50 States of MoFo: Michigan: The Yooper Pasty

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has a special love for the Cornish pasty.  Cornish and Welsh miners brought this savory hand-pie with them when they immigrated to the region in the 19th century, and it was quickly picked up by the Finnish community and others.  

The internet and a couple of friends from Michigan report that most Yooper pasties are not far off the Cornish original - beef, onion, potato, and rutabaga.  Nonetheless, one can put most anything in a pasty.  At first, I toyed with variants including ingredients often grown in Michigan, such as asparagus or cherries.  However, these items are out of season in November, and the available supply looked rather pitiful.  Undaunted, I stirred up a filling based on items I had on hand.   Here's a recipe -- but please branch out as you see fit.

Make the dough:
Stir together 2 c. all purpose flour and 1/2 t. salt.   Cut in 3/4 c. vegan margarine.  With a fork, stir in 6-7 T. cold water just until a ball forms.   Divide into four balls and refrigerate for at least an hour.  You could do this the day before.

Make the filling by combining:
2 c. roasted brussels sprouts
2 c. chopped raw potato
2 c. chopped chickpea tofu
1 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. dried parsley
1 t. seasoned salt (I used a Greek mix I found in the cupboard) or more to taste
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. paprika
black pepper to taste

Make the pasties:
Heat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment.   Roll out each dough ball into a rough circle.  Pile on as much filling as you can fit, fold over into a half moon shape, and crimp along the edge.   Bake 50-60 minutes until golden brown.