From the Pantry: Hamburger Roll

We've been on a bit of a binge lately--sort of. We had the back yard re-fenced. The squirrels are no longer able to snap off cheap plywood pickets as they scramble along. We've been nice enough to provide them with a highway


interspersed with hurdles. They seem to like it.

Then there's Ruby, our 1937 Plymouth. The coffers aren't empty, but as we're even going on vacation this year, a thing we seldom do, it's budget time.

You see one of the results, above. Last week I made a cinnamon apple custard pie with a pre-baked crust. As long as I'm going to make pastry, I figure that I might as well make two crusts. It doesn't go to waste in this house.

We had about half a pound of hamburger in the freezer, and a few other bits and pieces, so it was 30s / 40s style comfort food. My husband had seconds and finished off the leftovers the next day for lunch. I expect I'll be making it again!

Hamburger Roll

1/2 pound ground beef
8 thin slices onion, finely minced
1 tbl. tomato paste
Season to taste with grated Parmesan, Worcester sauce, sea salt, black pepper, and truffle oil


1 crust recipe for your favorite pie pastry (made ahead and allowed to rest at least an hour)


Let the meat cool. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle and spread the meat thinly over; press in lightly and roll up. Decorate with cut-outs and brush with light cream. Bake at 425 F until lightly browned--I think it took about 45 minutes. Let it cool 5 minutes, and slice with a serrated knife.
 
If you have meat and pastry scraps left over after making this, turn them into cocktail sized pastries. I used a ravioli cutter and got seven triangle-shaped bites. Bake them half-way, about 6 minutes, and then cool. Freeze them, and you'll have quick appetizers. They take about 10 minutes in a 425 F oven.