Kids Cuisine

If your kids haven’t hit the magic years between roughly 8 and 18 when their interests suddenly explode in direct proportion to how much work and laundry you have and homework they have, and you’re spending more time on the sideline and in the bleachers than on the sofa, I have a few words of advice:

1. Rest up. And while you’re at it, save up. If gas is expensive now, who knows how much it’ll be by then.
2. Enjoy not going out. You will come to revere — that’s right, I said revere — nights when you just get to stay home.
3. Start a collection of grab-and-go meal ideas. Being prepared with an arsenal of meals that prep and cook quickly and can be eaten on the go will prove invaluable later. Trust me. You don’t want to find yourself in some fast-food drive-thru most nights of the week, on a first-name basis with the intercom, breathing the exhaust fumes of the car in front of you and pleading with your kids, again, to sub out the fries with the apple slices.

So, here’s one for that collection. Whether you call them fold-overs, pasties, or meat pies — depending on your geographic region (U.S., Great Britain, and Australia, respectively) — these savory Hot Ham and Cheese Pastries are fun to eat and a favorite of kids and adults alike.

Perfect for eating out of hand, these pastries are the perfect solution for lunch or dinner on the run. They’re great for sleepovers and impromptu driveway basketball tournaments, too. You can make and bake them in advance, then cool completely, wrap well in plastic, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in a toaster oven or conventional oven.

Feel free to modify ingredients according to your family’s preferences, adding chopped veggies or switching cheeses. You can replace 1 cup of the white flour with whole wheat flour for added nutrition.

Hot Ham and Cheese Pastries

For Pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 5 to 6 tablespoons ice water

For Filling:

• 1 cup chopped cooked ham
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces Neufchatel cheese (or light cream cheese)
• 2 scallions, green part only, sliced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 egg, beaten
• Grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle ice water over, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing crumbs with a fork. When the mixture forms large clumps and no fine crumbs remain, use hands to form dough into a disk on a well-floured surface.

Roll dough out into a rectangle about 1/8 thick. Cut dough into 5-inch squares and place on baking sheet.

Combine all filling ingredients except beaten egg and Parmesan cheese, mixing well. Place a couple of spoonfuls of filling on one half of each square of dough. Using your fingertip or a pastry brush, moisten the edge of dough with cold water. Fold over, press edges together, and crimp with a fork to seal. Poke each fold-over with the tines of a fork to allow steam to escape.

Brush beaten egg over each fold-over, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes about 6 pastries