Recipe for Pasties

[JudyJB]

I worked at Ford IT for 7 years, just before I retired. Actually, I quit because I was a contract employee with no pension or anything. Anyway, for the last four years, I worked in Dearborn in a huge building they called ITEK. It was shaped like a very large, very open V. Inside, it looked a lot like a two-story shopping center, with an open center hall and offices going off to both sides and on both levels. My desk was on the second level, and there were no walls separating you from this open area, where you could look down over a railing.

Basically, it being IT and Ford having a major IT office in Chennai, India, it was a very international place. First, there were not very many women, and second there were a LOT of Asians and other nationalities, but particularly Indians. There were at least 2,000 people in that enormous building, and they had one of the best office cafeterias I have ever eaten in. Besides the usual cold stuff like a salad bar and a sandwich bar, they had a hot grill area where you could order a hamburger or grilled chicken or toasted cheese sandwich and tell them what kind of bread or bun and what you wanted on it, plus they would cook up onion rings and french fries, all while you waited. (I used to order a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with bacon and tomato and American cheese, for example.)

They had one area of the kitchen/food line that was kept empty so that they could invite in various local restaurants. One day was Coney Island day, where one of the best Coney hot dog places would come in. But Friday was always Indian day, and the line would stretch out forever. Because of the open design of the building, you could smell the food above the cafeteria, which is where I was located. While Indian food is not my favorite, it still smelled good.

We also had a lot of employees from the Philippines and China. Also, for some strange reason, most of the cleaning people at Ford were Ukrainians. They seemed to be mostly in their 50s and 60s and were all very small, I assume due to conditions when they were growing up. Along the two very long arms of the V, there were small employee kitchens and eating areas about every 200 feet, with refrigerators and microwaves, and sinks. At lunchtime, a lot of ethic groups would get together to eat and share food, so you could walk down the hallway and smell incredibly good things. The cleaning people in particular used to meet and eat together in the kitchen near my office.

Anyway, one of the things I really miss about being in Detroit is the ethnic food. Everything west of the Mississippi just tastes bland to me after all the food available in the east. My Ohio son lives south of Cleveland, so when I am there, I can get more authentic middle-Eastern and Italian food, plus good Kosher delis, so I like driving into the city, just for food.

[JudyJB]

Process photos in order:

Vegetables all cut up:


One pound of hamburger divided into 1/4 pound chunks:


Dough rolled out and meat and vegetables ready to close:


Two pasties ready to cook. My pie dough was too dry so I had trouble rolling it out neatly. Had to patch, so not my best effort:


Cooked and ready to eat. I added a teaspoon to give you perspective on size:


Ready to eat:


No leftovers. Yum!


I wrapped the other three in foil after they cooled a bit and put each in a plastic bag before putting them both in my freezer. I will take out and put on a cookie sheet, let thaw at least partially, and reheat for 20-30 minutes in the oven. So it was a lot of work, but I have three pre-made meals.

[Cudedog]

Yum. I'm hungry already.

Anne

[Queen]

Those look great, Judy!

[Acadianmom]

You made me hungry. I had to look up rutabagas to see what they look like. If I have ever seen any I though they were turnips. I like smothered turnips cooked with some kind of smoked meat.

I don't like really hot food but I find food away from Louisiana and Texas bland. I didn't like the Indian food I had either except for the fried eggplant. I can eat a lot of that. When I'm traveling the back roads of Texas I like to find a Mexican restaurant in one of the small towns with all the pickup truck in the parking lot for lunch. They are usually good and sometimes a little different.

Martha

[JudyJB]

They are a kind of turnip, but bigger and darker. My parents used to cook up a rutabaga cut up into cubes for Thanksgiving and serve it just with butter. It is kind of strong tasting on its own, so i prefer it in Pasties.