"A welcome treat"
I am privileged today to share a delicious recipe for meat pie from Anne Mann’s cookbook, “Anne’s Favourites” – a cookbook I use regularly. Thank you so much, Anne, for allowing me to post your recipe.
In addition to earning a BASc in Nutrition, Anne owned Armstrong’s Home Bakery in Lucknow, Ontario for many years, and is an expert baker and cook. I hope that you will visit her wonderful blog at www.annesfavourites.ca to check out more of her recipes. These days, she is working on “adapting her favourites for Celiacs” but her blog includes many recipes that anyone can enjoy.
Anne’s Favourites can be purchased in Ontario at Sewing Galore in Wingham as well as Cliff’s Plumbing and Heating in Lucknow and Fincher’s in Kincardine and Goderich. I would highly recommend it as a gift or a special treat for yourself. Many Armstrong’s favourites such as Butter Tarts, Cappuccino Flats, and a host of delicious soups can be found within its pages, along with great recipes for all kinds of other meals and baked goods. This cookbook will not disappoint!
And honestly, either will this meat pie. I love that this dish uses ingredients I usually have in the fridge or freezer. I was also able to use up some cooked breakfast sausage that was hanging around in the freezer. My pastry was courtesy of Armstrong’s Home Bakery (as usual), because, frankly, why bother trying to improve on perfection?
Aunt Aggie's Meat Pie
I never tasted anything better than the meat pie Aunt Aggie brought the day I came home from the hospital with my third son. It was such a welcome treat with a new baby and 2 toddlers to look after. I have made it often since and never tire of it. Since it is rich, like all meat pies, I like to serve it with a green salad to add some extra nutrients.
Recipe courtesy of Anne Mann, Anne's Favourites
Serves 4-6
Pastry for 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, sliced
8 oz mushrooms (optional)
1 cup peas (optional)
1 pkg gravy mix to yield 1 1/4 cups, best available
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cook sausage in oven or on stove until they are well done and drain on a paper towel.
Brown ground beef until all the pink is gone, drain and set aside.
Pour off fat and cook onion and mushrooms in the same pan until soft, about 5 minutes.
Cook carrots in a small amount of water until tender crisp, adding peas at end of cooking time.
Prepare gravy mix according to package directions. I use water from cooking vegetables
but am careful to first combine the gravy mix with a little cold water.
Slice sausage into pieces less than 1/2 inch thick.
Mix sausage, ground beef, onion, cooked carrots and peas with gravy.
Pour into prepared pie shell, wet edge of bottom crust, cover with top crust, seal and flute.
Cut vents in top crust and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.
Variation: Biscuit Topping
Instead of pastry you may use biscuits to top your deep dish meat pies.
Make biscuits according to recipe, pg 105, and place over hot filling. I would bake the filling for 15 minutes before adding the biscuits and continue baking until filling is bubbling and biscuits are set and browned.
Serving Suggestions
As Anne mentions, I like to serve this with a lovely green salad as well. Verdict
This meal is hearty and comforting, and good enough to serve company. It is even enjoyed by the boy who has always said he doesn’t like meat pie… Dad requested it for lunch on day two, and although the filling did need to be ground for him, he was able to eat the crust as it was. The flavour was delicious and different from other meals we had eaten lately. He loved it!
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