Winter Meals from the Garden: Steak and Rutabaga Pasty

Since the 2020 garden was a big of a last-minute endeavor once I realized I would be home for the season, it was planted with whatever seeds I had on hand plus some transplants from a local greenhouse. Some of the oldest seed I planted was rutabaga. Specifically, the Joan variety. I seeded it heavily, expecting sparse germination, but I shouldn't have worried. After finally showing the overcrowded plants some mercy in mid-summer and thinning them to allow for more space to grow, they produced abundantly.

I left them in the ground until Halloween, ensuring they were touched by a few frosts. I harvested a variety of sizes, from a few fingers wide to larger than a softball. This was the largest.

After trimming and weighing them all, I had just over 20 pounds of rutabagas. They've been keeping wonderfully in an auxiliary fridge; I still probably have about half of them left and should pick up the pace. We've had plenty of mashed rutabaga with roasted meet, a bit of fermented rutabaga kraut, and a new favorite, steak and rutabaga pasty.

I'd never made pasties before 2020, but they're a delicious meal that can be made completely out of ingredients in our freezer and pantry. We've enjoyed them about once a month since November and I think they're permanently in our winter meal plan rotation at this point.

The recipe is out of a well-worn cookbook I've had for over a decade, From Asparagus to Zucchini. It's my go-to reference when I'm trying to determine how to prepare or store a specific vegetable. It contains a full three pages of rutabaga recipes (reflecting its Wisconsin roots), but I'll admit I stopped trying recipes once I stumbled upon this one. The recipe make six full-size pasties and there are just two of us, but we find that the leftover disappear rather quickly for subsequent lunches or dinners. We simply place the baked, refrigerated pasties on some parchment and heat them at 350 degrees until they're warm, about 15-20 minutes.

Steak and Rutabaga Pasties

Source: From Asparagus to Zucchini

Makes 6 large pasties

Crust Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chilled shortening or lard, cut into pieces (I use the lard rendered from our whole hog)
• 1 egg
• Ice water

Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening or lard with pastry cutter or two knives until the pieces are no larger than peas (honestly, I just use my hands to work the fat into the flour). Break the egg into a liquid measuring cup and add enough ice water to make 1 cup. Mix egg and water, then add to flour. Toss lightly with a fork (or your hands) until dough forms. Cover and chill the dough at least 1 hour.

Filling Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds cubed sirloin (I don't measure this exactly; I just use a sirloin steak from our beef in the freezer)
• 4 cups diced rutabaga
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (if I didn't have cream I'd probably consider substituting sour cream)
• 4-6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I use 2 tablespoons dried)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

To make filling, combine all the ingredients except the butter.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Lightly flour a large work surface (you need plenty of room). Divide the dough into six equal portions (they'll weigh about 135 grams). Shape each portion in a ball, then roll it out with a floured rolling pin to an 8-inch round (I no longer measure this; they need to be fairly large, but not too thin. Make sure you can pick up the round and move it). Divide the filling equally among the rounds, placing filling on half of each round. Scatter the butter pieces over the filling. Fold dough over the filling, using extra flour on your fingers to prevent sticking. Press to seal the edges, then fold small sections of the dough to make a rope-like edge (You may think there's too much dough here, but there isn't. Just keep going and try to make the edge even.) Place pasties on pans (I suggest using a dough scraper or large spatula to move them). Cut a small slit into the top of each.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fully cooked, 35-40 minutes. Serve pasties with salsa, catsup, or beef gravy. (I think they're also delicious on their own.)