Trash Dumplings

These fridge cleaning nuggets were born out of early quarantine necessity. Like most people trips out of the house are made these days when things are really dire. You don’t just go to the store to pick up a few things these days. Makes you wonder when express lanes will become obsolete. Sweet or savory and for everything in between. Find some stuff nearing their end and put them in pie dough and you’ve got dinner. Or something.

TRASH DUMPLING DOUGH

10 oz. pastry flour

3.5 oz. cold shortening

3.5 oz. cold butter (dairy or non-dairy)

3 oz. ice water with 1/4 t. apple cider vinegar in it

pinch salt

The key to good pie crust is cold ingredients and minimal touch. If you can, scale and freeze the fats on a small baking sheet prior to use. It also seems really high maintenance to use ice water, but it will be worth it. And yes, so isl the vinegar addition.

Combine flour, salt, and fat with a pastry blender until you have a flour mix that looks like little frozen peas are in it. Add some of the water (but not the actual ice). Fold with a wooden spoon. If it looks really dry, add water as needed. Right before the mix is fully incorporated, lightly dust your work surface with flour and dump the mix onto said work surface.

Work with hands until just combined. Do not overdo it. Put in wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Cut dough into more manageable amounts, or just plop onto floured surface and roll out dough. Be sure to roll from the middle outwards. Again, sounds really picky, but pastry dough is a princess.

Cut into crescents or squares or really happy circles. Add whatever innards you wish to get rid of and top with more dough, or simply bundle up the packets as is. Be sure to cut some venting holes somewhere on the tops of your little dumplings to let hot air escape safely.

Bake at 365 or so until light golden brown. And everyone will say, “Trash Dumplings?” and then they will eat them and say, “Trash Dumplings!”