You should see my freezer right now. There are amorphous Ziplocks of homemade chicken stock, a bag of pre-soaked beans, a bag of fully baked beans, some shredded chicken from taco night last month, a single sausage here, a chicken drumstick there, a sliced mini loaf of the crazy delicious Danish rye bread from Great Northern Food Hallย (so good with egg salad), black and white sesame seeds, some mini freezer bags filled with odds and ends like whole peeled tomatoes or chipotle peppers in adobo, and the typical array of science-experiment-looking leftovers.
It can feel a little Fibber McGee & Molly in there when I open it sometimes, if you know what I mean. Which is a small price to pay, when the thing that comes spilling off the shelf serendipitously ends up being a single roll of Trader Joeโs pie dough which reveals a container of Pork Ragu. Hmmm, donโt have to be too bright to know what the universe was telling me to do, especially since Mom and Dad were out that night and I was only cooking for the girls. I thawed the meat, wrapped them up in dough, and baked two Rich Manโs Hot Pockets, aka Pork Ragu Pies.
I think itโs the law that kids will eat anything when itโs gift wrapped in pie dough. And next time, it wonโt be accidental โ Iโm making a few extras so I can add them to the freezer stash. And whoโs to stop me from trying this with the frozen baked beans, the shredded chicken, and whatever else the mystery bags contain?
Ragu Pies
Makes 4 (recipe can be halved)
Approx 2 1/2-3 cups leftover ragu (pork, turkey, or whatever your poison)
2 9-inch homemade or store-bought pie dough, each of them halved (shown: store-bought)
cheese (mozzarella, pecorino, or Parmesan)
1 egg
Place a scoop of approximately 3/4 cup of ragu on one side of the pie dough as shown. Flatten it out slightly with a spoon and sprinkle cheese on top. Fold top half of dough over ragu filling and seal the edges, pinching with your fingers and crimping with a fork if youโre feeling it. Repeat with other dough halves to make the rest of the pies. Place pies on a baking sheet and prick the tops with a fork a few times. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water, and using a pastry brush, coat the top of each pie.
Bake at 375ยฐ for 25 minutes, until crusts are golden and filling looks like itโs bubbling through. Serve with a vinegary green salad.
Iโm laughing right now, because my parents are snow birds and last week I discovered their deep freezer had been unplugged long enough for everything to not only thaw but โฆ rot. Deep down I just keep telling myself that the monumental task of cleaning it out and trying to rid the house of the horrendous stench still probably isnโt equal to payback for the messes we made as children and they had to deal with!
Just in time for Pi Day!
So quick and easy โ love it!
Looks lovely. What are your recommendations for freezing, and for cooking after that? I think this might be a great lunch in the office.
I love when you share these kinds of quirky, random, and easy recipes! Itโs when I know Iโd be your friend if I knew you IRL ๐ (Although I think that goes for just about every single post!)
My method for using up a bit of this and a bit of that leftovers are quinoa muffins. Make a cup of quinoa, add three eggs, some panko, cheese and leftovers. Bake in muffin tin. Recent favorite was baked beans, also Indian spinach, etc. Kids love them in lunches and for breakfast.