We went to New Orleans back in 2023 and it was one of our favorite vacations ever. Our hotel was in the Garden District, right next to a Brothers Food Mart. One morning while I was taking forever to get ready; my husband walked over and bought some meat pies. He brought them back to the room and we fell in love with them. After that morning, we had meat pies from the corner store every day.
When we came back home I vowed to learn how to make them. I found a recipe for Natchitoches Meat Pies where I made my own dough and filling and that recipe directed me to bake them. They were really good and we loved them, but then I bought Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and found his recipe for Fried Cajun Meat Pies. In addition to the Cajun Meat Pies, Prudhomme has a host of other fillings, which we might explore here later all as they all sound promising.
But for now, I will bring you the most delicious recipe to come out of my kitchen in a while, Paul Prudhomme's Cajun Meat Pies.
We're going to start this conversation off by talking about the dough. The dough felt somewhat unusual to me, but who the heck am I to question Paul Prudhomme? So, here we go: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cold milk and flour. Now you might be wondering why am I adding sugar and vanilla to the dough if I'm making a savory cajun meat filling. TRUST THE PROCESS! The sweetness of the dough compliments the savory filling SO WELL!
If you take a look at the filling above it is swimming in buttery juices. We need to let the filling set in the fridge for awhile so the fat can combine with the filling (we don't want our meat pies to be dry). If you could make the filling the day in advance it would be even more flavorful the next day.
Then we want to get out our dough, cut it into sections, shape it into circles, fill the dough, fold it over and seal it with a fork. This is where I had a little trouble. I found that the first few pies I fried opened up and didn't seal properly with just the fork seal. So, I sealed them with a fork and then pinched the dough together, using my fingers and tried to create a bit of a lip before frying in the oil. This worked wonderfully and I would suggest the same for you!
In the picture below, my husband is holding a meat pie so you can see how delicious the insides look! The dough is slightly sweet and compliments the rich, savory, downright unctuous filling. The filling is PERFECTLY seasoned and every single bite is heaven. My 18 year old son was taking pies to everyone he knew and giving me hugs because he said it was one of the most delicious things I've ever made. We raved about these and will be making them when time allows as often as we can.
Cajun Meat Pies
Adapted from Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen
by Paul Prudhomme
Makes 8 pies
For The Dough
3 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons cold milk
About 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, in all
About 4 cups filling (recipe follows)
Vegetable oil, for frying
For The Hot Meat Filling
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
1-1/4 cups finely chopped onion
1-1/4 cups finely chopped celery
3/4 pound ground pork
1-1/4 tablespoons minced garlic
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
2-1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne pepper)
2-1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried sweet basil leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1/4 pound ground beef
2 cups coarsely grated red potatoes
1-1/4 cups beef stock
2/3 cup water
To Make The Dough: Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer; with dough paddle, blend on high until creamy. The blend in the following just until each is incorporated into the mixture: sugar, eggs (one at a time), vanilla and milk. Add 2-1/2 cups flour and mix on low speed until the flour won't fly out of the bowl when the speed is increased, about 5 to 10 seconds; then beat on high speed just until blended, about 5 seconds. Overbeating will produce a tough dough (NOTE- if your mixer doesn't have a dough paddle, knead in the last remnants of flour by hand). The dough should readily form a ball and hardly stick to the sides of the bowl; add more flour if necessary to achieve this consistency. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to roll out (dough can keep several days). Make the filling of your choice and set aside (directions for filling below).
To Make The Filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet (it may seem like a lot of butter, but just go ahead with it! Add the onions and celery. Saute over high heat until the vegetables wilt, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pork, garlic and seasonings and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beef. Lower the heat and simmer until meat is well browned, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping pan bottom as needed. Turn heat to high and continue cooking until meat is crisp, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the potatoes and stock; reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water and cook about 2 minutes more, stirring often and scraping pan bottom well. Cool in refrigerator at least 10 minutes before using. Makes about 5 cups or enough for 10 pies.
To Finish The Pies: Flour a cutting board with about 2 tablespoons of the remaining flour. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces (you'll have enough scraps to make 2 more pies). Sprinkle a little flour over each piece of dough and form it into a ball. Roll out each portion with a floured rolling pin to a circle slightly larger than 7 inches in diameter, about 1/8" thick. If the dough has been refrigerated several hours, it will tend to shrink after it's rolled. If this happens, roll it out as thinly as possible and wait 1 to 2 minutes before proceeding to the next step. Place a 7" salad plate upside down on the dough and cut the dough around it. Use a long knife if needed to loosen the dough from the cutting board. Lightly rub the top of each circle with flour and fold in half. Re-flour the board and rolling pin as needed.
If you made the filling several hours ahead of time, reheat it enough to redistribute the solidified fat. Unfold each piece of dough and put 1/2 cup of filling to one side of the dough. Spread the filling over half the dough to within 1'2 inch of the edge. Fold the circle in half over the filling; seal the edges by pressing firmly with a fork, making 1/2" decorative border. (Note: After forking the edges to seal, I liked to pinch the dough and make a lip in order to keep the dough sealed when frying). Trim the border neatly with a sharp knife to 1/4 inch.
In a deep pan or deep fryer, heat at least 2 inches of oil to 350F. Fry the pies until they are a rich brown color, about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, holding them down under the surface of the oil with a fry basket or large metal spoon. Do not crowd. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
When I think of Italian food I don't always think of pasta. I think of really simple fare. Dishes with a handful of ingredients. I think of things like a frittata. A simple egg dish with no more than five ingredients and no fussy presentation.
