Meat Pies: Bake Some Tudor Fast-Food

British Meat Pie

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

Originating in Cornwall, South West England, the British meat pie is an oven-cooked pastry case traditionally filled with diced meat, potato and swede (rutabaga). Today it is usually filled with ground beef (beef mince) or steak. Meat pies are semicircular in shape, caused by folding a circular pastry sheet over the filling.

Meat pies were an easy food to carry and eat at a town market or fair.

Go to the supermarket with an adult and pretend you are at market in Tudor England. Search for the ingredients you need for the recipe below and make these hand pies for your next party! Don’t forget to make your shopping list first!

Ingredients:

½ pound sausage or ground beef

¼ c. chopped onion

1 diced celery stalk

1 diced carrot

½ c. mashed potatoes

Salt and pepper

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough

1 beaten egg

What to do:

Brown the meat in a skillet with onion, celery and carrot.

Add mashed potatoes and salt and pepper.

Roll out biscuit dough and cut into 12 three-inch rounds. * A glass or cup is a good biscuit cutter.

Top each round with a spoonful of meat filling and fold in half.

Pinch edges of dough to seal.

Brush top of pie with beaten egg.

Make slits in the top of the pie (a cross shape).

Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown – about 15 minutes.

Enjoy your Tudor fast-food treat! Mmmmmmm!!