It’s been pouring down rain for the past two days. That’s put a damper *ahem* on both my mood and my willingness to get out and walk. I’m ashamed to admit I even declined to do the Hash trail yesterday. I kind of regret that now.
It was raining when the Hashmobile pulled out and I just wasn’t up for a wet ride out to the trail. Also, the Hare was the one who did that trail two weeks ago that threatened life and limb. So, those are my excuses. The rain stopped for an hour or so shortly thereafter and by most accounts the trail was wet and flat. Also 9 KMs long. Anyway, what’s done is done, or in this case, not done. Hopefully I’ll be back to normal next week.
I did eat though. On-Home was at D’Kudo’s on Baloy beach. Inspired by Kevin Kim’s creative efforts, I ordered up the meat pie. My first choice was chicken but they were out, so I settled for the beef pie.
D’Kudos is a scuba diving resort not known for it’s kitchen. I’ll try the meat pies at some of the better restaurants soon and report back.
And that’s all I’ve got for now.
I’d actually like to try making Jamaican beef patties (my favorite thing to get at 7-Eleven back in the States) and Cornish pasties (pronounced “PASS-teez,” not “PEYSS-teez”).
Meat pies tend to be mostly meat, and the meat shown in your above photos looks nice and tender (I hope it was nice and tender!). The English have their famous steak-and-kidney pie, which I love. At first, I was worried that the kidneys would taste gross, but they turned out not to have much taste at all; they mainly just add texture and volume to the meal.
Good luck finding your Hashing mojo.
Ah, so there is a difference between pot and meat pies. I guess that explains. Yeah, the meat was fine. Just wanted more stuff inside…
Shape-wise, a pot pie looks like a good ol’ pie that’s served in a pie tin. A pasty is more of a “meat pocket,” if that doesn’t sound too Freudian. I.e., it’s the kind of pastry you can hold in your hand and gobble (if that doesn’t sound too Freudian). In fact, the pasty was originally conceived as a convenient, portable lunch for English workers.
Cornish pasties have fillings that include meat and vegetables, usually root vegetables like carrots or parsnips. There might also be potatoes, onions, and peas in there, sort of like the ingredients in a cottage pie (which isn’t a true pie). Here’s a pic.
In rereading my response, I see I didn’t really address the issue you raised. Yes, a pot pie is savory and pie-shaped; a meat pie tends to be mostly meat, although (as I think you discovered) it can have some veggies in it. Here’s a bunch of pictures of steak-and-kidney pie which, as you’ll see, are very meaty-looking. You prefer a good bit of plant matter inside your pies? I’m actually OK going almost all-carnivore.
Thanks for the pasty primer!
“it’s the kind of pastry you can hold in your hand and gobble” Ah, like one of those McDonald’s apple pies! I love those for some reason.
Actually, I I’m okay with a meat pie. I was just expecting some veggies. Now I know what to look for.
Pies and Pasties, a topic that an Englishman has to comment on or forfeit his passport!
Pot Pie: cooked in a pie tin or dish with only pie crust on the top, most often contains more gravy and can often seem like eating a stew with crust stuck on top.
Pie: The contents are completely enclosed in pie crust, generally drier than the contents of a pot pie due to protecting the integrity of the crust but not always. Classics include the previously mentioned steak & kidney pie which I believe came to be during the post war period where off-cuts where far cheaper to purchase but bulked out the meal. In a similar trend there is also meat & potato pie.
Others to try would be minced beef and onion, cheese and onion (generally this is mashed potato with melted cheese and onion mixed in). Steak & Ale pie, Chicken & Mushroom pie (cream gravy) and even Chicken Curry pie.
Cornish Pasties: I believe these can be traced back to the Cornish Tin miners. The Pasty is in a crescent shape kind of like a Calzone. The curved, crimped edge results in a very thick crust and was used by the miners to hold the pasty bot not eaten due to their dirty hands. In some cases one end of the pasty would be savoury and the other end sweet. In effect a hand held 2 course meal!
Cottage Pie / Shepherds Pie: not really a pie as it is topped with mashed potato rather than a crust. Cottage pie contains minced beef as the main ingredient while Shepherds pie contains minced lamb. Often made to use up left overs from a Sunday roast dinner.
If you every find them in a supermarket I highly recommend Hollands pies!
Good stuff, Thirsty.
It’s funny, a guy from New Zealand saw my plate and wondered why the mashed potatoes weren’t on top! Anyway, he ordered one and when it came they told him they were out of mashed potatoes. He seemed kinda disappointed…
Thirsty—very educational. I’m only a beginner at this pie/pasty stuff, so I’m always on the lookout for informative details. Many thanks.