Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies Recipe | Hank Shaw (2024)

Home | Appetizers and Snacks | Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies

5 from 14 votes

By Hank Shaw

September 19, 2022

Comment

Jump to Recipe

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Behold the glory that is lihapiirakka, Finnish meat pies made with a yeasted bread dough and fried. You can fill them with anything from beef to grouse, and they are an amazing appetizer, lunch or trail snack.

Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies Recipe | Hank Shaw (2)

I love cooking Scandinavian food, and I love making various meat pies, from Cornish pasties to Mexican empanadas to sturdier pies filled with venison. So this was a great bit of synergy.

I’d heard of lihapiirakka, which are pronounced something like “LEE-hah-PEE-rah-kuh,” on various food TV shows, and I’d eaten the hybrid pasty-lihapiirakka in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. But a recipe eluded me.

Until I found one in The Finnish Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas. She offers a variety of fillings and doughs, but the one that interested me most was her yeasted dough. This sets lihapiirakka apart from, say, pasties or fried empanadas, which are made with a pie dough, and since they are fried, not baked, the end result will be different from bierocks, which are bready and baked.

Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies Recipe | Hank Shaw (3)

As for the filling, ground beef is traditional, but I am not traditional. But I did want to go with something culturally relevant, so I used willow ptarmigan I’d hunted in Alaska. Ptarmigan are a species of grouse that live in the high latitudes of the world — both here in the US and in Scandinavia.

Generally speaking, lihapiirakka are filled with ground or shredded or diced meat and onions cooked in butter, chopped hard-boiled egg, and cooked rice.

Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies Recipe | Hank Shaw (4)

Rice in Lihapiirakka

The funny thing about the rice is that it’s always short- or medium-grained rice, not long. I am not sure why, but a wild guess is that the Finns get their rice from Italy or Spain, where shorter grain rices rule.

This matters with lihapiirakka because if you want to eat them cold, or room temperature, short or medium-grain rice is vital. Long-grain rice gets brittle and chalky when eaten cold. Short rice, which has a different starch structure, stays tender and nice.

So my advice is to get some arborio or Japanese rice from the supermarket and cook it according to the directions. You need the rice to be cooked and cool before assembling the meat pies.

Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies Recipe | Hank Shaw (5)

The Dough

The dough in these lihapiirakka is bread-like, a yeasted, rich, brioche-like dough that’s very soft. Because it uses yeast to rise, you need to make the dough for the meat pies a couple hours in advance.

Most recipes ask you to roll out the whole dough and cut disks out, but that’s silly. Better to separate the dough into about a dozen balls, then roll those balls out.

Even better? Skip the rolling pin and use a tortilla press. Yep, this bit of cross-cultural wizardry makes rolling out the lihapiirakka way, way easier.

Once made, your meat pies will keep in the fridge a week or so, and they freeze well. Freeze after frying. And they are good cold, but even better reheated in a toaster oven at 390°F for about 5 minutes.

Other Meat Pies to Try

I have a wide selection of other fantastic meat pies you might want to try. Some are bready, others use pie crust, some use other doughs. Keep in mind the filling meat can really be whatever you have lying around.

  • Venison pasties. Cornish meat pies filled with ground or diced beef or venison, carrots and rutabagas in a bready crust.
  • Venison mincemeat pies. This winter treat is well worth the effort – a little package of sweet, tart, savory, fatty, and crunchy.
  • British game pie. A game pie is a classic hand pie made with a hot water crust and whatever wild game you have handy.
  • Fried empanadas. This one’s a pie dough made for frying. You can fill them with anything.
  • Mexican masa empanadas. This is a corn masa dough, a little more fragile than a wheat dough, but lighter and crispier.
  • German bierocks. Imagine a nice bread roll stuffed with meat, onions and sauerkraut.
  • Plantain empanadas. This gluten-free dough mixes masa flour with mashed plantains. Delicious, and it browns nicely.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below; I’d love to hear how everything went. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me athuntgathercook.

5 from 14 votes

Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies

These are delicious meat pies filled with meat, rice, onions and boiled eggs. For a vegetarian option, switch the meat for chopped mushrooms.

Save RecipePin RecipePrint Recipe

Course: Appetizer, lunch, Snack

Cuisine: Scandinavian

Servings: 10 servings

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 3 hours hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

DOUGH

  • 1 packet dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup whole milk, heated to steaming, then cooled
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup melted butter

FILLING

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 small yellow onion, minced
  • 1 pound ground or diced meat
  • Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
  • 4 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
  • 1 cup cooked rice, cooled
  • Oil for frying

Instructions

DOUGH

  • Dissolve the yeast in the warm water; warm means about 98°F. Let this sit 10 minutes, then add it to a large bowl with the milk, salt, beaten egg, and sugar. Mix well.

  • Add 2 cups of flour and mix until well combined. Pour in the melted butter and incorporate that into the dough. Now stir in the remaining flour until you have a soft but workable dough; you might need an additional 1/2 cup of flour. Knead it until smooth, about 5 minutes.

  • Grease a bowl, then roll the dough ball in the oil, then cover the bowl in plastic wrap. Let this sit in a warm place for 1 hour. Punch the dough down, reform into a ball and let it sit, covered, for another 30 minutes. Separate into 12 equal sized balls and set them in the bowl, covered.

FILLING

  • When the dough begins its first resting period, cook the onion and meat in butter until browned, adding the salt and white pepper near the end of cooking. Move the meat and onions to a bowl to cool. Mix in the cooked rice and the chopped boiled egg and caraway seeds if using.

TO FINISH

  • Add about 1 to 2 inches of canola, vegetable or other high smoke point oil to a large frying pan set over high heat. You want the oil to hit 350°F.

  • As the oil is heating, either roll out a disk with a rolling pin or use a tortilla press to flatten out a ball of dough. Add a couple tablespoons of the filling to half of the disk, then fold over the other half to form a half-moon shape. Press to seal with your fingers, then with the tines of a fork. Set each pie aside until the oil is hot.

  • Turn the oven to 200°F and set a baking sheet in it. Set a cooling rack over the baking sheet.

  • I find I can fry two pies at a time while making the rest, but I make a lot of pies. Start slowly if you're new at it. You only need to fry the pies until they are pretty and golden, maybe 2 to 3 minutes per side. Flip only once. Set the finished pies on the rack in the oven while you do the rest.

  • Serve hot out of the fryer, or save them for lunch the next day!

Notes

Make sure the rice is short or medium grain! Look for Japanese rice, or risotto rice like arborio. Those are easy to find in supermarkets.

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 585IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Appetizers and Snacks, Pheasant, Grouse, Quail, Recipe, Scandinavian

You May Also Like

Recipe

Wild Rice Salad

A fresh and bright wild rice salad recipe that mimics Crisp and Green’s “wild child” salad. I use grouse, wild rice and dried wild berries.

Venison

Venison Liver and Onions

Venison liver and onions is a bedrock deer liver recipe you will want to learn. I normally don’t like liver, so this recipe is for skeptics like me. I genuinely loved this dish.

American Recipes

Oyster Stew

A recipe for Southern oyster stew, a simple, brothy, creamy soup that highlights fresh oysters. It’s a tradition in the South and, surprisingly, the Midwest.

Recipe

Panzanella di Mare

Panzanella di mare is an Italian bread salad with tinned fish. This is a winter panzanella with black kale, squash and sage. It’s versatile, too.

About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Lihapiirakka, Finnish Meat Pies Recipe | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

Which country has the best meat pies? ›

The Top 10 Best Meat Pies in the World
  1. Aussie Meat Pie (Australia) Image Source: Durant Weston via Flickr CC BY 2.0. ...
  2. Beef and Guinness Pie (Ireland) ...
  3. Sfija/Sfeeha (Lebanon) ...
  4. Shepherd's Pie (Great Britain) ...
  5. Kreatopita (Greece) ...
  6. Pork Pie (Great Britain) ...
  7. Pastilla (Morocco) ...
  8. Pirog (Russia)

What is a New Zealand meat pie? ›

In Australia and New Zealand, a meat pie is a hand-sized pie containing diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms, or cheese and is often consumed as a takeaway food snack. Meat pie. A typical meat pie with tomato sauce.

What pastry is meat pie made from? ›

Shortcrust base: Make and blind bake Shortcrust Pastry per that recipe using a 23cm/9” pie dish, whether using homemade or store bought. Preheat oven: Turn oven up to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan). Fill pie: Bring filling to room temp, do not use fridge cold. Puff pastry lid: Partially thaw puff pastry (do not cut).

What are meat pies called in England? ›

Meat pies are generally called pies, though can be called different things depending on the contents, Steak and kidney pie, meat and potato pie, Chicken and mushroom, Turkey, cheese and onion pie and so on. Sometimes the pie might reflect the gravy the filling was cooked in like Steak and Ale pie.

What is the meat pie capital of the world? ›

The city of Natchitoches in northern Louisiana (named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe, pronounced NAK-uh-tush) offers a regional delicacy popular since the late 1700's – the Natchitoches meat pie. Activities at the annual Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival include a meat pie cooking contest and meat pie eating contest.

What is meat pie called in the USA? ›

A pot pie, in US and Canadian dialects, is a type of meat pie with a top pie crust that is commonly used throughout the continent, consisting of flaky pastry.

Which country invented meat pie? ›

Historians have recorded that the roots of pie can loosely be traced back to the ancient Egyptians. The bakers to the pharaohs incorporated nuts, honey, and fruits in bread dough, a primitive form of pastry. Drawings of this can be found etched on the tomb walls of Ramses II, located in the Valley of the Kings.

Why is it called crack pie? ›

Actually, this pie got its name simply because it's addictive like crack (yes!); and then it landed on our table. The pie was insanity-sweet, rich, buttery, and certainly tasty though quite heavy.

Why is it no longer called crack pie? ›

Name change

Some food writers and others have criticized naming foods including Crack Pie after addictive substances as insensitive and offensive. In May 2019, Devra First of the Boston Globe criticized the name in a column for making light of addiction by alluding to the addictiveness of crack cocaine.

What ethnicity is meat pie? ›

History. The origins of the meat pie have been traced back to the Neolithic period, around 6000 BC. Versions of what are now known as pies were featured on ancient Egyptian tomb walls, and in ancient Greek and Roman texts.

What is a fancy name for meat pie? ›

What is another word for meat pie?
casserolestew
covered dishpot pie
gallimaufrybourguignon
oliopot-au-feu
meat dishmeat stew
4 more rows

Are meat pies healthy? ›

Sadly, they're not great as a regular part of your diet. An average individual meat pie provides around 450kcal, but the biggest problem is the 12g of saturated fat inside it – that's more than half the daily guideline. If you have buttery mashed potato or chips on the side, the fat content of your meal is even higher.

Why is the bottom of my meat pie soggy? ›

Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven. The layer will absorb moisture and prevent the filling from turning the crust soggy.

What are pies called in Scotland? ›

A real Scottish favourite, the Scotch pie has been made in Scotland for at least the last four or five hundred years. The first filling was spiced mutton and sometimes you'll still find Scotch Pies called a Mutton pie, although now minced lamb or beef is more commonly used.

Who won best meat pie? ›

Queensland's Paradise Bakehouse wins title of Australia's best meat pie | news.com.au — Australia's leading news site.

Which country invented the meat pie? ›

Meat pies are a European invention, with roots going back to ancient Greece and Rome. Pastry shells made by combining flour and water were filled with meat and cooked under coals.

Which country has the most delicious meat? ›

A Global Meat Lover's Guide: Countries to Find the Best Meat
  • Argentina: A Beef Paradise. It's no secret that Argentine cuisine revolves around beef, and for a good reason. ...
  • Japan: A Taste of Luxury with Wagyu Beef. ...
  • Australia: Land of the Outback and Tender Lamb. ...
  • United States: A Smorgasbord of Meaty Delights.
Sep 26, 2023

Where is mincemeat pie popular? ›

Over the centuries, the historic pies have traveled all over world, ever popular in the U.K. and some parts of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., canned mincemeat filling became popular during the Prohibition era because they had alcohol content.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Margart Wisoky

Last Updated:

Views: 6272

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Margart Wisoky

Birthday: 1993-05-13

Address: 2113 Abernathy Knoll, New Tamerafurt, CT 66893-2169

Phone: +25815234346805

Job: Central Developer

Hobby: Machining, Pottery, Rafting, Cosplaying, Jogging, Taekwondo, Scouting

Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.