feta meat pies

i made feta meat pies. they were really good!

first, make pie dough and refrigerate.


the pastry dough then needs to be rolled out.


roll out and cut into 6 pieces (next time i'll work harder at getting it a little thinner and cutting the edges square)


cook up the meat and tomatoes


then add the feta. this is the filling.


parchment paper! use half the filling on the first six. put the other half of the filling in the fridge for the other half of the pie dough. or if you're feeding more than one or two people, make it all at once.


into the oven they go


bake and eat eat eat


i did a little better with the second half of the dough, but was too busy eating to take an after picture


oh they were so good! i could eat them every day!
i used this recipe:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/335447872219083813/
http://www.marthastewart.com/317959/sausage-and-feta-hand-pies


sausage and feta hand pies
Makes 1 dozen
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 small head fennel (about 1 pound), trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Pate Brisee** (http://www.marthastewart.com/281029/pate-brisee)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons fennel seeds

Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble sausage into pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet along with the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add sliced fennel and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they release their juices, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the reserved sausage, and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. Stir in feta cheese and parsley; set filling aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Trim to 15 by 10 inches. Cut into 6 squares (5 inches each). With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour. Place 1/2 cup filling in the center of each square. Fold up all four corners around the filling, so that the points meet in the center but do not touch (leave about 1/4 inch of space between them). Repeat with remaining piece of dough and filling. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.
Brush tops of dough with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with fennel seeds. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until pies are golden brown and filling is set, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm.


**the recipe for pate brisee (pie crust) is here
http://www.marthastewart.com/343815/pate-brisee

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form two discs. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.



i deviated from the recipe because i cant do peppers. so no black pepper and no red pepper flakes. instead i added sage, marjoram, basil to the meat mix. and i added the fennel seed to the mix instead of sprinkling on top. i used dried parsley instead of fresh. and when only cooking 6 instead of 12, only cook for 32-35 minutes instead of the full 40.

SO GOOD! but it makes a dozen, so half the pate brisse (pie crust) and half the filling went in my fridge. easy enough to throw them in the oven on another day. i ate three of the six i made for dinner. its so freaking good. i am stuffed to the gills, and have 3 more i could eat. i will DEFINITELY be making this recipe again. the pie crust was pretty easy too. i've never made pie crust before. easier than bread!