Pasties (Pass + tees) are traditional hand pies that originated in England, and were eaten as lunch by miners. They made their way around the world with Cornish miners, and one of the places they ended up was in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Both of my parents were raised in the U.P. so I grew up eating pasties. The traditional upper Michigan pasty contains beef, potatoes, rutabaga, and onion. Carrots would sometimes be included in addition to or in place of the rutabaga. <br />When I make pasties I use my mom's crust recipe (which she got from her mom.) The only alteration I've made is to use butter instead of margarine. The crust is almost a cross between pie dough and bread dough with a little bit of choux thrown in the mix. It is easy to work with, and makes a perfect containment system for the filling. <br />This filling is not traditional at all, but inspired by Saraveza, a local bottle shop and pasty tavern. They offer a variety of traditionally filled and unusual pasties. Some of my favorites are their greens and cheese versions. For my version I used my recipe for Collards & Chorizo, and combined it with fromage blanc and Pecorino Romano for a tasty and satisfying filling. Other sturdy-type greens (kale, mustard, etc...) can be used instead of the collards. Tender greens can skip or greatly shorten the blanching step. For a main course serving I like to make 8 pasties, but if you like yours smaller you can make up to 12 with this recipe. <br />

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