Mince & Rice Pie (Lihapiirakka) is a true Finnish classic, a very retro dish that’s guaranteed to satisfy your savoury cravings. There are different types of traditional ‘meat pies’ in Finland, this recipe comes in a shape of a traybake with this super tasty homemade pastry. However, for a quick version you can use shop-bough pastry too. Mince & rice pie makes a lovely weekend treat for the whole family, but it’s also great party food as you can slice it into any size bites! And no, in case you are wondering it has absolutely nothing to with English mince pie!
Mince & Rice Pie
🍴 Servings: 8 – 10 (or up to 24 *)
🕒 Hands-on: Over 30 minutes
🎛 Cooking time: ~ 30 minutes
⏲ + Resting the dough, at least 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Pastry dough
- 250g butter, softened
- 250g fromage frais
- 100g (1.5dl) flour
- 200g (3dl) wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling
- 160g (2dl) long grain/pudding rice
- 500g beef mince (12% fat)
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ – 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- ⅛ – ¼ tsp paprika
- ⅛ – ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
Plus
- oil, for frying
- beaten egg, for brushing
- poppy seeds, to decorate
- ketchup, to serve
STEPS
1 Mix the fromage frais with the softened butter in a mixing bowl.
2 Mix baking powder with the flour and add to the butter mixture. Quickly stir everything together, you may need to use your hands as the dough is quite stiff (although do not try to knead it). Once all flour is incorporated, shape into a log and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
3 While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. For the rice, cook it according to package instructions in salted water.
4 For the mince, first cook the onions in a glug of oil on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Then turn up the heat to medium-high and add the mince. Break it up with a wooden spatula, season and fry until brown.
5 To finish the filling, mix the rice and mince together. Set aside. Once the mixture has cooled down a bit, stir in the raw egg.
6 For the pastry: take the rested dough out from the fridge and cut in half. Put the other half back in the fridge while you roll out the first half. To do this, place a baking paper on top of your work surface and lightly dust it with wholemeal flour. Place the dough in the middle, and sprinkle a little more flour on top. Roll out the dough into a rectangular (about the same size as your oven tray, 37cm x 25cm) and lift on the oven tray.
7 Next, put the filling on top of the dough, spreading it evenly with a back of a spoon. Do not cover the whole pastry, leave about 5-10mm rim around the edges.
Turn the oven on now, preheat it to 200℃!
8 Take the remaining dough from the fridge and repeat step 6. Once rolled, lift the baking paper and place on top of the filling, dough side down. Tap the baking paper with your hands, gently pressing it down and then peel it off. Seal all edges with your fingers.
9 Prick the pastry with a fork and then brush with the beaten egg. Finally, decorate with poppy seeds if you wish. Cook in 200℃ (fan) for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving and serve with ketchup!
Notes:
- Pastry dough — The dough is very easy to make, but it’s not the easiest thing to work with as the butter/fromage frais mixture makes it quite soft and it can sometimes get stuck and tear. However, if the dough is chilled properly before using this should prevent the butter from “melting” and makes it easier to work with! If you struggle rolling it, just pop it back in the fridge for an extra half an hour or so and this should do the trick
- Serving —The mince & rice pie can be eaten both hot or cold, personally I prefer it hot (with ketchup)! Also, the pie is even better the next day as the flavours develop after it’s been refrigerated
- Shop-bought pastry — If making pastry is not your cup of tea or you simply prefer a quicker version, try the recipe with shop-bought pastry. 500g puff pastry and you’re good to go!
* The servings you get depends on how you’re planning to serve the pie: if you’re having it as a “main”, I’d say then it’s only about 8 servings. However, if you wanna serve it as a snack when having friends around, you could get up to 24 small slices!
For more detailed mince cooking instructions, check my page SIMPLE BEEF MINCE!
Main equipment:
Large frying pan → mince
Medium saucepan → rice
Medium mixing bowl
Chopping board + knife
Measuring cup
Rolling pin
Cling film (optional)
Baking paper
Pastry brush (optional)
Large oven tray (38cm x 26cm)
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