Blogging and Eating some Pie.

So I have religiously monitored (some people would say stalked, but that is such a harsh term) the blogs of my friends for years.  And I also closely check, ok, I check it everyday, a lovely blog of sweet and awe-inspiring women who lives in Rainier, WA.  Have I ever met her?  No.  Do I know everything that has she has written on her blog in the last four years.  Yes.  Does that make me slightly creepy?  I hope not.  Anyway the point of this long winded introduction is that I used to complain about people who did not update their blog regularly.  And now look at me, letting weeks go by without blogging. I humbly admit that blogging takes a lot of time and planning.  I take back all my snide comments and constant page refreshing that I directed towards my fellow bloggers.

I have been cooking a lot lately, and one day I will update y'all with my cooking adventures.  In the past week our favorite meal has been the meat pie.  My mother-in-law called to ask if we wanted some chicken pot pie and we politely declined.  But for the rest of the day I kept thinking about savory pies.  And our meat and veggie pie was born.

Meat and Veggie Pie

1 lb ground beef, veal, or lamb.

1 large red potato

1/2 bunch collard greens

1/3 red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 carrot

2 large mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper

6 drops Worcestershire sauce

8 ounces of crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon:

   salt

   pepper

  coriander

   oregano
1 pie crust, top and bottom.  Prepared or homemade!
1 small tub, (4 ounces I think) boconccini.  Boconccini is just small balls of fresh mozzarella. 
1 egg

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Chop all veggies into bite sized chunks.  But make sure you mince the garlic!  Saute meat in a large skillet on medium heat until the meat has started to brown.  If I am using ground beef I always like to use the leaner cuts of meat.  In this case I used the 93/7 blend.  I just think that it seems to taste so much meatier.  Then add chopped potatoes to the pan.  Finish cooking the meat and then drain any excess fat or water from the pan.  Then add all the rest of veggies.  Don't worry, the collard greens will cook down!  Once the collard greens have started to wilt, add all your spices and thoroughly mix together.  Cook mixture for a few more minutes, just until veggies start to get tender.   

Place the bottom of the pie curst into a glass pie pan.  Glass just works better, so if you don't have a glass pie pan, then go buy one.  There really is no comparison.  Use a fork to puncture holes in the sides and bottom of the pie crust.  This is very important otherwise your pie crust will puff up and you wont have any room for your filling! Or you can use pie weights.  Which reminds me I need to put those on my birthday wish list.  Pre-cook bottom crust for 8-10 minutes, just until the crust stops looking quite so raw.  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. 

 Slice each boconccini in half.  Put half of those slices into the meat and veggie mixture and stir until the cheese is evenly distributed.  Pour meat and veggies into pre-cooked bottom pie crust.  Be careful not to touch the pie pan now because that glass is hot.  Trust me on this one!  Once all the filling is in the pie pan spread the rest of the boconccini over the filling.  The more cheese the better is my thought!  Top with the second pie crust and brush with an egg wash.  Poke some holes in the top crust to so that the steam can escape. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.  The crust should be golden brown.  Let the pie stand for about ten minutes, cut and enjoy. 

Keep Tasting!