Natchitoches Meat Pies

Let's take a trip down south, to northern Louisiana. Why?  Because I decided to try my hand at it's State Meat Pie, the Natchitoches meat pie.  In case you were wondering, it's is pronounced NACK-uh-tush.  Unfortunately, I have been pronouncing it phonetically for awhile now and I think I'm past the point of no return.  

There is an entire festival dedicated to this delectable pie.  And yes, this festival has officially made the "must travel to" list. That, of course, means I need to start pronouncing Natchitoches properly...wish me luck.

When weekend rolled around and I was putting my shopping list together, I decided that since I really had no idea what I was doing, I would (aside from adding a few spices) follow the official recipe.  Except for a few differences in filling, it seemed to be very much in the empanada family.  No complaints there!  I did choose to bake these pies.  My track record with fried foods is horrendous and I figured this recipe could withstand a healthier cooking method.

Natchitoches Meat Pie

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 tsp. shortening 

1 lb. ground beef 

1 lb. ground pork meat 

1 bunch green onions - chopped 

1 pod garlic - minced 

1 orange bell pepper - chopped 

1 medium onion - chopped 

1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Dough:

4 c. All purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder 

1/2 cup shortening + 1 T
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Directions:

Melt the shortening in a large stock pot. Add the meat and cook until it is no longer pink - about 10 minutes.  Add the vegetables and seasoning, cook for another 10 minutes.

I really like the color that the bell pepper adds!

Once everything is cooked through, stir in the flour.  Continue stirring until sauce thickens - about 3 minutes.

Take the filling off the stove and set aside while you make the dough.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Cut in the shortening, creating crumbles.  Beat the eggs and milk together.  Gradually stir then knead into dry ingredients until proper consistency to roll. Break into small pieces and roll very thin. Cut into rounds using a bowl as a guide.

To assemble:

Place about 1 1/2 spoonfuls of filling onto one half of the round.

Wet the edge of the meat half of the round with water and fold the other half over, making edges meet and seal. 

 Form edges with a fork and cut slits into the pie to allow steam to vent during baking.

Preheat your oven to 400F.  Brush the pies with an egg wash and bake for 30 minutes or until brown.

These things were so amazing.  The crust came out nice and crisp.  The smell of the filling was phenomenal, the spices really came through in the smell.  Standing by the oven while they were cooking was sheer torture.  This is comfort food at its finest!

Beef Risotto Stuffed Tomatoes

If you read last week's post, you know I began a quest to make recipes involving each state's food.  We had pecan and blackberries for Alabama and today we have tomatoes and rice for Arkansas.

Tomatoes and rice, tomatoes and rice...really? I'm not sure what I think when I think about Arkansas, but I doubt tomatoes and rice would have ever made the list.  Apparently I need to become better educated on agriculture in the South.

Anyway...when I thought about these two ingredients, it didn't take long for the word "stuffed" to get thrown into the mix.  I was imagining something along the lines of a stuffed pepper, just subbing tomatoes for peppers.  Then I remembered that I had arborio rice in the pantry.  Then I thought about the ridiculous amount of ground beef I had in the refrigerator from the grocery store's stock up sale and that pretty much sold me on the latest recipe.

I realize it does sound completely random...tomatoes stuffed with beef risotto.  Even the beef risotto sounds weird.  I promise you, once the asparagus and goat cheese get added all is right with this recipe.

Beef Risotto Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

8 lg tomatoes

Salt & Pepper

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb asparagus - cut into 1 inch long pieces

1 shallot - diced

1 lb lean ground beef

1 c. uncooked arborio rice

1/2 c. white wine

4 c. beef broth

4 oz. creamy goat cheese

2 oz. crumbled goat cheese

Directions:

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and remove the center.  

Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper then place upside down on a baking sheet. Let them rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the risotto.

In a large pot, over medium high heat, melt butter and add the vegetable oil.  Add the cut asparagus and cover.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the diced shallots and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.  

Add the ground beef and cook until it is no longer pink. Add arborio rice and mix well.  

Add the white wine and cook until it has evaporated completely.  Begin adding broth, a 1/2 cup at a time, adding the next 1/2 cup once the previous one is completely absorbed/evaporated.  I suggest start taste testing at 3 cups of broth, you want the rice to be fully cooked but firm.  Once the desired consistency has been reached, remove from heat and add the creamy goat cheese.  Mix until fully incorporated then set aside.

Set oven to broil and remove tomatoes from the refrigerator.  Tomatoes should be drained of their excess liquid by now.  Clean off the baking sheet and put the tomatoes back on it, right side up.

Once the oven is heated, broil tomatoes for about 7 minutes. Skin should be just beginning to brown and blister.

Once the tomatoes are done, remove from oven, and reduce heat to 350F.  Fill the tomatoes with the risotto and top with the crumbled goat cheese.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Mmmmmm, these were tasty.  The goat cheese gave a nice tang to the savory nature of this dish.  Having the meat prepared with arborio rice made it a very hearty dish.  Even the largest of the tomatoes could only hold about 1/4 cup of filling, so two of them together made for a great lunch.