥧 2. Drizzle in ice-cold water while mixing with a fork until the dough comes together. Form it into a ball as best as you can. Wrap the dough tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or longer.

Make the filling:

🥧 3. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat and stir the garlic into it. When the garlic turns lightly golden and aromatic, add the potatoes with salt and ground black pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes until the potatoes start caramelizing.

🥧 4. Stir in the cabbage and saute for five minutes or until the cabbage wilts and the potatoes are nearly cooked. Stir in the tomato paste and oregano and mix. Cook the tomato paste for a couple of minutes.

🥧 5. Stir in the cooked lentils, tamari and vegan Worcestershire sauce, if using, and mix with the vegetables. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Cook until the filling is warmed through.

🥧 6. Add scallions, mix them in, and turn off heat. Set the filling aside to cool.

Assemble and bake the hand pies:

🥧 7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius.

🥧 8. Turn out the pie dough on a generously floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on top. You can divide the pie dough in two to make handling it easier. Keep one half refrigerated while you work with the other.

🥧 9. Roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼th of an inch. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter or the lid of a jar to cut out discs of dough. Gather up the dough scraps, roll, and cut out more discs.

🥧 10. Place approximately two heaping teaspoons of filling in the center of one disc. Place a second disc above the disc with the filling and press the edges to seal. Use the tines of a fork to press the edges again, creating a decorative edge. Cut a cross in the center of the pasty using a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining dough.

🥧 11. Place the hand pies on a baking sheet and brush with some vegan butter, if you wish, to help them get a nice color. Bake 40 minutes or until golden-brown and flaky. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the pies cool slightly before you serve.

Tips for success:

🥧 The crust dough is a pie dough, so treat it like one. Make sure you make minimal contact with it with your hands so the butter won't melt--instead use a fork to cut in the vegan butter and mix as you drizzle water.

🥧 Be careful not to create a wet dough. That will create gluten in the crust and make it tough. Err on the side of adding less moisture rather than more.

🥧 When you make the filling, be sure to cut the potatoes and cabbage in small pieces so they cook quickly and also don't look lumpy in the filling.

🥧 Brush a bit of oil or butter on the hand pies before baking so they get a nice golden-brown color.

Storage instructions:

🥧 Refrigerate: Store the hand pies in the fridge for up to four days.

🥧 Freeze: Freeze the pies in an airtight container or freezer-safe bags for up to three months.

🥧 Reheat: Reheat the hand pies in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit/175-degree Celsius oven until warmed through.