Natchitoches Meat Pies with Spicy Creole Aioli

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• For the Filling
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 lb Ground Beef
• 1/2 lb Ground Pork
• 1/2 Cup Spanish Onion, finely diced
• 1/2 Cup Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 Cup Celery, finely diced
• 1/2 Cup Green Onions
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
• Kosher salt, black pepper, and Cayenne to taste.
• 1/2 Cup Beef Stock
• 1/8 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 4 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Iodized Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cup Lard
• 1 Egg
• 1 Cup Milk
• Spicy Creole Aioli
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 scallions including green tops, minced
• 3 tablespoons Creole mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
• Instructions
• Add all ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir until fully combined.
• Serve immediately, or for optimal flavor, allow the aioli to chill for a minimum of 1 hour to allow the flavors to set.

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 50mins
Adapted from nolacuisine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, when hot add the ground meats, cook until browned and cooked through. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, and green onions, cook until the vegetables are wilted. Add the garlic, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and seasonings, cook for 2 minutes more. Make a slurry of the stock and flour, add to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Combine the dry ingredients in the mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, with the speed on low add the lard to the dry ingredients and let the mixer cut it in until the fat is broken up into pea sized pieces. Beat the egg and combine with the milk. Add the wet to the dry with the mixer on low, in a slow steady stream. Mix until the dough just comes together. The key is to not overwork the dough.
Cut the dough in half then roll it out to 1/8 inch thickness on a floured counter. Cut into either the more traditional 5 inch circles or as I did about 3 circles, I used an empty French Market Coffee can.

To assemble and cook:

Place 1 heaping Tablespoon (doubled for the larger size) of the cooled mixture to each circle. With your finger wet the edge with a little water, fold over and crimp with a fork. Set aside on a floured surface until ready to fry.

Heat 4 inches of oil in a dutch oven to 360 degrees. Fry the meat pies in small batches until golden brown on each side.