Note: If you’re reading this and you aren’t familiar with an Italian beef sandwich from Chicago, I’ve written about that in another packed-full-of-content blog post. Click the photo or title below to go read about Italian beefs.
Italian beef sandwich
Read more about the Italian beef sandwich and check out recipes for the bread, giardiniera, beef and tips for making good beefs at home.
read more …
Now it’s time to get down to business.
The Italian beef toaster pastry
Let’s get real, these would be Italian beef poptarts, but that’s probably a registered trademark and we don’t want to get sued so we’ll just call it an Italian beef toaster pastry.
Note: this recipe is using sliced roast beef and a simple au jus, if you want a more authentic Italian beef toaster pastry, you can make beef and gravy with my Italian beef sandwich recipe.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 pound deli-sliced roast beef
- 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
- 2 tablespoons giardiniera
- 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon of water
The toaster pastry process
First, you’re going to need some puff pastry. You can make this yourself, but it’s very difficult. Don’t do it. Just buy it from the freezer section of your grocery store. Note: you need to thaw puff pastry out to work with it. Just put it on the counter for a couple of hours.
Make sure your puff pastry is thawed and unfold it.
I want to cut this into four equal-ish pieces so I pinch the seams a little and roll it all with a rolling pin, but you really don’t need to do this.
Cut it into four equal squares. The two on the top are going to be the bottom and the ones on the bottom will end up being the top. Sometimes life is difficult.
Scoop out about 3 tablespoons of meat from the meat/au jus and place it in the center of two of the squares.
Top the meat with a tablespoon or so of giardiniera.
Whip up an egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Using your fingers or a brush, spread the egg wash liberally around the edges of the squares holding the meat/giard. This egg wash will help things stick together.
Place the bottom squares on top of the meat/giardiniera.
Using a fork, press the edges together and make sure to poke some holes in the very top with the fork. The holes on the top will let steam out so that hopefully you will not have any explosions. Beefsplosions.
Transfer over to a parchment-lined sheet pan or cookie pan. You might need a knife or spatula to lift these up and move them easily. Alternatively, do all of this on the parchment so you can move it easily.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 25 to 30 minutes.
The recipe
Italian beef toaster pastry
You can make these Italian beef toaster pastries in just a few minutes, but you'll remember them for a lifetime. If you want to make your own sliced beef and broth, you can follow my Italian beef recipe. Otherwise, this is a cheater method for a quick beef-like treat.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 pound deli sliced roast beef
- 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
- 2 tablespoons giardiniera
- 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Add broth, oregano, and garlic powder to a small pot and bring to a boil.
Chop meat roughly and add to the broth. Reduce heat to a simmer while you prep everything else.
Make sure your puff pastry is thawed and unfold it.
If you want, you can pinch the seams where the puff pastry was folded and roll it all with a rolling pin.
Cut the puff pastry sheet into four equal squares.
Scoop out about 3 tablespoons of meat from the pot with the meat and broth and place it in the center of two of the squares. Do not discard any leftover broth.
Top the meat with a tablespoon or so of giardiniera.
Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Using your fingers or a brush, spread the egg wash liberally around the edges of the squares holding the meat/giardiniera. This egg wash will help the two pieces of puff pastry stick together.
Place the bottom squares on top of the meat/giardiniera. Using a fork, press the edges of the two pieces of puff pastry together and make sure to poke some holes with the fork at the very top of the sealed pastry. The holes on the top will let steam out so that hopefully you will not have any explosions in the oven
Transfer over each puff pastry pocket to a parchment-lined sheet pan or cookie pan. You might need a knife or spatula to lift these up and move them easily. Alternatively, do all of this on the parchment so you can move it easily.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy. Serve any leftover broth on the side for dipping.
Serve with some extra au jus for dunking if you want.
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