Natchitoches Meat Pies

In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until crumbled and no longer pink. Remove from the pan and drain off excess fat; set aside.

In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeno, garlic, scallions, parsley, and tomato, and saute another 4–5 minutes, until vegetables are very soft and juicy.

Stir in thyme, oregano, paprika, chili powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, cayenne, and white pepper.

Add the reserved beef and pour in the stock, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Stir well and simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated but the filling is still a little juicy. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, Worcestershire, or whatever’s needed; or try adding 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar to mellow out the spices a little. It works for me.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir well to incorporate. Let simmer over low heat another 3–4 minutes, until mixture is drier and well-blended. Remove from skillet and let cool until room temperature (otherwise it will be too warm and will melt the pie dough).

If you’re baking pies, preheat oven to 425ºF.

On a lightly floured surface, place a fourth of the pie dough and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness (if you use prepared crusts, you can just unwrap them and slap ‘em down). Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut out 6 circles from each portion of crust (I cut 4 circles, then pressed together the scraps, rerolled and cut another circle, then formed a final circle out of the last bits). Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle (do not overstuff), fold the circle over, and crimp the edged with the tines of a fork. Set on baking sheets until ready to bake or fry, and repeat with the remaining pie crusts and filling until you have 24 pies.

For frying: Chill the filled pies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before frying, to help them hold together. Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet until it’s about 360ºF; you can check by throwing a small cube of bread in the oil, and if it starts to sizzle and turn golden and crispy after a minute or two, it’s ready. If it immediately turns toasty, it’s too hot. Lower pies gently into the oil in batches, without crowding. Let cook on one side for about 2–3 minutes, until golden brown; gently turn pies over (I hold a dinner fork in each hand to do this) and cook the other side for 2–3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with remaining pies.

For baking: Brush each pie with egg wash (not a skimpy amount–really get it on there) and prick the tops a few times with a fork, to let steam escape. Bake for 15–17 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown.