Tex-Mex Hand Pies -- A Pi Day Main Dish

One of the fun challenges of Pi Day every year is trying to come up with something new to serve for dinner.  It has to be pie, of course, but what kind?  Pizza pie, pot pie, quiche?  We have had a lot of pot pies over the years--and since I frequently make a shepherd's pie in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I was looking for something else  to fix for dinner.  This year, I ran across this recipe at the Homesick Texan's food blog. 

It was almost exactly what I was looking for, and I easily adapted the recipe to work with what I had on hand and my family's taste preferences.  I loved the idea of cheese in the crust, though I changed that to Cheddar Jack, to get a little more kick into the dough.  I also changed the lard to shortening and doubled the crust recipe.  (The original recipe had you making about double the amount of filling needed, which is nonsense.  Might as well use it up right then.)  I also tweaked the filling to use more Cheddar Jack, and I added a ground beef/ground turkey option for those who can't find chorizo.

If you can find it, Mexican chorizo adds quite a bit of kick to the bland beans.  Don't use Spanish chorizo, though--it has a completely different flavor.  If you can't find chorizo or have allergies, use extra lean ground beef or turkey and just add a packet of taco mix to the meat after browning, the same way you would if you were making taco meat for tacos.

Hand pies (meat pies or pasties) are a centuries-old tradition that started out as a savory dish, but has evolved to include fruit fillings, as well.  You can fill the pastry with everything from sauteed greens to leftover stew and then close them up and fry then.  If you don't like them fried, feel free to bake them.  (Though frankly, considering the fat content of the pastry & filling, particularly if you use sausage, I am not sure you are saving much by baking them.)  My reason for baking them sometimes, is that it is much simpler; I can just pop them in the oven and walk away while I set the table or do something else.  Serve them hot or warm with salsa and sour cream, if desired.  4-6 small pies is an adult serving.

Tex-Mex Hand Pies  -- Yield:  about 24 small pies
Crust:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated Cheddar Jack (4 ounces)
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup cold water, or more as needed to make the dough

Filling:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
1/2 pound Mexican chorizo sausage (or extra lean ground beef/ground turkey mixed with 1/2 envelope taco mix after browning for flavor) 
15 oz. can refried beans
2 jalapeños, seeded, stemmed, and very finely minced
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Jack (6 ounces)

Vegetable oil for frying
Salsa and sour cream for serving

For the crust:  Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter until the pieces are about the size of peas.  Add the water, one tablespoon or so at a time, just until the dough begins to cling together and there is very little flour left that hasn't been moistened. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate while making the filling. 

For the filling:   Saute the onion in the oil until the onion is golden.  Remove the casing from the sausage and add it to the pan along with the jalapeño.  (Or alternately, use ground beef/turkey and when brown, add 1/2 an envelope of taco mix and cook according to directions.)  Be sure to break up the meat as it cooks so you have nice, small pieces.  Stir in the refried beans and heat through.  Add the cheese, mix the filling thoroughly, and remove from heat. 

To make the hand pies:  Roll out the prepared crust until it is about 1/8" thick and cut 3-4" circles out of the pastry.  (If you don't have a cutter that size, you can use a small plastic lid pressed into the dough or cut around a small plate with a paring knife.)  Re-roll the scraps and cut more circles until all of the dough is used up.  You should have about 24 circles. 

Wet your fingers in some water and run it along the edge of a circle of dough.  Put a heaping Tbsp of filling in the center, fold the dough over and press the edges shut with your fingers.  Press the tines of a fork over the sealed edges.  Repeat with the remaining circles of dough and filling.  (If you do have extra filling, you can use it for a dip or inside tortillas.) 

Heat oil in a heavy skillet to 350F.  (I use a candy thermometer, but this is about 2-3 minute preheat on medium on my stove.)  Oil should not be smoking.  Cook pies in batches, about a minute or so per side until they are browned and crispy.  Drain on paper towels.  Alternately, preheat oven to 375F and bake on a baking sheet for about 25-30 minutes until browned.