Old Fashioned Beef Pinwheels with Gravy

  

I wanted to share a really delicious recipe for using up leftovers with you today. Beef Pinwheels with Gravy. Its a really simple dish to make and a real family pleaser. 

Let it be noted you can make this same recipe with any kind of leftover meat or poultry and gravy. I have even made it with cooked fish with a white sauce as a gravy. 

 

My mother always told me I was the Queen of Leftovers.  I guess I have always been able to turn what is leftover from a dinner, no matter the dinner, into another delicious meal.

Its just what I do. I have always hated waste and try to use up everything that I can. It really irks me if I have to throw any kind of food away! Especially when there are people in the world that go hungry every  day on a regular basis.

 

This is a really simple way to make a little bit of protein go further. Although today I made the recipe specifically to feed just two or three people, I have also given quantities so that you can make the same dish for 4 to 6 people (depending on appetites.)

You can also use this recipe if you don't have any leftovers by browning ground beef, turkey, lamb, chicken or pork in the same quantities and utilizing the gravy recipe I shared yesterday.  

If you are a vegetarian, you can substitute your favorite vegetarian meat substitute for the meat shown here.  Soy mince, etc. all work fine and as I said if you are a pescatarian, you can use cooked fish.

Tuna and salmon are especially good.  In that case I would also add a bit of minced bell pepper to the fish.  Use a cream sauce, or basic béchamel in that case. 

You can even use leftover cooked vegetables.  That is how very versatile this recipe truly is.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BEEF PINWHEELS WITH GRAVY

Its a great way to use up any leftovers you might have from your roast dinner. Cooked meat/poultry and gravy. 

For the filling:

• finely chopped cooked meat
• grated onion
• salt & pepper
• parsley flakes
• gravy
• Worcestershire sauce

 

For the crust:

• all purpose plain flour
• baking powder
• salt
• butter
• milk

So you can see there is nothing extraordinary used here!  This is the type of recipe that kept homemakers going, staying within budgets and feeding their families economically for years!  Yes, simple old fashioned tastiness! 

 

HOW TO MAKE BEEF PINWHEELS WITH GRAVY

These are so simple to make, even a child could create them. It is composed of a simple biscuit dough, spread with a meat filling, rolled up, sliced, baked and then served hot with gravy! 

To make the biscuit dough, simply sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, then drop in the butter.  Cut the butter in using a pastry blender or two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Stir in the milk using a fork until you have a soft dough, then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times before patting out to a rectangle.

Don't pat it out too thinly or you risk tearing your dough when you go to roll it.

  

Making the filling is also very easy to do. Just mince your beef/protein into tiny pieces and then mix them together with the grated onion, a small quantity of gravy to bind, some seasoning and Worcestershire sauce.

You could add cheese if you wanted to, or even chopped olives, peppers, etc. Its all about what you and your family enjoy eating! 

You want your filling to be moist but you don't want it to be soggy, so do use caution when adding anything liquid to the mix.  You also don't want your meat shredded, so do chop as much as you can.

Spread the filling out on the patted out dough to cover it from end to end and edge to edge.  You then need to roll it up as tightly as you can, just like you are making a jelly roll, pinching the edges closed.

  

You will need a sharp knife to cut the roll into slices crosswise. You can also use dental floss if you have it. It gives you a nice clean edge.

Once you have it all sliced you need to pop the slices, cut side down into a buttered baking dish.  I apologize for using an old tinfoil plate.

 

When I was in the UK, I had tons of resources when it came to using dishes for baking and for presentation for that matter, and a lovely sunny window right next to my dining room table for taking photographs.

I don't have all of those resources here in Canada. I am slowly building things up again. I try hard not to think about what I had to leave behind.  

There is nothing to be gained from that. Instead I am moving forward with gratitude for just what I do have and using what I do have.

 

Unfortunately that means that occasionally you will see me using a tin pie plate leftover from a frozen pie, or the same dishes over and over again. I know that those of you who have taken this difficult journey with me will forgive me of that.

I am grateful for each and every one of you and all the support and help you gave me.  Its hard to believe that a year has passed since I had to make that very difficult decision and journey now.  

I could have never predicted just how well I would be doing just a year on from that sad, sad time!  I am blessed!

 

Anyways, back to the Pinwheels. I do hope you will be inspired to want to try them, whether you make the smaller version, or the larger version.  

Whether you use beef, or chicken or pork, lamb or fish, or even vegetables.

I do so hope that you enjoy the end results as much as we always have. Its a tried and true family favorite and a great way to use things up and stretch the budget without anyone feeling hard done by or deprived!

Beef Pinwheels with Gravy

Yield: 2 - 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min

These tasty beef filled swirls are an excellent way to use some of the leftovers from your Sunday dinner. Don't have beef? Why not try it with chicken or turkey? Lamb and pork would also work well. They are quite simply delicious. See recipe notes to double quantities to feed more.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250g) finely chopped cooked beef
• 1/4 cup (60g) leftover gravy
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 TBS finely grated onion
• black pepper to taste
• splash of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 cup (140g) all purpose plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBS cold butter
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk

• Extra gravy, heated
• your favorite vegetables to serve on the side

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450*F/ 230*C/ gas mark 7. Have ready a small pie dish that is well buttered.
2. To make the filling, mash all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. If you think it is a bit dry, you can add a bit more gravy or some mayonnaise. Its your choice. You want a moist filling, but not soggy.
3. To make the crust sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Drop in the butter. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blended or two round bladed knifes until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
4. Stir in the milk, using a fork to make a soft dough. Tip out onto a floured board and knead gently a few times to bring it all together and then lightly pat out to a rectangle that is roughly 4 by six inches in size. (Don't make it too thin of the filling will break through)
5. Spread the meat filling evenly over top of the dough. Roll the dough up tightly as for cinnamon rolls from the long edge. Cut the roll crosswise into 6 1-inch thick slices. Place the slices cut side down into the prepared pie tin.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until risen and golden brown and the meat filling has heated through.
7. Serve hot with extra gravy for spooning over top and your favorite vegetable on the side.

Notes:

To double up and feed six.

Quantities for the dough: 2 cups flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 4 TBS butter, 3/4 cup milk

Quantities for the filling: 2 cups minced beef, 1/2 cup gravy, 2 TBS grated onion, Worcestershire sauce to taste, black pepper to taste.

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