Vegan Irish Hand Pies

Pie Crust Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 6 tablespoons ice water
• Mix together flour, oil, and ice water. Keep refrigerated while working on the filling.

Recipe by Vaishali holycowvegan.net slightly modified

Filling Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil (any neutral oil)
• 6 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 medium red potatoes 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)
• 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 scallions (finely chopped)

Make the filling

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until lightly golden. Add the potatoes with salt and ground black pepper. Saute until the potatoes start caramelizing.
2. Stir in the cabbage and saute until the cabbage wilts and the potatoes are nearly cooked. Stir in the tomato paste and thyme and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Stir in the cooked lentils, tamari and vegan Worcestershire sauce. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Cook until the filling is warmed through.
4. Add scallions, mix them in, and turn off heat. Set the filling aside to cool.

Assemble and bake the hand pies

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Divide the pie dough in two to make handling it easier. Keep one half refrigerated while you work with the other.
3. Roll out the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap 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.
4. 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. Cut a cross in the center of the pastry using a sharp knife.
5. Place the hand pies on a baking sheet and brush with some vegan butter to get a nice color. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden-brown and flaky. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the pies cool slightly before you serve.