Natchitoches Meat Pies

• 1 pound Lean Ground Beef
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 1 Medium Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, Cored, Seeds Removed Then Finely Chopped
• 2 stalks Celery Finely Chopped
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, Seeded And Minced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 Scallions, Thinly Sliced
• 1/2 cups Minced Fresh Parsley
• 1 Tomato, Finely Chopped
• 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoons White Pepper
• 3/4 cups Beef Or Chicken Stock
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 dashes Tabasco Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoons Sugar (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 4 Refrigerated Pie Crusts (enough For 4 9-inch Pies)
• 1 Egg, Beaten, For Egg Wash (if Baking)
• 1 teaspoon Water (for Egg Wash)
• Vegetable Oil, For Frying

1. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until crumbled and no longer pink.
2. Remove from the pan and drain off excess fat; set aside.
3. In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Add jalapeno, garlic, scallions, parsley, and tomato, and saute another 45 minutes, until vegetables are very soft and juicy.
6. Stir in thyme, oregano, paprika, chili powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, cayenne, and white pepper.
7. Add the reserved beef and pour in the stock, Worcestershire, and Tabasco.
8. Stir well and simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated but the filling is still a little juicy.
9. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, Worcestershire, or whatevers needed; or try adding 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar to mellow out the spices a little.
10. It works for me.
11. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir well to incorporate.
12. Let simmer over low heat another 34 minutes, until mixture is drier and well-blended.
13. Remove from skillet and let cool until room temperature (otherwise it will be too warm and will melt the pie dough).
14. If youre baking pies, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
15. On a lightly floured surface, place a fourth of the pie dough and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness (if you use prepared crusts, you can just unwrap them and slap em down).
16. Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut out 6 circles from each portion of crust (I cut 4 circles, then pressed together the scraps, rerolled and cut another circle, then formed a final circle out of the last bits).
17. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle (do not overstuff), fold the circle over, and crimp the edged with the tines of a fork.
18. Set on baking sheets until ready to bake or fry, and repeat with the remaining pie crusts and filling until you have 24 pies.
19. For frying: Chill the filled pies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before frying, to help them hold together.
20. Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet until its about 360 degrees F; you can check by throwing a small cube of bread in the oil, and if it starts to sizzle and turn golden and crispy after a minute or two, its ready.
21. If it immediately turns toasty, its too hot.
22. Lower pies gently into the oil in batches, without crowding.
23. Let cook on one side for about 23 minutes, until golden brown; gently turn pies over (I hold a dinner fork in each hand to do this) and cook the other side for 23 minutes, until golden brown.
24. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with remaining pies.
25. For baking: Brush each pie with egg wash (not a skimpy amountreally get it on there) and prick the tops a few times with a fork, to let steam escape.
26. Bake for 1517 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown.

ground beef, vegetable oil, onion, green bell pepper, stalks celery, pepper, garlic, scallions, fresh parsley, tomato, thyme, oregano, paprika, chili powder, salt, ground black pepper, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, white pepper, beef, worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, sugar, allpurpose, pie crusts, egg, water, vegetable oil

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/natchitoches-meat-pies/ (may not work)