Beatrice Ojakangas

Home - Articles - Recipes - Cookbooks - Mehu-Liisa - Lefse Kit - Links - Email

SALMON AND WILD RICE PIE

As we head into the "busy" season, it always is a help to me to have a few ideas tucked away for holiday entertaining. Pies filled with salmon and wild rice not only are festive and delicious, but they’re versatile too. Make them little for appetizers ? by filling little rounds of pastry with the mixture just like filled cookies. You can freeze them either before or after shaping, but in either case, serve them hot out of the oven.

For brunch, lunch or supper I’ll serve this double-crusted pie in
wedges with a simple green salad and perhaps some fresh fruit on the side. Keep leftovers refrigerated and you can quickly zap a piece or two for a snack later on.

My nifty little book of Pot Pies has thirty nine more homey,
comforting, main dish pie recipes that you can make without fuss. Best of all, they can be made ahead, refrigerated or frozen, and baked or reheated.

SALMON WILD RICE PIE
1 recipe Lemon Pastry (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons butter
3 green onions, cleaned and chopped, including green tops
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dill weed or dried thyme leaves
2 cups cooked wild rice
3 large eggs
4 cups cooked, boned and flaked salmon
1 cup sour cream, plus additional for serving

GLAZE:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or water

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Roll out half the pastry on a lightly
floured surface and fit into a 9 or 10-inch quiche pan or pie pan.

In a heavy, nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add
the green onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until onions are tender and mushrooms are cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and cool.

Stir the salt, dill, wild rice and 1 lightly beaten egg into the cooked
vegetables. Turn mixture into the pastry-lined pan. In a medium-sized bowl, lightly beat the 2 remaining eggs and mix with the salmon. Spread the mixture evenly over the wild rice mixture in the pan. Spread the sour cream evenly over the top.

Roll out remaining pastry and fit it over the filling. Fold the edges
over and crimp to seal well.

For the glaze, mix the ingredients and brush over the top of the pie. Pierce the top all over with a fork and bake the pie for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of sour cream (if used). Makes 6 to 8 servings.

LEMON PASTRY
This is one of my all-time favorite pastries for pies. The combination of egg and lemon juice makes it tender and flaky.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) chilled butter cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Stir the flour and salt together. Cut the butter into the flour until
the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

With a fork, stir the egg, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the ice water together. Sprinkle the liquid over the flour mixture and mix with a fork just until the pastry holds together, adding more flour if needed. Knead the dough in the bowl for 2 or 3 strokes, just enough to make the dough hold together in a smooth ball. Cover and chill for 30 minutes or until firm and use as directed.

Makes enough pastry for one double crusted pie.

Mehu Liisa Juicer
on sale NOW!
click here