Romanian Meat Pie (Placinta cu Carne)

Placinta cu carne. (Jamie Orlando Smith)

Romanian Meat Pie (Placinta cu Carne)

Makes one 9-by-11-inch pie

For the Dough

• 2 1/4 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup lukewarm milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 medium egg
• 1 (1/4-ounce) packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast 
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the Filling

• Vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying
• 2 onions, sliced 
• 2 1/4 pounds ground beef 
• 12 ounces mushrooms, roughly sliced 
• 7 ounces tomato puree (passata)
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the Glaze 

• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon plain yogurt 

Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together and knead for a few minutes. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place for 1 hour. 

Make the filling: Cover the bottom of a frying pan with a thin layer of oil, and cook the onions over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, then add the mushrooms, passata, and paprika. Simmer until the mixture is reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool, then add the eggs, parsley, and salt and pepper and stir well to combine. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-by-11-inch nonstick baking dish.

Lightly flour a work surface and divide the dough into two. Roll out both halves to roughly the same shape as the baking dish—you don’t have to be precise. Place one sheet of dough into the dish and stretch it, using your fingers, to cover the base and sides of the dish.

Spoon the filling onto the dough, distributing it evenly. Place the second dough sheet on top of the filling, ensuring that it covers the filling by gently stretching it with your fingers. Brush the top of the dough generously with the egg mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, then leave to cool in the baking dish on a wire rack before turning out onto a chopping board. Trim the edges, then slice into long, wide strips. Each slice can be cut into three rectangular pieces, if preferred.