Beef Hand Pies - Home Cooked Recipe #72

Who doesn't love a hand pie!  Delicious, easy, convenient, and does not take a lot of time if you use store bought puff pastry.  It makes a nice lunch, dinner or snack.  I decided to create 2 different types of beef hand pies since I had some puff pastry stocked up due to it being on sale (which is rare!).  One beef filling is SPICY!  The other one is rich and kind of creamy, full of umami.  The best thing about this recipe is that you can adjust to flavor your beef any way you like.  Try taco seasoning, maybe a bit of pasta sauce and mozzarella to make and Italian version... Whatever you like!  You could also go completely vegetarian, or do a chicken filling such as chicken, broccoli, and cheese.  Of course I do have to say, I was more than pleasantly surprised at how delicious these two versions are, so give them a try!

Beef Hand Pies

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (2 sheets) puff pastry (I use Pepperidge Farms) - thaw according to directions on package - tip, if dough is too soft when going to fill, freeze for 5 minutes
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup beef broth

***For the spicy - 2 tbs Harissa (I bought mine at Whole Foods in the International aisle.  It is a spicy Moroccan paste and it is GOOD)
***For the creamy - 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce, and 4 oz crumbled blue cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400
Brown ground beef with diced onion.  Drain, then add in minced garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.  Stir in beef broth and cook 1 more minute.  Separate beef into two bowls (or add half into another pan).  In one pan/bowl stir in Harissa and in the other add Worcestershire sauce and crumbled blue cheese.  Let fillings cool for a few minutes (this is a good time to freeze dough for 5 minutes if needed).
Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares.  Put 1/4 of spicy mixture in the middle of a square.  Repeat 3 more times.  Put a 1/4 of blue cheese mix on one of the remaining 4 squares.  Repeat 3 more times. Fold each square into a triangle shape, and seal edges.  Place on a greased baking sheet (I lined my baking sheet w/parchment paper then greased paper).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!!