Maison Louisiane

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Specialty Recipe

Natchitoches Meat Pies

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1-1/2 pounds ground pork

1 cup chopped green onions (tops and bottoms)

1 Tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon course ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coarse ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Crust:

2 cups self-rising flour

1/3 heaping cup Crisco vegetable shortening (not melted)

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk

Combine ground beef, ground pork, onions, and seasonings in large Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until meat loses its red color. Do not overcook the meat. Sift the flour over meat mixture, stirring often, until well combined with meat. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Place meat in a large colander to drain off excess grease and juice.

Crust: Sift flour and cut shortening into flour. Add beaten egg and milk. Form dough into a ball. Roll out 1/3 of the dough at a time on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth. Cut dough into 5- to 5-1/2-inch circles. I use the top of an old coffee pot, which is exactly the right size. I find it easier to cut out all the circles for the pies and place them on a cookie sheet, separated by waxed paper.

To Assemble: Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on 1 side of the pastry round. Dampen edge of pie containing meat with fingertips, fold top over meat, and crimp with fork dipped in water. Prick with fork twice on top.

To Fry: Fry in deep-fat fryer at 350 degrees until golden brown. These meat pies freeze beautifully if enclosed in plastic sandwich bags. When frying frozen meat pies, do not thaw before frying. Cocktail meat pies may be made the same way, using a biscuit cutter and 1 teaspoon of meat filling.

Makes: 26 to 28 pies (5 to 5-1/2 inches each).

• You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)

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