Khachapuri (georgian Cheese Pie)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the
middle. Pour in the egg, oil, and club soda and stir into the flour,
adding more club soda if necessary, ot make a rather soft dough.
Transfer the dough to a floured board and knead until smooth and
elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a
linen or cotton (not terry cloth) kitchen towel and let stand for 1
hour.  Divide the dough into four parts and shape each one into a
ball. Let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350
Degrees F. and butter two large baking sheets. On a floured surface,
roll out one of the balls into an 1/8-inch thick square. Brush the
dough with some of the melted butter Dip your fingers into the melted
butter and pull the edges of the dough in different directions,
stretching it evenly until it is almost transparently thin. Don't
worry if the dough tears, as you will be folding it up. With a sharp
knife, trim the edges of the dough to from an even square. Fold the
square in half, brush the surface generously with the melted d fold  in
half again crosswise to from a smaller square. It should be
approximately 6 to 7 inches. It is isn't, pull it out slightly to fit
the dimensions. Brush the square with butter. Shape one-fourth of the
filling into a ball and place in the center of the square.  Fold in
the corners of the square like an envelope. With the palm of your
hand, flatten the pie so it is about 1 inch thick. Brush the top with
melted butter and carefully transfer to a prepared baking sheet.
Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough and filling. Bake the
pies in the middle of the oven, until golden brown, about 35 minutes.
Serve warm.  Makes 4 Pies for 8 Servings  RED BEAN FILLING:  Drain the
beans and place them in a saucepan along with enough fresh  water to
cover by at least 2-inches. Bring to a boil and add salt,  then reduce
the heat to medium-low. Cook the beans, partially  covered, until
almost mushy, about 1 1/2 hours.  While the beans are  cooking, heat
the oil in a medium size skillet, over medium heat, and  add the onion
to saute it. Stir occasionally, until dark brown, about  15 to 20
minutes. When the beans are done, drain well and mash. Add  the sauteed
onions and their cooking fat and the cilantro.  Season  generously with
salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cool to room  temperature.  Makes
enough filling for 4 pies.  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection
at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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