SLOPPY JOE POT PIES
Serves 6.
Note: From "Dinner Pies," by Ken Haedrich.
• Tender Buttermilk Biscuit Crust (see recipe)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 green or red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes, with its juice
• 1/2 c. ketchup or Heinz chili sauce
• 1/4 c. barbecue sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 c. grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
Line a small baking sheet with a piece of plastic wrap. Dust with flour.
Make Buttermilk Biscuit Crust and divide into 6 equal pieces. With floured hands, shape dough pieces into balls and place on baking sheet. Gently flatten into disks about 1/2 inch thick, wrap and refrigerate.
To make filling: Heat olive oil in large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Sauté vegetables for 7 minutes, then stir in the meat and garlic. Brown meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
Add tomatoes with juice, ketchup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard and chili powder to meat. Stir in 1 1/4 cups water, the Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper to taste. Bring mixture to simmer, and cook gently until meat is coated with sauce, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning as needed.
While meat cools, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan or ramekins or other individual oven-safe dishes.
Work with 1 piece of dough at a time (leave remainder in refrigerator), flour work surface and gently roll or pat dough into circle 5 inches in diameter. Place 1 circle of dough in each cup/ramekin, and press evenly, until edge of dough is even with top of cup.
Divide filling evenly among dough shells (fill right to top). Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle an equal amount of cheese over each one, and continue to bake just long enough to melt cheese, about 5 minutes more.
Transfer pan to cooling rack and cool for about 10 minutes. Remove from pans/dishes and place directly on rack for a few minutes before serving.
Tender Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
Makes enough for 6 individual servings or 1 large pie.
• 2 c. flour
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
• 3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. cold buttermilk
Directions
Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Add butter to dry ingredients. Toss lightly to coat butter, then cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles a coarse meal, but with some small pea-size pieces of fat remaining. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.
When ready to bake, make a well in dry mixture and add buttermilk all at once. Mix briskly until dough forms. Dust dough, your hands and work surface lightly with flour. Turn dough onto work surface and knead it very gently 3 or 4 times. Proceed as instructed in sloppy Joe recipe.
