Rye Pastries Stuffed with Cheese (Finnish Karelian Pasties)

Finland Karelian pasties are often times considered the national dish of Finland. These rye pastries stuffed with a creamy rice or potato mixture and topped with egg butter can be served any time of day. They are a little tricky to make but not bad. Egg butter now that was a real hit, yum!

Dough:
½ cup water, cold
1⅛ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
¾ cup rye flour
½ tsp. sea salt

Rice Filling:
1 cup water
4 cups milk
1 cup rice
1 tsp. sea salt

Egg Butter:
¼ cup cottage cheese
2 eggs, hard-boiled, chopped
¼ cup butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2).

Rinse the rice and place it in boiling water. Simmer until most of the water is absorbed. Add the milk, lower the heat to a minimum, and partially cover the pot. Simmer until the milk has been absorbed and the rice has turned into a thick porridge. Season with salt and leave to cool.

Add the flour and salt to the water and mix into a solid, compact dough. Form the dough into a strip and divide into 12 pieces. Roll the pieces into flat thin ovals.

Spread some filling on each oval. Then fold the sides towards the center, pinching and making neat pleats along the edge.

Bake for about 10 minutes.

Brush them well with melted butter.

Place the pasties, separated with baking paper, in a bowl and cover with a towel to soften the crusts.

Serve warm with butter or egg butter which is made by mixing equal parts of butter, cottage cheese and chopped hard-boiled egg.

Makes 6 servings.