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Cooking Ossetian pies. Video recipe
Ossetian pies are one of the popular types of pastries in the Caucasus. For their preparation, yeast dough and various fillings are used – vegetables, cheeses, herbs, meat. Such pies are usually served in a stack of three pieces. Products are rounded and very thin.
Ossetian pies: cooking video
Features of Ossetian pies
One of the main differences between Ossetian pies and ordinary baked goods is their thickness. Very thin layers of dough envelop the filling, of which there is a lot in the pies. At the same time, the products do not have wide dough edges, which are inevitably obtained with traditional production.
The secret of this form is simple: Ossetian pies are rolled out together with the filling, acquiring the desired shape and thickness. The baked goods are cooked very quickly, while the filling remains juicy. Classic products are baked in a traditional open oven, but you can also bake pies at home in a conventional oven. If you are planning to serve pastries on the festive table, prepare assorted pies with various fillings – meat, herbs, cheese. For more flavor, add roasted nuts, herbs and a variety of spices to the filling.
Traditional Ossetian pies are stuffed with Caucasian cheese – for example, chanakh, Imeretian, Adyghe. Pies with feta cheese are also tasty. Chopped walnuts, aromatic herbs and spices can be added to the cheese. Meat pies with beef, pork or lamb, as well as minced game meat are also popular. At home, you can make chicken or duck pie.
A properly prepared dough for Ossetian pies should be moderately firm and very pliable. Too steep dough will make the finished products hard, and excessively liquid dough will not roll out.
You will need: – 1 kg of wheat flour; – 300 ml of milk; – 1 glass of water; – 15 g dry yeast; – 2 eggs; – 1 teaspoon of sugar; – 0,25 teaspoon of salt.
Dissolve the yeast in warm water, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and flour. Leave the mixture for a quarter of an hour, it should foam. Sift the flour into a deep bowl, pour the prepared dough into it, add slightly warmed milk and beaten eggs. Knead a lighter dough, place in a bowl, cover with a towel and heat.
After two hours, spoon over the risen dough and let it proof again. After another hour, stir the dough and place it on a floured board.
Ossetian pies with different fillings
While the dough is right, start filling the pies. For the amount of dough suggested in the recipe, choose one of the options – filling from a mixture of cheeses, cheese and herbs or minced meat. If you want to make assorted pies, reduce the number of ingredients and make three different toppings at once.
You will need:
A mixture of cheeses: – 150 g of Adyghe cheese; – 150 g feta cheese; – a bunch of parsley; – a bunch of dill.
Meat filling: – 300 g minced mutton; – 1 onion; – 3 cloves of garlic; – salt; – freshly ground black pepper.
Cheese with herbs: – 200 g of Ossetian cheese or feta; – a bunch of green onions; – a bunch of cilantro.
You can add half a cup of toasted and chopped walnut kernels to the cheese filling
Prepare the cheese filling. Soak the cheese for a couple of hours in cold water, then drain the water, dry the cheese and grate. Grind the Adyghe cheese in the same way. Finely chop the dill and parsley, add to the cheeses and mix the filling until smooth. If you find it bland, season the mixture with a little freshly ground black pepper.
For a meat filling, choose a juicy minced meat. Lamb or a mixture of beef and pork is preferred. Instead of meat rolled through a meat grinder, you can use very finely chopped fillets – the filling will acquire a different consistency.
Peel and chop the onion, grind the garlic in a mortar. Add the onion and garlic to the minced meat, add salt and freshly ground black pepper, and then knead the filling well with your hands.
To prepare the filling of cheese and herbs, grate the Ossetian cheese, chop green onions and cilantro, mix everything. For more pungency, you can add very finely chopped hot peppers to the mixture.
Get involved in the formation of pies. Divide the dough that has come up into parts, collect each into a ball, then roll it into a cake. Put the filling in the middle of the tortillas and collect the edges, connecting them and turning the blank into a “knot” with the minced meat inside. Gently roll the resulting knots with a rolling pin or knead with your hands into cakes. Punch holes in the meat cakes for steam to escape.
The holes in the pies can be round or sickle-shaped, they serve not only for steam out, but also for decorating the finished product
Preheat oven to 190 degrees and place prepared pies in it. They can be baked on baking trays or in split tins. Place the cakes first on the bottom shelf of the oven and then move to the top. Make sure that the products are not burnt. Once they are browned, remove the tarts from the oven.
Put hot Ossetian pies on a wooden board and brush with butter. Serve hot in a stack of three on preheated dishes or plates.