Grandma Grello's French Meat Pies

An old family favorite! Grandma Grello is famous for her French Meat Pies. During the many, many years that she was traveling to Florida for the winter, she'd spend her fall months making dozens of pies and giving them to all of us for our freezers to last us the winter. Then, on our end, it was the task of saving the pies til *just* the right meal to truly enjoy them the most. You didn't want to use up both your pies too soon, or waste them on a rushed meal. As a kid, I didn't love them, but as an adult, there's nothing like them and I think of Grandma Grello with every bite.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean hamburg

1 pound lean ground pork

salt to taste

1 small onion chopped

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp parsley flakes

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp mace

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning or sage

2 c water

2 tsp corn starch

1/4 pound crushed saltines (one row)

Directions:

Saute meat until it loses its color.

Add seasonings and water and cook meat for at least one hour.

Stir in corn starch then add crackers.

Cool before baking. 

Bake 425 for 15 minutes

350 for 35 minutes

For Crust:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup shortening

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup cold water