Pasztecik Szczeciński

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 250 ml whole milk
• 7 g instant yeast
• 1 egg
• 50 g melted butter
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 400 g minced beef
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbsp lard
• 1 stale bread roll
• 1 egg for the filling
• 100 ml beef stock
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1.5 litres sunflower oil for frying
• salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Warm the milk to blood temperature.
• Tear the bread roll into pieces and soak it in a little cold milk.
• Peel and finely chop the onion.
• Line a tray with kitchen paper for draining.

Steps

1. Whisk the yeast and the sugar into the warm milk and leave it for ten minutes to froth.
2. Tip the flour and the salt into a large bowl.
3. Pour in the yeast milk, the egg and the melted butter.
4. Mix to a shaggy dough with a wooden spoon.
5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for eight minutes until smooth and elastic.
6. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise for one hour until doubled.
7. Melt the lard in a frying pan over medium heat.
8. Fry the chopped onion for six minutes until soft and golden.
9. Add the minced beef and break it up with a spoon.
10. Fry the meat for ten minutes until it loses all its pink colour.
11. Pour in the stock and simmer for ten minutes until the pan is almost dry.
12. Take the pan off the heat and let the filling cool for fifteen minutes.
13. Squeeze the soaked bread dry and mash it into the meat.
14. Blitz the mixture briefly in a processor so it holds together as a coarse paste.
15. Stir in the egg, the marjoram, salt and plenty of pepper.
16. Knock the risen dough back and divide it into twelve pieces.
17. Roll each piece into an oval about 12 cm long and 5 mm thick.
18. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of filling down the centre of each oval.
19. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the long seam firmly shut.
20. Roll each parcel gently under your palms into a smooth sausage shape.
21. Lay the parcels seam side down on a floured tray and rest them for twenty minutes.
22. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 175°C.
23. Lower three parcels into the oil, seam side down.
24. Fry them for four minutes, turning once, until deep golden all over.
25. Lift them onto the paper-lined tray to drain.
26. Fry the remaining parcels in three more batches.
27. Serve hot with a mug of clear red barszcz.