Thursday

Natchitoches Meat Pies

I may live in the mountains, but I dream of the Deep South. I have family in New Orleans and I've spent a whole lotta time enjoying the downright crazy lifestyles of the folks who call Louisiana home.

So why would I bastaradize their time-honored tradition of the fried meat pie? I didn't! My aunt did.

For as long as I've known her, this life-long resident of Metairie, LA. has been trimming the fat off Louisiana cooking. (In this case, not much fat at all.)

Natchitoches Meat Pie
* The real Natchitoches meat pie is a hand-held, oil-fried masterpiece of flavors. Aunt Florence lightened this up with ground turkey vs. beef, baked vs. fried, pre-made puff pastry vs. homemade pie crust. So, I guess when you get right down to it, this thing tastes nothing at all like that famous pie. :)
  • 1/2 pound ground turkey
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1-2 tablespoons flour
  • Hot pepper sauce, to taste
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Puff pastry sheets
Cook turkey, pork, yellow onions, with the garlic and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Half-way through this cooking process, toss in the peppers and green onions. Spice it up however you please. Stir in the flour.

Drain any excess liquid from skillet, allow mixture to cool. Spoon this delightful mess onto a puff pastry sheet, roll it up. (Or, use puff pastry squares to create individual pies.) Brush with a mixture of egg and water. Bake @ 375 (F) for approximately 35 minutes.

Until the real ones are available west of the Mississippi, this recipe will have to do.

Cool place to stay in Natchitoches.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love your blog! I am frm Louisiana, having recently relocated to Wyoming. My first holiday to bake here, the pecan pie boiled over all in the oven. What do I do? Any help appreciated for this southern cook!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, and Thanks! :)

Culture shock!!!! I hope you're coping okay with the changes. Wyoming serves up a long, cold winter for a Louisiana girl...

Pies are challenging. From-scratch crusts generally need more liquid. At higher altitudes, it takes longer to bake pie fillings all the way through. Plus, our air is drier than lovely Louisiana.

As to why it boiled over, I'm not exactly sure but I can tell you I still place a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below my pies - because they can be a little unpredictable. I also wrap the crust edges with foil for the first half of the baking time - so crusts don't burn while the fruit takes it's good ole' time getting done.

I hope this helps!

Colorado Magnolia said...

I grew up in Natchitoches, LA! I now live in the mountains of Colorado....above 9000 ft!! SO happy to see this recipe. Can't wait to try it!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Love Natchitoches!
Love that whole area down there. Have family there, as I've mentioned. And, spent a whole lotta time in LA right after Katrina ~ working with Habitat for Humanity on the rebuilding. Hope you like the recipe. Plz let me know how it turns out! :))

L Fisher said...

Kate, I have 'pie savers' -- basically, flat round cookie sheets, fluted around the edges, with holes in the center so the bottom pie crust cooks nicely. I've never known another cook outside my family who has these ... ever seen/heard of them?