Blended Mushroom And Chicken Parmesan Hand Pies

Instructions

1. Crust: To make crust, place flour, salt and garlic powder in bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few short times to mix ingredients. Add butter and pulse until it is evenly distributed in pea-size pieces, about three to four, 15-second pulses. With the processor on low, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough comes together in a ball in the center of the bowl. Remove dough and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Filling:To make the filling, add mushrooms to bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Blend together mushrooms and ground chicken in a medium bowl. Cook in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until chicken is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain any excess liquid. Return pan to heat and stir in salt, basil, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. Stir in spinach and cook for about 1 more minute, just until it wilts. Transfer filling to a bowl. Stir in marinara sauce and ¼ cup Parmesan. Let cool completely.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. When dough is ready, roll the disk out on floured surface to approximately ¼-inch thickness. Cut in circles about 4 1/2-inches in diameter. Stretch circle slightly and lay it on a baking sheet, 5 circles to a standard baking sheet.
5. Working one pie at a time, spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling, allowing excess liquid to drain back into bowl. Place filling in the center of the circle. Top with a sprinkle of mozzarella. Stir together egg and water, and brush all edges of circle with it.
6. Carefully fold crust over to create a half moon and press the edge together to seal. It will be a little messy and some edges may tear. Simply patch them up as best you can and wipe away any sauce that leaks onto the baking sheet. Repeat for remaining pies.
7. Brush pies with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, until edges of crust are browned and cheese begins to bubble out at edges. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving with extra marinara for dipping.
   *Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes for the pie dough to rest before rolling.

Are you intimidated by the concept of blending mushrooms with ground meat? If so, visit our Blending with Fresh Mushrooms web page to view easy step-by-step instructions with illustrations to take the guess work out of the equation. Don't be nervous- once you understand this concept, it's easy to incorporate in your everyday favorite ground meat dishes.