Feel Like Singing! Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, Filet Gumbo

I have some yummy southern goodness on the menu for today.  I got a hankering for crawfish pie this past weekend, but I am a bit indifferent to the recipe that I have for a few reasons.  1) You have to let the pie rest for quite a while before cutting or the filling falls out,  2) I don’t have enough people under my roof to finish an entire pie in one sitting, and 3) When I reheat left overs the filling tends to dry out.  Given my mental reservations I needed a solution, I decided to take my favorite recipe and make individual hand pies. 

 

Now I have to warn you my sister made a recipe from the blog recently (thanks sissy) and used what she saw in the picture without reading the details.  The result was an entire can of broth instead of the called for 1/2 cup.  She swears she liked the extra gravy, but just a quick warning to read the recipe details before attempting.

 

Here’s what you will need:

3 tablespoons butter
Drizzle of olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1/2 Cup chopped celery
1/2 Cup chopped green pepper (had a yellow on hand)
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 pound of Louisiana crawfish tails
Salt and pepper
Dried parsley
Tony Chachere’s seasoning
Onion and garlic powder
1/3 cup of sliced green onions
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of Italian breadcrumbs
1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese
1 egg beaten
2 packages of Pillsbury piecrust

I gathered, chopped and measured all of the ingredients.  I drizzled a few rounds of olive oil and added the butter into my large skillet, in which I sautéed the onion, celery, and pepper. 

 

 

I only had red and yellow pepper in the fridge and decided on the yellow, because I find the red is too sweet and overpowers the flavors of this dish.  I seasoned the vegetables with a palm full of parsley, and a healthy sprinkle of the seasonings listed above until I achieved the flavor and aromas I desired.  

When the vegetables were clear I added the flour and chicken broth to thicken. Next I added the crawfish tails, green onion, garlic and heated through.
 

 

I added the bread crumbs and moved it off the stove to cool slightly before adding the mozzarella.
 

 

If I were dumping into a 9 inch pie plate I would just add the cheese and spoon into the crust, cover with the second crust, cut vents, brush with egg and bake.
 

 

For the hand pies I didn’t want the melted cheese to make it all gooey so I cooled the stuffing while I prepared the crust before adding the cheese. 

 

I unrolled the pie crust and used my circle cutter, I was able to get 3 pies form each of the four crusts, I kneaded the remaining scraps, rolled them out and continued to cut.

 

 

I placed filling on the crust, brushed edges with beaten egg folded and crimped the pies with a fork.  I placed them on parchment paper on my baking sheet and baked at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes.
 

 

I was able to make 18 pies this time but I would probably have gotten 2 dozen if I had portioned the filling differently. I was out of stuffing and tired of rolling so I gave the ball of remaining crust to the 8 year old to play with, and he had a blast. 
 

 

I would say "Voila" here, but I know that this is not exactly a lightning fast meal to prepare. It is just that the end result is so worth it.  If it weren’t for the good sense of my husband I would have eaten these straight from the oven, the 2^nd degree burns seemed well worth it to me.  Thanks honey for stopping me.  So there you have it, crawfish hand pies. 

 

A friend suggested that I freeze the unbaked pies on a cookie sheet and then place the frozen pies in a plastic bag to be baked and enjoyed at a later date. Sounds like an idea to me, next time I will be sure to give that a try.

 

I got to thinking that this stuffing would be great with redfish, or catfish, or with rice stuffed in a pepper, maybe even in a thick cut pork chop.  You’d be surprised what we can stuff in the South.   So give this classic a try and remember to share with a friend.