Mini Meat pies!

We had an event this past weekend which presented us with a bit of a logistical challenge.

The site we normally use was unavailable to us, and the site we were able to get instead had a lovely large industrial kitchen..... and we didn't have access to the industrial range.  We're a small shire, with limited resources, and we couldn't risk paying the additional fee for the stove usage.  The site DID have, though, a small "efficiency" kitchen down the hall, with a four burner electric stove, oven, and microwave.

So, really, this isn't so bad.  It just meant that very little actual cooking could be done on site... it was more of a "bring and reheat" sort of menu, which is actually quite fine, because it means most of the "labor intensive" cooking can be done ahead of time, which is nice.

For one of our courses we chose to make miniature meat pies.  These little pastry nibblets are not only tasty, they're super cute!  And they lend themselves to so many interesting decorating concepts.... We chose predominantly clovers (as it was "The Feast of Saint Patrick"....) and seeblatts (one of the elements of our Shire arms) as our primary themes for this batch.


The recipe was a combination of various "meat pie" recipes I've used in the past.  We wanted something that was modern enough not to freak people out, but was medieval enough to give that special feel to this dinner course.   Finger foods are always fun, too!  (Plus, the kids can help with the decorating!  Bonus!)

To make these little gems:


Filling:

• 1 lb ground meat (we used beef)
• 1/2 cup minced onions (optional - we left them out)
• 1-2 cloves finely minced garlic (optional - we left them out due to allergy concerns in a few of our attendees)
• 1/2 c wine (use a wine that you'd normally drink with whatever meat you're using - we used a red wine)
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional - we used almonds)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Other spices to taste (optional - go crazy!  I like nutmeg on meat, but experiment!)

In a skillet over medium heat cook your ground meat until it's no longer pink.  Drain any accumulated grease.  Add the nuts (and the onions/garlic if you're using them) and cook them with the meat a few minutes, then add the wine and reduce the heat, allowing your mixture to simmer and reduce for about 15-20 minutes. stirring frequently.  Your filling should be fairly moist, but not sitting in a puddle of liquid in the pan.  Season to taste and set aside to cool.

Pastry:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese (we used cheddar)
• 3/4 c evaporated milk
• 1 Tbsp vinegar (we used rice wine)

In a bowl combine the flour and salt, whisking until blended.  Cut in the shortening and cheese until mixture resembles crumbs.  Combine the evaporated milk and vinegar, then gradually mix into the dry ingredients and mix *JUST* until it forms a ball.  Divide in half, and on a well-floured surface  roll out to approx 1/8" thickness.  place half the circles 2" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Top each with about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the meat mixture.

At this point if you want to get fancy with your "lids" carve designs into the center of the remaining circles, leaving enough space around the outer edge to allow for crimping.   My kids helped on several of the lids with simply a wooden skewer (think punched tin art....).  Otherwise you can just vent them by poking them with a fork in the center or cutting a slit in the center with a paring knife after you've sealed them.

Place your lids on top of the filled bottoms.  Moisten edges with water and press with a fork to seal.  Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve immediately, or cool, wrap and freeze for up to 2 months (we reheated by putting them in a steam table tray and warming them, but you could also pop them into the oven at 350 until they're hot and serve!)

This recipe makes about 18 mini pies.  We figured 2 pies per person as a serving, as they were not the "main event" of the course they were in.  You can really play with the recipe (I am thinking about doing a chicken taco filling, honestly!), and you could even go vegetarian if you wanted!