Nigerian Meat Pie: Savory Beef Hand Pies

I know  π (pi) day is well behind us, March 14th (3.14), but today, I will be sharing one of my favorite savory pie recipes (pun only slightly intended): Nigerian meat pie. These Nigerian meat pies are beef hand pies that are delicious snacks and make for a quick yet hearty lunch . They are better made in bulk because they vanish quickly! This recipe may take a little bit of time, but it is  quite delicious and totally worth it. Whenever I bring this snack to an office party it’s always a hit. I may substitute the beef with different types of meat, depending on what I have available,  and it always turns out just as great.These Nigerian meat pies are best eaten warm as a snack, and make a perfect potluck dish.

I made the pastry from scratch, but feel free to buy store bought pastry. I prefer homemade dough personally and discovered a way to make the perfect, flakiest pie crust ever. Feel free to check that out if you need to elevate your meat pies even further.

Nigerian meat pie, one of my favorite hand pie recipes somewhat similar to empanadas can be made with different types of meat. Perfect for sharing.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 peeled and diced potatoes
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 medium sized carrot diced
• 1 poblano/ green pepper diced
• 1 habanero pepper diced
• 3 garlic cloves diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chicken bullion
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp thyme
• 3 tbsp oil
• For dough:
• 3 cups flour
• 1 stick 1/2 cup cubed cold butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup icy cold water
• 1/4 cup milk to glaze the pies.

Instructions

1. In a hot skillet on medium heat, pour in oil, and saute onions until translucent.
2. Add chopped vegetables: potatoes, carrots, and peppers, and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Toss in seasoning: garlic, salt, bullion cube, turmeric, and thyme.
4. Turn up the heat up to high, and add ground meat, stir continuously until the meat is fully cooked (approximately 10 minutes)
5. Once the meat is cooked, set the filling aside and allow to cool completely before assembling the pies.
6. Whisk together flour salt and baking powder.
7. Rub the butter into the flour, with your finger tips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining.
8. Add cold water 1 table spoon at a time and mix with a spatula until pastry is combined and rest in the fridge.
9. Preheat oven to 375F
10. Once filling is completely cooled roll out pastry on a clean floured surface to about 1/4th of an inch thickness.
11. Cut out 6 inch circles with a pastry cutter, and place about 2 heaping tablespoons of filling close to one edge of the pastry circle.
12. Cover and seal pie. edges with a fork.
13. Using a pastry brush, brush hand pies with milk and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
14. Allow pies to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

More Delicious Recipe Nigerian Meat Pie: Savory Beef Hand Pies@yummymedley.com/