I Rustici with Meat and Peas
A buttery and flaky puff pastry filled with ground beef, peas, mozzarella cheese, and sauce, serve these i rustici as an appetizer or pair with a salad for dinner. Yields 16-20 squares
Servings Prep Time
16-20squares 35minutes
Cook Time
30-35minutes
Servings Prep Time
16-20squares 35minutes
Cook Time
30-35minutes
Ingredients
Rough Puff Pastry**
Instructions
I Rustici (Store-bought Pastry)
  1. Thaw the puff pastry according to the box (40 minutes at room temperature).
  2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown the ground beef in the oil until cooked through. Drain the excess liquid from the pan and return to the stove. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the frozen peas and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Strain any excess liquid from the mixture and transfer to a medium bowl. Allow to cool slightly and stir in the parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly butter a medium baking sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry once, turn 90 degrees then roll out again until the seams are no longer visible. Line the sheet of puff pastry on the tray so that the edges fold up along the sides of the pan. The puff pastry may not fill the whole space of the pan, but that is okay (and usually how it works out for us)!
  5. Spread the meat and pea mixture evenly over the top of the pastry.
  6. On your lightly floured surface, roll the second sheet of puff pastry just a little bit larger than you did the first. Place this sheet over the filling and tuck it under the sides of the bottom layer of pastry. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the egg wash over the top of the pastry and dock with a fork.
  7. Bake 20 minutes then rotate the pan. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
I Rustici (Homemade Pastry)
  1. MAKE THE ROUGH PUFF PASTRY: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add in the cubes of butter and, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until coated in flour. The mixture should be crumbly and the butter might be in different sizes though most should be about the size of a pea. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring with a knife until the dough begins to come together. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball.
  2. Flour your countertop or work surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 12″ x 6″ rectangle. Add more flour on top of the dough or underneath as needed to prevent the butter from sticking. Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up toward the middle. Then fold the top 1/3 toward the middle so that the all thirds overlap–similar to an envelope or folding a piece of paper into thirds. Rotate the dough 90° and repeat the rolling and folding process. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
  3. Return the dough to your lightly floured surface so that one of the open ends is facing you. Roll to a 12″ x 6″ rectangle and repeat the process of folding into thirds. Rotate the dough 90° and fold again. Chill the dough for another 15-30 minutes.
  4. Repeat the rolling and folding process two more times. Roll the dough out to a 30″ x 12″ rectangle about .5 cm thick. You may need to cut off any rough edges to create a straight-sided rectangle. Cut the pastry in two, leaving one half just slightly larger than the rest.
  5. WHILE THE PASTRY IS CHILLING BETWEEN FOLDS, MAKE THE FILLING: In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown the ground beef in the oil until cooked through. Drain the excess liquid from the pan and return to the stove. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the frozen peas and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Strain any excess liquid from the mixture and transfer to a medium owl. Allow to cool slightly and stir in the parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
  6. ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly butter a medium baking sheet. Place the smaller piece of pastry on the sheet so that the edges fold up the side of the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the pastry. Top with the larger sheet of puff pastry and tuck the edges under the bottom. Crimp with a fork. Brush with the egg wash and dock the top layer of pastry with a fork. Bake 20 minutes, rotate and continue to bake an additional 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Depending on the thickness of your pastry, it may take a bit longer with the homemade rough puff than with the store-bought pastry. Allow to cool 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes

** Rough puff pastry quantities tripled from Chocolate & Zucchini

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