Just before the weekend, all readers who cook ask themselves this eternal question: what are we going to eat? To inspire you, The Press suggests a recipe that will make your mouth water.
Preparation: 5 to 6 hours
For about twenty “18 x 4” pâtés
Ingredients for the stuffing
- 3 lbs of “roll” type ham (cooking ham)
- 1 dozen medium hard-boiled eggs
- 1 dozen medium raw eggs, beaten with a fork
- 1/2 lb Romano cheese
- 1/2 lb mild provolone cheese
- 1 tbsp or more black or Italian pepper
Ingredients for the dough
- 3 lbs flour (about 9 cups)
- 3 beaten eggs
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup or so of olive or canola oil
- 1 to 2 cups of warm water
- 2 eggs, beaten with a fork with a little water for brushing
Preparing the stuffing
- This step can be done the day before, refrigerating overnight. Cut the ham and cheese into cubes. Pass through the meat grinder as follows: one piece of ham, one piece of cheese, one cooked egg, and continue until the end of the ingredients. If the grinder gets stuck, use dry bread. Note that robots do not give the same results.
- In a very large bowl, mix the ingredients passed through the food mill with the raw eggs and the pepper. Mix well, without making a puree. Set aside.
Preparation of the dough
- Mix the 3 eggs, oil and salt. Add the flour. Knead on a suitable surface until smooth and pliable.
- Add oil while kneading, the dough should be smooth and shiny. Once the dough is kneaded, set it aside under a damp cloth.
Making the pâtés
- Cut a small amount of dough, roll it out with a rolling pin into an elongated oval shape. It should be thin like a lasagna dough, but more elongated and a little wider.
- Spread filling, no more than 3/4 inch thick. Fold dough over to form a straight crescent-shaped pie. Seal dough with a fork. Brush with egg yolk. Prick tops with fork in two or three places. Ready-to-bake closed pies should be about 16 to 20 inches long and 4 inches wide, but smaller pies can be made.
- Place these pies on parchment paper and a cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F, on the bottom rack of the oven, then on the top rack halfway through cooking (if using two sheets, switch them). The pies are ready when they are golden brown, which takes an hour to an hour and a quarter.
- They will keep, individually wrapped in foil, for about a week in the refrigerator. Serve fresh in 3/4-inch-wide slices.
Published on lapresse.ca on December 29, 2020.