Ragu Pies

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 Hall (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 Joe’s pie dough which reveals a container of Pork Ragu. Hmmm, don’t 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 Man’s Hot Pockets, aka Pork Ragu Pies.

I think it’s the law that kids will eat anything when it’s gift wrapped in pie dough. And next time, it won’t be accidental — I’m making a few extras so I can add them to the freezer stash. And who’s 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 you’re 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 375° for 25 minutes, until crusts are golden and filling looks like it’s bubbling through. Serve with a vinegary green salad.