Risto Mikkola’s meat pie might even be the best you’ve tasted.
If you think about what is really good and street food to offer, you will surely end up with the same as the chefs Risto Mikkola and Henry Lepis.
The answer is easy: meat pie.
A good, freshly baked meat pie will melt everyone’s heart. This meat pie is definitely one of the most delicious.
Since it’s game season, Mikkola wanted to remind you that ground meat can be filled not only with traditional pork and beef, but also elk, deer or reindeer.
Mustard seeds have a slight bitter taste that goes away when you crush the seeds. Boil water in a pot, put the seeds in and boil for about 10-20 seconds. Pour out the old water and repeat the rinsing at least three times. At the same time, the seed gets a nice texture that pops in the mouth. Roni Lehti
– The meat pie is easy in the sense that all ground meats work as a filling, Mikkola assures.
In Mikkola’s meat pie, the idea is taken a little further, as traditional toppings, such as onion and pickles, are baked into the pie.
Mikkola originally developed his meat pie recipe for Pallas’ May Day celebration. A traditional Lapland hotel has already offered a joint dinner of respected chefs on several May Day eves. In the kitchen are, among other things Hans Välimäki, Akseli Herlevi and Tero Mäntykangas prepared their own dishes for 130 dinner guests.
The cooking has continued even on May Day, when food suitable for a picnic has been prepared outside. Mikkola and Lepist decided to make meat pies there this year. It was worth it. They sold 700 meat pies.
– It’s such a good meat pie. It’s definitely worth a try.
Even in a seemingly simple meat pie, a few things must be taken into account: the dough must be good, the filling must have plenty of flavor, and there should be a lot of it.
– At least as many fillings as dough. If there are 100 grams of dough, add the same amount of filling. Then you won’t eat deep-fried bread, Mikkola advises.
A good meat pie dough is a bit like pizza dough, because it has to be tough.
When these are kept in mind and the roasting goes smoothly at a temperature of 160–180 degrees, you can’t go wrong with making lihis.
Meat pies can be baked in advance and frozen. After baking, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a week. You should warm them up before eating, but Mikkola avoids one method:
– The microwave is the latest option for me when it comes to heating a meat pie.
After baking, the meat pie can be stored in the refrigerator for a week. Roni Lehti
Reindeer meat pie
Dough:
50 g of yeast
5 dl of milk
2 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 eggs
1.2–1.3 liters of wheat flour
100 g of melted butter
1 egg, for greasing
oil for frying
1. Soak the yeast in lukewarm milk, add salt, sugar and eggs. Mix well.
2. Add the flour and melted butter, knead for 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and comes away from the edge of the bowl. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise until doubled.
3. Knead the air bubbles out of the dough, divide it into 15 parts and roll into balls. Roll or pat the dough balls into thin ovals and put the filling in the middle of the oval.
4. Grease one edge of the oval with egg, fold into a pocket and press the edge tightly. Put the pies on the baking paper and let them rise under the cloth for half an hour.
5. Heat the oil in a large pot to 180 degrees. Fry the pies in oil on both sides until they are nicely brown. Use a slotted spoon to lift the pies onto a paper towel to drain the excess fat. Enjoy immediately.
Filling:
250 g of ground reindeer meat
100 g chopped bacon
0.5 dl rapeseed oil
50 g of butter
salt
pepper
100 g onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
200 g of fresh chanterelles, chopped
1 dl rapeseed oil
5 sprigs of thyme
1 dl risotto rice
7 dl chicken broth
50 g grated parmesan
0.5 dl chopped parsley
100 g pickled cucumber in cubes
salt, pepper
1. Fry the minced meat and bacon in canola oil and butter in a pan until cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms in rapeseed oil, add thyme sprigs. Sauté for a while longer and add the chicken broth in three parts. Always add the next part when the previous one has been absorbed into the rice.
3. When the rice is cooked, finally add grated parmesan, pickled cucumber cubes, parsley and fried minced meat-bacon mixture. Check the taste.
4. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Cool the filling and divide into 15 parts.
Mustard seed mayonnaise
3 dl mayonnaise
0.5 dl dijon mustard
0.5 dl whole grain dijon mustard
0.5 dl crushed mustard seeds
1. Mix all the ingredients together and check the taste. You can enjoy mayonnaise with meat pies or cut a hole in the edge of the pie and squeeze the mayonnaise inside the pie.
Crushed mustard seeds
0.5 dl mustard seeds
1. Boil water in a small pot. Put the mustard seeds in boiling water, boil them for 20 seconds, pour over a colander and rinse with cold water.
2. Repeat the same procedure at least three times. Always change the cooking water.
Terre del Barolo Barbera d’Alba Biologico 2018, Italy (€14.98)
The medium-bodied organic wine, tinged with red berries, finds its taste match in reindeer meat pies.