Louisiana Hand Pies (Meat, Fruit, or Crawfish)

 

Pastry:

3 cups White Lilly Self-Rising Flour

1/2 Cup shortening or butter

1 Cup milk

Filling:

1 lb ground meat

1 lb breakfast sausage

1small onion diced fine

3 cloves  garlic 

Salt and pepper to taste

Make meat mixture first so that it can cool  Brown ground meat and sausage together   Add onion and garlic   Cook until softened    Season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.

Mix pastry as you would when making biscuits   Cut shortening into flour   Add milk and stir   Pour out onto floured surface.    Knead and add flour until you have a stiff dough that is not sticky. Divide into golf-ball sized pieces and roll each into a round circle about five inches in diameter. 

To make meat pies put one tablespoon of meat mixture in the middle of the pastry round, brush water on edge of round,  close round into a half moon, and use the tynes of a fork to seal pie.  Trim with a knife if needed    Bake or fry pies at 350 degrees until golden.

Note:  You can fill pies with anything you like including crawfish pie mixture or fruit filling.