Best Merseyside Meat Pie Recipes

MERSEYSIDE MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Brown beef with onion.
• Add diced potatoes, carrots, beef bouillon cubes, worcestershire sauce.
• COVER with enough water to barely cover potatoes.
• Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender.
• Add flour/water mixture and stir until mixture boils and thickens (depending upon how much water you put in at beginning, you may want to add more flour/water mixture; filling should be nice and thick (like a pot pie filling).
• Add lots of freshly ground pepper and salt if desired (I omit the salt).
• Let filling cool until lukewarm or refrigerate.
• Roll out pastry and put into a 9 inch pie plate.
• Put COOLED filling into shell, filling it nice and full.
• Top with second pastry and crimp edges.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Brush egg wash on top of crust.
• Continue baking for about 15 minutes or until crust is golden.

MEAT PIE WITH HOT-WATER CRUST

Steps:

• Ground Meat: In a large bowl, combine fatback, chicken livers, chicken thighs, and pork shoulder. Pass through medium blade of a meat grinder into another large bowl.
• Filling: In a small skillet, heat oil over medium-low; add shallots and cook until well caramelized. Let cool completely, then add to ground-meat mixture. Add fatback, chicken livers, chicken thighs, and pork shoulder; mix to combine. Add brandy, sage, thyme, spices, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix to combine. Fold in pistachios. Refrigerate, covered, while you make crust.
• Hot-Water Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center. In a large bowl, whisk together flours and salt. In a small saucepan, bring butter, lard, and 1/2 cup water to a boil, then remove from heat, pour over flour mixture, and mix with a wooden spoon until a ball of shaggy dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Divide dough in half; set one half aside. Cut remaining half into two equal pieces; wrap separately in plastic to prevent drying out. Working quickly (dough is best to work with while warm), roll out reserved dough half between two sheets of parchment to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using the base of a 10-inch springform pan as a guide, cut a round from dough; fit into bottom of pan, pressing into place and patching dough as needed. Remove plastic from one of the dough pieces. Cut dough into 4-inch wide strips; press up sides of pan to cover completely, rerolling dough and patching as needed (dough should come up sides of pan to reach top edge). Firmly press dough into place to ensure there are no holes. Reserve any remaining dough scraps. Brush dough with a thin layer of egg wash to prevent any leaks.
• Add filling to crust, smoothing surface with an offset spatula. Remove plastic from remaining piece of dough; on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch-thick round. Place round over filling; press edges to seal with dough on sides of pan. Create a vent by inserting the handle of a wooden spoon into center and making a hole. Make a second hole near edge of pie. On a lightly floured surface, reroll reserved dough scraps to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch leaf cutter, cut out leaves and score with the back of a paring knife. Brush bottoms of leaves with egg wash; adhere to top crust in a decorative pattern (be careful not to cover vents). Using a 3-inch flower cutter, cut out a flower and make a hole in the center. Place flower over vent in center of pie, making sure holes align. Transfer pie to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake until crust is golden and a thermometer inserted into vent reads 160 degrees, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Carefully remove from oven and gently remove sides of pan. Brush top and sides of crust with egg wash, then continue baking until deeply golden, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 2 hours.
• Aspic: Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Add to 1/2 cup heated chicken stock; let stand until gelatin has dissolved. Insert a funnel into vent along edge of the pie; slowly add stock mixture, a little at a time, so it does not overflow. Refrigerate pie overnight; bring to room temperature before serving.

MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place the potato in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, mash, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, crumble the ground beef and pork into a large saucepan, and add the garlic, onion and water. Season with mustard powder, thyme, cloves and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring to crumble the meat and mix in the spices, until the meat is evenly browned. Remove from the heat, and mix in the mashed potato.
• Place one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie plate. Fill with the meat mixture, then top with the other pie crust. Prick the top crust a few times with a knife to vent steam. Crimp around the edges using the tines of the fork, and remove any excess dough. Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust has browned. Serve by itself, or with a beef gravy.

MEAT PIE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine meat, mushrooms, egg, onion, breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt,and pepper, and mix lightly.
• Press mixture onto bottom, and sides of a 9 inch pie plate.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Mash potatoes, and milk together.
• Stir cheese, Parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon salt into mashed potatoes.
• Remove meat shell, from oven. Spoon or drain off any fat.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
• Fill meat shell with potato mixture.
• Return to oven. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
• Serve with brown gravy.

TOURTIERE (FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE)

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and frozen butter slices into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until butter is about the size of peas, about 30 seconds. Stir vinegar into cold water; drizzle water/vinegar into the flour mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly and holds together when you pinch a piece off, about 10 seconds. If dough isn't pressing together, drizzle in another teaspoon of water.
• Transfer mixture to a work surface. Press it together until it becomes a lump of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Mix salt, pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, clove, and cayenne together in a small bowl.
• Place potato quarters in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat. Simmer until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Scoop out potatoes and transfer to a bowl; save cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir garlic, celery, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with the spices, about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and ground pork. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the potato cooking liquid into the skillet.
• Cook and stir until meat is browned and has a very fine, almost pastelike texture. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Roll top crust out into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Cut small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Fill bottom crust with the meat mixture; smooth out the surface. Whisk egg and water together to make egg wash. Brush edges of the bottom crust with egg wash. Place top crust on the pie and press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough from the crust. Crimp the edges of the crust. Brush entire surface of the pie with egg wash.
• Place in preheated oven. Bake until well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.

GOOD OLD MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie crust out into a 12 inch circle. Set aside.
• Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add potato and onion, and cook until the onion is tender, but not brown. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and stir to blend. Season with oregano, black pepper and garlic powder. Pour in the beef broth, and add the peas, carrot and beef. Bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a 2 quart casserole dish, and place the pastry over the top. Cut slits for steam, and flute the edges.
• Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving to thicken.

MEAT PIE, SOUTHERN VERSION

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch dish with cooking spray.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef and ground pork. Cook and stir until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cover and reduce the heat to medium; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Make a well in the center of the skillet and put the minced garlic directly on the bottom of the pan. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds or until fragrant, and then blend the garlic with the meat mixture. Add the carrot, potato, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning blend, and salt and pepper.
• Dissolve the bouillon cubes in the hot water in a bowl, and pour it into the meat mixture; mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the carrots are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Lay one sheet of puff pastry in the prepared baking dish. Gently press the pastry into the corners and up the sides of the dish. With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat into the crust and spread evenly. Avoid adding liquid to the pie. Top with Cheddar cheese.
• Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the edges of the bottom puff pastry sheet. Lay the second sheet of puff pastry over the baking dish, pressing with a fork to seal the edges. Brush the surface with egg wash and pierce with a fork several times to vent the crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. Check after 15 minutes to prevent over-browning (tent with aluminum foil, if necessary). Remove the pie from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.