4 c Flour – all-purpose 2 c Onions – extra-finely
2 ts Baking powder -chopped
1/2 c Crisco shortening 1/2 c Shallots – finely chopped
2 Eggs 1/4 c Bell peppers – finely
2 c Milk – whole milk -chopped
MEAT MIXTURE: 1/2 c Celery – finely chopped
2 tb Crisco oil 2 tb Parsley – finely chopped
2 tb Flour – all-purpose 1 1/2 ts Salt
1/2 lb Ground pork – lean 1 ts Cayenne – or more to taste
1 1/2 lb Ground beef – lean 1/8 ts Sweet basil
PASTRY MIX:
THE PASTRY: Start off by sifting the flour and the baking powder
together at least twice, and preferably three times. Then, using your
hands, blend in the Crisco thoroughly (you know you got it right when
the flour turns crumbly). Next, add the eggs and whip them into the
flour, then pour in just enough milk to make a stiff dough. When
it’s at the proper consistency, put it on a lightly floured surface
and roll it out very thin (actually as thin as you can get it). To
make the crust of the meatpie, put a saucer atop the rolled-out
flour, and, with a paring knife, cut out circles the same size as the
saucer. This recipe, if rolled thin enough, will give you 16 pies.
THE MEAT PIES: Now take a skillet and make a light brown roux with the
flour and oil. Then add the vegetables, meat and seasonings all at
once and stir everything together well, making sure the roux coats
all the other ingredients. At this point, reduce the heat and
*gently simmer* the mixture until all the additives are cooked
thoroughly. You will need to “taste” several times during the
simmering process to be sure the seasonings are right. Now, after
the mix is cooked, place it aside and let it cool to room
temperature. When you’re ready to prepare your pies, lay out the
crust and *half-fill* with the meat mix. Then fold the crust over
evenly onto itself, dampen the edges slightly with water, and crimp
it with a fork until well-sealed. (And don’t forget to pierce the pie
once in the center with the point of a paring knife. This allows
excess steam to escape and keeps the crust crispy.) Now deep-fry the
pies (uncrowded) at 325 degrees until golden brown. Then place them
on paper towels to drain (with the pierced side down). Serve hot with
Dijon mustard sauce.
NOTE FROM FRANK: Do not substitute oil for shortening in the pastry
mix, otherwise the crust will crumble and fall apart. If you prefer
not to fry the pies, you can bake them in the oven at 325 F until
golden brown, but you will have to turn them over once for
uniformity. Incidentally, if you want to make shrimp, crawfish, or
crabmeat pies… use this same recipe and merely make the
substitutions. It’s that easy!
Yields
6 servings