NAIJA MEAT PIES
Naija Meat Pies
Naija Meat Pies
Classic Nigerian style meat pies with Taste Tutor flavor!
Yield: 16-20 meat pies
PREP IT!
For Dough:
4 cups Flour, all purpose
2 teaspoons Salt
3 teaspoon Baking powder
2 tablespoons Sugar, granulated
½ cup (1 stick) Butter, salted, cold, cubed
½ cup Vegetable shortening
1¼ cup Heavy cream or Buttermilk, full fat
2 Eggs, large
½ cup Butter, salted, very softened
For Beef Filling:
2 tablespoons Oil
1 medium (½ cup) Carrot, fresh, diced small
1 small (1 cup) Onion, yellow, diced small
1 Habanero, minced
5 cloves (5 teaspoons) Garlic, fresh, minced
1 pound Ground beef, lean
1 small (½ cup) Potato, russet or yukon gold, fresh, diced small
1½ tablespoons Taste Tutor Seasoning 101
2 teaspoons Taste Tutor Jollof Seasoning
2 teaspoons Curry powder
2 teaspoons Thyme, dried
1 Bouillon cube, chicken or beef
2 tablespoons Flour, all purpose
1 cup Chicken broth, low sodium
1 Egg, large
1 tablespoon Water
MAKE IT!
For Dough:
Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar until evenly blended.
Using a fork or your hands, cut in the cubed cold butter and/or shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly like sand.
Gently fold in cream and whisked egg until a soft sticky dough forms. Roll dough into a loose ball.
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or until fat re-solidifies and dough is cold to the touch.
On a well-floured surface, using a well-floured rolling pin, roll dough out to ¼ inch thick.
Using a knife or your fingers, spread the ½ cup of softened butter across the entire surface of the rolled out dough.
Fold the dough into a trifold. Turn the folded dough 90 degrees and fold into another trifold. You will end up with a very thick chunk of square dough. Roll the square out into ½ inch thick rectangle. Fold the rectangle into another trifold.
Re-wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for an additional 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Tip: if you’ve planned ahead you can measure out all the ingredients separately and store them in the fridge before assembling your dough.
For Beef Filling:
In a sauté pan, over medium high heat, heat oil and add carrots and sauté 1 minute. Add onion, habanero, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent about 4 minutes.
Add ground beef and break up into small pieces. Add potatoes, Taste Tutor Seasoning 101, Taste Tutor Jollof Seasoning, curry powder, thyme, and bouillon cube. Sauté 10 minutes until beef is a nice brown color.
Add flour and chicken broth. Cook for an additional 2 minutes until the mixture comes together. Remove from heat.
For Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Once dough is chilled, cut dough in half for easily manageable rolling. Roll into a 17” x 17” rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired sized shapes and fill with 2 to 2½ heaping tablespoons of filling. I cut the dough into 5¼ diameter circles.
Brush the edges of the dough with water and seal them. Use a fork to crimp the edges to make sure it your meat pie stay closed. Using a fork poke holes in the pie so steam can escape. I poked the holes in the folded part of the meat pie so they don’t show up at the top because the top holes make me itchy. lol, I’m weird. I know.
Whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water to create an egg wash.
Place meat pies on a wire rack topped baking sheet or a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush top of meat pies with egg wash. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and flaky.
5¼ diameter circles
Filled meat pies
Store: in airtight container.
Reheat leftovers: in the oven to maintain crispy flaky texture.