Recipe Collection: Philly Cheesesteak Pockets

Written by Kate Tietje

These are kind of complicated.  But also yummy.  I think my perception of how long they take is skewed because I made about four other dishes simultaneously and spent two full days in the kitchen.  That’s okay.  As usual, they are freezable, so you do all the work once and have days of meals.

They start with a soaked crust and marinated meat, so they do need to be prepped the night before you want to assemble them.  The prep only takes 10 – 15 minutes, though.  They are just a perfect lunch paired with a salad or fruit.  They can be reheated (my preference) or eaten cold.

You don’t have to stuff these exact ingredients in these.  You could put any combination of meat, cheese, and veggies in them.  This is just the first one that I tried.  They could be pizza pockets, turkey and cheese, Italian sausage and veggies, whatever you have on hand.

Philly Cheesesteak Pockets

Dough Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup olive or coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup water
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Meat Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. top round roast, sliced thinly*
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Vegetable Ingredients:

• 4 – 5 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly
• 6 – 8 slices of Swiss cheese

*Take advantage of having a local butcher, if you can find one, and ask them to slice the meat for you!  I imagine it would have taken me a good 30 minutes, maybe longer, to slice the meat myself, and I would have never gotten it very thin.  But I asked the butcher to do it for me, and it was awesome.  I also had twice this amount of meat, froze some of it marinated, and cooked for a dinner meal another day.

Directions:

Step 1: The night before, mix together wheat flour, honey, and oil.

Step 2: Add water and stir to form a stiff dough.  Cover and put in a warm place.

Step 3: Place all the meat into a large glass bowl.

Step 4: Add the lemon juice, onion, garlic, and spices, then add water to cover.

Step 5: Let all of this sit overnight!  The easy part. 🙂

Step 6: In the morning, add the egg, yeast, and salt to the dough.

Step 7: Use your hands to mix it in briefly until the dough is mixed but sticky (just a couple of minutes).

Step 8: Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.  It will still be fairly stiff.  Return it to the bowl and set it aside to rise until doubled 3 – 4 hours.

Step 9: When the dough is risen, divide it into 12 – 15 small balls and set them aside to rest.

Step 10: Chop all your veggies.

Step 11: Saute the veggies until softened; set aside.

Step 12: Fry all the meat.  You will probably need to cut it into smaller pieces — at least I did.  Cook it for 3 – 4 minutes per side until cooked through.

Step 13: Roll out the dough in a long oval.

Step 14: Place some veggies and meat on part of it.

Step 15: Top with half a slice of cheese.

Step 16: Fold over the other side and pinch closed carefully.

Step 17: Repeat the process for each ball of dough.  Place them all on a large cookie sheet.  Allow them to rise for about an hour.  Alternatively, you could freeze them at this point (before rising), but they would need to sit out for several hours to thaw and rise before baking.  That makes them a less quick lunch option than freezing them post-baking.

Step 18: Bake at 350ºF for 15 – 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to bags and place in the freezer.  Yummy!

What would you stuff in your “pockets?”