Nigerian Meat Pie – 10th Day of Christmas

The oh so famous Nigerian Meat Pie! Oh how i love meat pies. I remember always getting excited and looking forward to these at parties! Use this recipe for when you want to entertain guests or for when you are feeling a bit nostalgic. Enjoy!

Dough

4 cups of Flour

1 Tablespoon (2 teaspoons) of baking powder

500 grams (1.1 lbs) of Margarine – 2 cups

1 Teaspoon of Sugar

Pinch of Salt

1 cup of cold water

2 eggs

Meat pie filling

2 large Irish potatoes

2 medium carrots

1.5 Lbs of ground beef

1 medium bulb of onion

1 small scotch bonnet pepper

2 cooking spoons of Vegetable Oil

2 cubes of Maggi

1 teaspoon of thyme

2 tablespoons of plain flour

Cold water – 1 cup / 250 ml

1 pinch of salt

Items needed while making meat pie

• Oven
• Fork
• Roller or smooth bottle
• Meat Pie cutter or the lid cover of a small pot

How to make pie filling

1. Was and peel potatoes and carrot. Dice potatoes and carrots
2. Wash and dice onions
3. Place large pot on medium-high heat
4. Pour in 2 cooking spoons of vegetable oil let heat up for about 1 minute
5. Add in diced onions and let fry for a bit. Add in potatoes and carrots, stir and let fry for about 2 mins. Add in ground beef, sir and let fry till most of the beef cooks.
6. Add in thyme and stir
7. Slowly add 1 cup of water. Cover the pot and let boil for about 10mins or until soft.
8. Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with half cup of cold water. Pour mixture into pot. This helps make sure filling does not dry up while baking in the oven.
9. Add in salt to taste, stir ingredients again and turn off stove. Let simmer until pot becomes cool.

How to make Meat Pie dough/crust

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Mix in baking powder, salt and sugar (optional).
2. Scoop margarine from bowl and place in center of the flour bowl. Rub/Work margarine into the flour in little bits using your finger tips. Continue to work in margarine until it all starts to feel like breadcrumbs.
3. Slowly pour in bits of the cup of cold water while kneading the dough. Knead into a stiff ball. Make sure dough is not too hard or too soft. If it becomes too soft, add more flour to help make it stiff.
4. Let dough sit for 5 to 7 minutes. This makes the dough more elastic

Putting it all together

1. In a small bowl, beat eggs until smooth
2. Cut a portion of the dough and place on a flat board dusted with flour.
3. Using a baking roller of a cylindrical bottle, flatten dough till its about half an inch thick.
4. Using a meat pie cutter or the cover of a small pot/saucepan, cut flattened dough in a circle and peel off the edges from the cutter.
5. Place 1-2 tablespoons full of filling in the center of the cut dough
6. With a basting brush, lightly dust edges of the dough with eggs (this helps the edges hold when folded)
7. Gently fold the dough in half to cover the filling. Dip a fork in the eggs and use to mesh edges together.
8. Brush folded dough with eggs to give that classic golden brown meat pie look.

Preheat oven at 375 degrees

Grease non-stick baking pan with 1 teaspoon of margarine

Place meat pies on baking pan and bake for 30-45 minutes checking halfway