Escanaba — As a new U.P. resident, I figure I better get to working on earning my Yooper title. I need figure out what they eat.
A local might say: “Pasties, and um hearty food,” or “pasties and venison… that’s about it.”
A friend of mine sent me her pasty recipe. There are two things you ought to know: Lard is important, and you need to make the dough ahead of time.
After making the dough, it’s pasty making time. You need potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, and a ground meat of choice. We just butchered a hog, so that’s what I used.
Mix the chopped vegetables, ground meat, and salt & pepper to taste, and add a little bit of garlic powder if you’re feeling fancy.
The pasty originally came to Michigan through the Cornish miners in the 1800s, during the copper rush. These handheld pasties are hearty food and were easy to take down into the mines for a 12-hour shift.
Later, the Finns joined the migration to the Upper Peninsula and added rutabaga to the recipe. Many U.P. residents have been using the same recipe for generations.
This simple meal doesn’t have complicated flavors, but it’s full of enough protein and complex carbs to keep a rugged Michigander full and warm in the cooler months.
After you assemble the pasties, cook them at 350 degrees for an hour, and once cool, wrap them in tin foil.
I’ve found that 15 minutes warmed up on the buddy heater makes for a delicious meal for the deer blind.
Pasties for 4
The crust:
2 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup lard
11-13 tablespoons of ice water
Mix and set in fridge wrapped up over night
The filling:
1 lbs of ground meat
4-5 potatoes
3-4 carrots
1 rutabaga
1 large white onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Fill the crust and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Once they cool, wrap them in foil for easy reheating. Or enjoy right away with ketchup or gravy.
Savannah Schlehuber is a former girlboss exploring the rural midwest while embracing humor and curiosity.
