Meat Pie, Meet Pot Pie

So, this is not a recipe per say as much as some inspiration for those of you that like to cook but may be afraid to venture too far from your recipe books.

My Girl was at home today, not feeling very good, so to make her feel better I asked her what she wanted me to make her for dinner. Being that she wasn't feeling very well, and obviously not thinking clearly, she said she wanted a meat pie. OK, Dad made a mean meat pie....I think I can handle that. Then as the conversation went on, the meat pie started sounding like a pot pie...you know, chunks of beef in a gravy with veg. While asking more questions, I realized that we may be looking at a marriage between the traditional meat pie and the traditional pot pie. Sure, why not.

I figured the idea was to bring the tastes of the meat pie: thyme, sage and cloves and marry that to ground beef (vs a mix of pork and beef or beef chunks) in a pastry pie with vegetables. I've got to admit, I've never made pie crust before, but certainly knew what I needed it to come out like...flakey....but not too flakey. After some research I got the feeling that that could be achieved with a blend of shortening and butter...vs one or the other.

Check the fridge, we've got carrots, celery, brown mushrooms, green pepper, onion, and let's not leave out the garlic.

I browned up a couple pounds of lean ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper and poured in some beef broth once the ground beef was about 1/2 cooked. I let that simmer until the broth reduced to a "juicy" consistency. I always remember my Dad making meat pies and complaining that they ended up dry. Learn from your elders....something my son seems to dismiss...though I digress.

I poured the meat into a bowl and added the chopped up veg combo to the pan. Sauté that until what I figured was al dente. I added back the 3/4 cooked beef and juices and reduced that somewhat. I sifted in some flour to thicken it up into a gravy-like consistency. Fast forward....I should have reduced it further. Though it appears to be minimal liquid in the pan, there was more to come from the veg (in particular the mushrooms I suspect) to give you the necessary juiciness my Dad's meat pies were lacking.

A pat on the proverbial back is required for my first attempt at pie crust....damn that turned out well. I'll pass the recipe on in a further post. I decided that because this was likely to be a juicy "pie", I'd bake the bottom crust first and bailed when it was about 3/4 cooked. I bailed too early as it turns out. Cook the crust fully....with the extra juices produced, it won't over cook later.

Easy Peasy, dump your meat mixture into the pie, cover with the top coat of pastry....make cut outs like a face...Shelley's contribution and bake that at 325 degrees until the top crust is browned nicely. About 30 minutes if the wine allows me to remember correctly.

This meal surprised my sick girl and I. It had all the French Canadian flavours of a meat pie with the comfort food aspect of the beef pot pie.

Enjoy experimenting.