How to Make Tempting Belizean Meat Pies

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey offers lower fat content while ground pork is often less expensive.

all-purpose flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: corn flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber, while corn flour can be more affordable.

vegetable oil

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Olive oil is healthier, while canola oil is often cheaper.

potato

🥗Healthier: sweet potato

💰Cheaper: mashed cauliflower

Sweet potato offers more nutrients, while mashed cauliflower is lower in carbs.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the shortening with the flour mixture using your hands or a dough scraper until the flour becomes crumbly.

Add water, little bit at a time and mix until the dough just comes together. There is no need to knead the dough. Form the dough to a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Mix the spices together and then grind to a fine powder using a spice grinder or a high powered blender (Vitamix works well).

Transfer this mixture to a bowl and mix in the minced garlic and salt. Once mixed well, add the vinegar and mix until you have a thick paste.

Preheat the oven at 375 F in the convection setting.

Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat and once hot, add olive oil. Add the chopped peppers, onions and the scotch bonnet peppers. Season with a pinch of salt and sauté until they soften.

Add the ground beef and break any large chunks down using a wooden spoon. Continue to cook until the meat is almost all the way brown and then add the dried spices (thyme, paprika, black pepper, cumin, cayenne) and the recado paste. Mix really well and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the spices have cooked well.

Add Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and then cook out the tomato paste for 1-2 minutes. Then, mix it in with the minced meat. Add the chicken bouillon paste and cook it out for 1-2 minutes before mixing it well with the minced meat.

Add 1/2 - 1 Cup of water and bring the mixture to a gently simmer. Cook on low until you have a thick gravy. If necessary you may thicken the mixture further using corn flour, especially if you used chicken stock instead of bouillon paste.

Taste and adjust for seasoning and then transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator until it is at least at room temperature. You may remove any excess fat from using a lint free paper towel or by draining it out.

To prepare the meat pies, remove the dough from the fridge and dust some flour on your countertop. Roll out the dough until around 1/8th of an inch thin.

Spray olive oil over a muffin tray and using a ring mould that is larger than the mouth of the muffin tray portions, cut out circular pieces of dough. Make sure to leave enough dough to prepare smaller circular dough pieces to cover the meat pies.

Arrange the large pieces of the dough in the muffin tray portions, making sure it reaches the bottom and the sides snugly fit in the tray. Add 1-2 Tbsp of the meat filling and then cover each portion with smaller circular portions of dough to finish prepping the meat pies.

Poke holes over the top of the pie to allow steam to escape and then whisk 1 egg with 1 tsp of water to prepare an egg wash and brush the tops and edges of the pie portions.

Place the muffin tray in the oven and bake until golden brown - about 20-25 minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens