Ham and Mushroom Handpies #SundaySupper

It´s Tailgating time. Whatever that means. I totally understand the concept, as it was perfectly explained to me by my fellow supperers, but the name still baffles me. It is a funny name. And a great excuse to make, serve, eat and share all that greasy, spicy, saucy, cheesy, fried, finger-licking food you feel bad eating all the time. Well, now is the time. No one will judge because we´re all sporting sticky fingers and extra napkins.

Today, our Sunday Supper table, hosted by Lane, meets sports. And sports meet food. And food meets hungry, fanatic, loud people around whatever kind of ball has your heart. The closest I came to american football was ages ago, when Joe Montana was the man of the moment (remember that?). I lived near SF for two years and of course couldn´t avoid talks about the 49ers even if I wanted to.

For me it was perfect timing, since last night were the preliminary matches played to qualify for the Soccer World Cup. Our sport here is soccer. BIG time. No other comes even close. So last night was a big deal. You could hear the cheers, that´s a mild word I´m using, every time we scored. It was a good thing we scored a few times and won, otherwise you have frustrated people everywhere the next day. Because it´s a mandatory topic whenever the national team plays.

This handpies are extraordinary. The crust is flaky almost like a puff pastry. The filling is one I´ve made a million times. I used to make more than a hundred at a time of these mini pies and freeze them. They are an absolute crowd pleaser. Just pop them frozen in the oven and half an hour later you have gorgeous golden bites.

The combination of mushrooms, green onions and ham works so well together, there´s no need to use herbs to make it flavorful. I especially like the addition of a bit of white wine, it gives it a slight sharp depth the way only alcohol can. The crust is very neutral so can be used for a variety of fillings. Even sweet ones. I will post one of those this week. Stay tuned.
For previous SundaySupper recipes check my additional page.

HAM AND MUSHROOM HANDPIES

Flaky Butter crust: from Handheld Pies, by Sarah Billingsley and Rachel Wharton

1 cup (225g) cold unsalted butter

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4/5 Tbs ice cold water

Put ice cubes in a glass and fill with cold water. Reserve.

Cut butter in pieces and reserve in the refrigerator.

Put flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture is grainy and butter is the size of peas. Add 4 Tbs ice water and pulse using on/off, until dough barely starts to clump. Open the lid and check the dough consistency. If you take some in your hand and close your fist, it should come together. If it doesn´t, add 1 Tbs more ice water, pulse a few times and check again.

Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days.

For filling:

1/3 cup chopped green onion

1 ½ cups coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms

3 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

2 Tbs white wine

2 Tbs milk

2 Tbs cream

Salt and black pepper

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

¾ cup chopped ham

In a skillet melt butter. Add chopped onions and mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes on medium heat, until they begin to soften. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for another minute or two. Add flour, mix well and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour begins to turn brown. Add wine and stir until it evaporates. Add milk and mix well. The mixture will be pasty.

Remove from heat, add cream, parmesan and ham. Check the salt and pepper. Mix well and let cool completely.

To assemble the handpies:

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut even rectangles, and place them side by side. Fill one of the rectangles with about 2 Tbs filling, paint the edges with water (I use my fingers) and then top it with another dough rectangle. Make sure the top piece goes all the way to the edges of the bottom piece. Prick the edges all around with a fork and refrigerate them for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º F /180ºC
Bake handpies for about 30 minutes, until puffed and golden. Cool a bit on a wire rack and eat.

Makes about 20.

Join us around the family table this Sunday Supper as we share our favorite recipes and tailgating tips all day long.  Hop on twitter at 7pm EST for the live #SundaySupper chat and share your favorites.  We would love to add your recipes to our Tailgating Menu.

Menu Lineup

Pre Game Warm-ups:

o                    Sausage Balls by My Catholic Kitchen

o                    Edamame Hummus by Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

o                    Slow Cooker Rueben Dip by The Meltaways

o                    Buffalo Wing Hummus by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

o                    Smokey Guacamole with Bacon by Family Spice

o                    Pepperoni & Mozzarella Pull Apart by In the Kitchen with KP

o                    Boneless Honey BBQ Chicken Wings by Juanita’s Cocina

o                    Candied Pecans by From Fast Food to Fresh Food

o                    Crispy Coconut Chicken Strips with Sweet Chili Sauce by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends

o                    Swabian Mini Meatballs (Schwaebische Mini Fleischkuechle) by Galactosemia in PDX

o                    Joe Montana’s Touchdown Guacamole by Noshing with the Nolands

o                    Cheddar Cheese Jalapeno Bites by Mama.Mommy.Mom.

o                    Hot & Spicy Popcorn Chicken by My Trials in the Kitchen

o                    Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites by Family Foodie

o                    Soft Pretzels with Spicy Beer Cheese Sauce by girlichef

o                    Game Day Loaded Nachos by The Messy Baker

o                    Buffalo Chicken Dip by Home Cooking Memories

o                    Southwestern Spring Rolls by Supper for a Steal

o                    Pepperoni Pizza Puffs by Comfy Cuisine

o                    Roasted Garlic Bacon Dip with Easy Homemade Tortilla Chips by Daily Dish Recipes

o                    Beer Battered Spiced Sweet Potato Lentil Fritters by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

o                    Indian Spiced Chicken Meatballs by Soni’s Food for Thought

On the Sidelines:

o                    Anne’s Best Potato Salad with Bacon and Peas by Webicurean

o                    Simple Roasted Purple Potatoes by Ruffles and Truffles

o                    Spicy BBQ Baked Beans by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen

Main Events:

o                    Gluten Free Breakfast Sandwich by Cooking Underwriter

o                    Pollo Adobado con Papas (Adobo Chicken with Potatoes) by La Cocina de Leslie

o                    Poor Man’s Burrito by Shockingly Delicious

o                    Individual Muffuletta Sandwiches by Magnolia Days

o                    Far East Steak Salad by Diabetic Foodie

o                    Italian Sloppy Joes by The Weekend Gourmet

o                    Hot Chicken Chili by Momma’s Meals

o                    Louisiana Sloppy Joes by Sustainable Dad

o                    Hawaiian Chicken Wraps by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

o                    Grandpa Sal’s Sausage and Peppers by Daddy Knows Less

o                    Fancy Filet Chili by I Run for Wine

o                    Homemade Italian Sausage by The Little Ferraro Kitchen

o                    Jalapeno Crockpot Chili by Mama’s Blissful Bites

o                    Flavorful Fall Marinade by Midlife Road Trip

o                    Moose Chili by Mrs. Mama Hen

Overtime:

o                    Peanut Butter-Stuffed Chocolate Cookies by Chocolate Moosey

o                    Streusel Topped Pumpkin Bread by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

o                    Zucchini Cupcakes by In the Kitchen with Audrey

o                    Oven-Baked Churros by Small Wallet Big Appetite

o                    Swirl Nutella Cupcakes by Basic N Delicious

o                    Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffles by Gotta Get Baked

From the Cooler:

o                    Sparkling Tropical Lemonade by Dinners. Dishes, and Desserts

o                    Strawberry Horchata by Damn Delicious

Wine Pairings by Wine Everyday

Please be sure you join us on Twitter all day for this special football season Sunday Supper Event. We’ll be chatting it up at 7:00 p.m. EST for our weekly #SundaySupper  live chat where we’ll share our Tailgating Menu!

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us throughTweetChat!

We’d also love to feature your Cookout recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share your Tailgating Menu with all of our followers!