Turnip and red lentil pies

Many great new recipe ideas come to me at night, when I’m lying in bed, waiting for sleep. The same story was with these pies. Just the day before, I had made a delicious turnip and red lentil soup and I couldn’t get enough of this combination. Turnip has grown to be a really big favorite of mine. These pies are actually really authentic Estonian, since my ancestors ate lentils even before they got to know potatoes, and turnip has always been a pretty popular root vegetable in my country.
I also thought that it would be much easier to just make a one big pie, but I had to make little ones this time. And they were perfect! So, so delicious. My boyfriend really loved these. They are also suitable to take along to the picnic or on a road trip.


20-21 medium pies
Yeast dough:

·         2 Tbsp / 11 g active dry yeast
·         ½ tsp salt
·         a pinch of (brown) sugar
·         1 ¼ cups / 200 g all-purpose flour
·         1 cup / 120 g whole-wheat flour
·         1 cup + 1 Tbsp / 250 ml handwarm water
·         2 Tbsp oil

Mix the dry ingredients (yeast, salt, sugar and flours). Add water. Mix with your hands a little bit and then add the oil. Mix again and knead hard on a floured surface until the dough is elastic. Put the dough ball into a bowl and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm place to rise for about an hour. In the meantime you can prepare the filling.

Filling:

·         2 ½ cups / 350 g cubed turnip
·         ½ cups / 100 g red lentils (uncooked)
·         3-4 Tbsp oil
·         3 onions
·         salt and pepper to taste
·         ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
·         4 Tbsp tomato juice or tomato sauce
·         handful of chopped fresh chives

Boil the turnip cubes and red lentils in a lightly salted water until the turnip is soft. In the meantime, heat up some oil on a deeper pan. Add chopped onions with a dash of salt and pepper. Cook, until the onions are golden brown. Drain the turnip cubes and lentils and add to the cooking onions. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, tomato juice or tomato sauce and chopped chives. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Taste and add some salt if needed.

When the dough has risen, dip your fingers in a little bit of oil and divide the dough ball into 20-21 little dough balls. Put the little dough ball on a floured surface and roll it into a little "pancake". Add about one tablespoon of filling onto the "pancake" and fold the dough edges onto the filling. Seal the dough tightly with your fingers, leaving the sealed bump under the pie. Put the filled pies onto a big baking tray covered with parchment paper. Put the pies back into a warm place to rise for another 15 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. When the pies have risen, bake them in the oven at 400 F / 200 C for 25 minutes until golden brown. Cover the baked pies with a clean kitchen towel and let them cool down a little.