Tomato, Olive & Mozzarella Hand Pies

Disclaimer: This is not my recipe all the credit goes to Lisa Ludwinski the recipe is from Sister Pie cookbook linked: here

Oh my goodness gracious! This honestly may be one of my favorite baked goods I have ever made. These Tomato, Olive & Mozzarella Hand Pies are packed with flavor with the olive, mozzarella, shallot and tomato on the inside, and then the salty, flaky pie crust brush and with cornmeal on the outside. First this pie crust is exquisite, if you only need one more pie crust recipe the rest of your life, use the Sister Pies all butter pie dough, I am dead serious. The richness of the butter and the tang of the vinegar, makes this the best pie dough of my life. I also love this recipe because of the savory filling and perfect size. We ate these as a side to our dinners and as snacks. The are the perfect little baked good and I can’t recommend them more! 10 out of 5 stars!

Disclaimer: This is not my recipe all the credit goes to Lisa Ludwinski the recipe is from Sister Pie cookbook linked: here

Ingredients

• Filling
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ⅔ cup minced shallots (from 1 or 2 shallots)
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ⅔ cup finely chopped Kalamata or Castelvetrano Olives (I did Castelvetrano)
  • 3 tbsp minced fresh oregano leaves
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1.8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• All-Butter Hand Dough rolled into 20 (4-inch rounds), on a parchment-lined baking sheet, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 to 4 small tomatoes on the vine, cut into ¼ – inch thick slices*
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into slices ¼ inch thick and 1 ½ to 2 inches wide
• ½ cup fine yellow cornmeal
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions

1. Make the filling: heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the garlic, olives, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook for one minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. You can cook this mixture up to two days in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you were ready to assemble the hand pies.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Remove the rolled out pie crust rounds from the refrigerator and lay half of them out onto a lightly floured surface. Brushed each round entirely with the bean egg. Place a tomato slice on each round. Divide the shallot mixture among the rounds. Top each with a mozzarella slice. Place the remaining pie crust rounds on the top of each pie filling. Place your fingers Underneath each side of a hand pie while resting your thumbs on the top. Use your thumbs to press the edges of the bottom round up to meet the top round in pinch them together tightly until the hen pie is sealed, rotating the pie as you go. Flip the hand pie over and use the tines of a fork (dipped in flour) to seal it again around the edge of the entire round, making a decorative edge. Take a 4-inch cutter and cut the hand pie once more to clean and define the edges. Repeat with the remaining hand pies. If you want to freeze the hand pies to bake later, do that now: transfer them to a baking sheet and place in the freezer. When frozen, place in a freezer storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer from the freezer directly to the oven to bake.
4. Placed the ½ cup cornmeal in a cereal bowl. Brush the bottom of each hand pie with egg wash and dip into the cornmeal, then place on the baking sheets, at least ½ inch apart. Using a paring knife to cut a tiny slit in the top of each hand pie, then brush the tops and edges with the remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle the sea salt and sesame seeds evenly on top.
5. Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the hand pies are deeply golden brown. Place on a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before eating. Eat them while they’re still warm for gooey mozzarella goodness.
6. Store leftover hand pies, in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or foil, in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Notes: These are not premium cherry tomatoes on the vine, just small tomatoes on the vine, bigger than cherry tomatoes.