Meat Pies

by Jefferson Munroe

Essentially a glorified meatloaf, feel free to flavor the Meat Pies as you prefer. I’ve included two spicing schemes, one for summer, one with a wintry spin, but you should feel comfortable to adlib outside the standard salt and pepper. When you’re eating this hearty pie, you should keep in mind that you’re consuming higher amounts of the B complex vitamins than in any other meat dish.

Ingredients

  • Almond Crust:
  • 1½ cups blanched almond flour
  • ½ tsp. sea salt
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. water
  • Meat Pie:
  • 1 lb. beef hearts, trimmed and cubed
  • 4 ounces slab bacon (or pork belly)
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large egg
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Summer Seasoning Mix:
  • ½ bunch parsley, chopped
  • 3 sprigs rosemary, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried), chopped
  • Winter Seasoning Mix:
  • ½ tsp. grated nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. ground allspice
  • 1 Tbsp. hot paprika
  • 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
Meat Pies

Sybil Teles

When you’re deciding whether to make these in a pie pan, muffin tin, or pastry molds, keep in mind that you want to get the internal temperature to 160˚F. I usually pull the pie out at 150˚F and let it rest for 20 minutes before checking to ensure we’ve achieved food safe conditions. Served with a healthy dollop of mustard, a light watercress salad, a glass of wine or sparkling grape juice, and then you’ve got the perfect picnic fare.

Almond Crust

This is a close adaptation from Elana Amsterdam’s excellent Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, but any flakey pastry crust will work. The almond flour is preferred because it gives the crust a wonderfully nutty flavor.

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil and water. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Press the dough into a 9-1/2 inch pan or 6 muffin tins.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.

Meat Pie

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat in olive oil until softened and golden. Add either seasoning mix (or your own) and cook until fragrant,
then remove from the heat and allow it to cool. When it cools, grind meat and fat together with ¼-inch grind plate. Mix meat, egg, salt, pepper, and onion mixture together. Once thoroughly mixed, cook up a small patty to check for seasonings. Adjust if necessary, then pile the mixture into the crust. If you’re baking a pie, it should take around 45 minutes to cook, and muffins should take only around 20, but be sure to use a thermometer to check to see if it is done (160˚F).