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1
In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until crumbled and no longer pink.
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2
Remove from the pan and drain off excess fat; set aside.
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3
In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
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4
Add onion, bell pepper, and celery, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
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5
Add jalapeno, garlic, scallions, parsley, and tomato, and saute another 45 minutes, until vegetables are very soft and juicy.
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6
Stir in thyme, oregano, paprika, chili powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, cayenne, and white pepper.
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7
Add the reserved beef and pour in the stock, Worcestershire, and Tabasco.
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8
Stir well and simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated but the filling is still a little juicy.
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9
Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, Worcestershire, or whatevers needed; or try adding 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar to mellow out the spices a little.
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10
It works for me.
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11
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir well to incorporate.
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12
Let simmer over low heat another 34 minutes, until mixture is drier and well-blended.
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13
Remove from skillet and let cool until room temperature (otherwise it will be too warm and will melt the pie dough).
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14
If youre baking pies, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
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15
On a lightly floured surface, place a fourth of the pie dough and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness (if you use prepared crusts, you can just unwrap them and slap em down).
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16
Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut out 6 circles from each portion of crust (I cut 4 circles, then pressed together the scraps, rerolled and cut another circle, then formed a final circle out of the last bits).
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17
Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle (do not overstuff), fold the circle over, and crimp the edged with the tines of a fork.
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18
Set on baking sheets until ready to bake or fry, and repeat with the remaining pie crusts and filling until you have 24 pies.
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19
For frying: Chill the filled pies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before frying, to help them hold together.
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20
Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet until its about 360 degrees F; you can check by throwing a small cube of bread in the oil, and if it starts to sizzle and turn golden and crispy after a minute or two, its ready.
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21
If it immediately turns toasty, its too hot.
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22
Lower pies gently into the oil in batches, without crowding.
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23
Let cook on one side for about 23 minutes, until golden brown; gently turn pies over (I hold a dinner fork in each hand to do this) and cook the other side for 23 minutes, until golden brown.
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24
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with remaining pies.
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25
For baking: Brush each pie with egg wash (not a skimpy amountreally get it on there) and prick the tops a few times with a fork, to let steam escape.
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26
Bake for 1517 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown.
