Greek Ham Pies
500g puff pastry,
300g ham, cut into dice
2 red capsicums, sliced thinly
3 spring onions, finely chopped
250g feta cheese
125ml flour
500ml milk
250ml olive oil or sunflower oil
3 eggs
60ml finely chopped fresh dill or parsley
Extra egg yolk for brushing
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onion until soft but not coloured. Add the capsicum strips and cook for a minute. Then add the ham and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Don’t let it brown. Sprinkle the flour over and stir into the oil as though you were making a roux based sauce. Stir the milk in steadily and remove from the heat. Crumble the feta cheese into the mixture. Beat the three eggs until frothy and stir into the pot. Taste the seasoning and only add salt if absolutely necessary. Stir in the dill or parsley.
Roll out the pastry and using a saucer as a template, cut out circles with a sharp knife. Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each circle. Brush the edges with beaten egg or water and bring up to form half-moon shapes. Press to seal. Put on a lightly oiled baking sheet, make a small slit to let out the steam, brush with beaten egg yolk and bake in a moderately hot oven for about half an hour, until golden and risen. Let cool slightly before eating as the filling will be very hot and firms up on standing.