Beef Rice Pie Greek American Recipes

GROUND BEEF 'N' RICE PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the beef, 3/4 cup tomato sauce, bread crumbs, onion, green pepper if desired and seasonings. Press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate, forming a crust., In another large bowl, combine the tomato paste and remaining tomato sauce. Stir in the rice and 3/4 cup cheese; pour into crust. Place pie plate on a baking sheet. , Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Uncover; drain. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

BEEF RICE PIE (GREEK-AMERICAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, except for the pie crust, of course! (An oil pastry does work best--or phyllo can be used instead.).
• Put the bottom crust in a 10" pie pan, fill with the beef and rice mixture, and top with the top crust, crimping the edge.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until the top crust is golden.
• Let cool for a few minutes and then serve!

BEEF PIE WITH RICE A RONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• In a skillet, lightly brown the Rice A Roni in the butter (keep flavor pack aside).
• Add and brown the ground beef, crumble finely.
• Stir in hot water.
• Add contents of the beef flavored packet that came with Rice A Roni.
• Add salt & pepper and mix.
• Cover and simmer for 15min on low.
• Cool slightly.
• Stir in 2 well beaten eggs.
• Fill pie shell with mixture.
• Top with bacon slices.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• note: the bacon cooking on top of the pie is used to add flavor, but does not get crisp. You can brown the bacon slightly before adding it if you like.

GREEK MEAT PIE (KREATOPITA)

Steps:

• Filling: Place sliced onion in a colander. Pour salted boiled water over them, rinse and drain well.
• Add onions to a coated pan and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add beef, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir well.
• Add 1/2 cup of water and boil until just the mixture is left.
• Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and cool.
• Prepare béchamel Sauce by melting butter in small pan whisk in flour and add hot milk. Whisk.
• Add 3 eggs, cheese, bread and béchamel sauce to the filling and set aside.
• Pastry: Combine the pastry ingredients, except for the egg yolk/milk, in a mixing bowl.
• Knead it into a pliable, non-sticky dough.
• Separate the dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other.
• Take the larger ball and roll out enough to more than cover your oven dish. Place it in a buttered pie pan, covering the bottom, and sides, going slightly over the edge at the top.
• Now place the filling on top of the crust and level it.
• Roll out the second dough ball and cover the filling.
• Butter the edge of the bottom crust and fold it over inwards to cover the edge of the top crust and make a border by pressing the edges with your fingertips.
• Mix the milk and egg yolk and brush the surface with the mixture.
• Poke a hole in the middle to allow the steam to escape and stick the rest of the pastry with a fork.
• Place in a preheated oven at 325F degrees for about 45 minutes, until it is golden brown.

KREATOPITA (GREEK MEAT PIE USING PHYLLO PASTRY)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, coat bottom of pan with olive oil and add ground beef (and mushrooms, if using). Cook, breaking up meat with back of spoon, and stirring often until meat and mushrooms are browned and liquid emitted has evaporated (make sure all the liquid has evaporated - you don't want a soggy pita!).
• Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, oregano and cinnamon and cook until liquid emitted from onions has evaporated, too.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times to bring hot filling up (to cool faster).
• Add cheese, parsley and eggs to meat filling and combine thoroughly to blend. Taste filling and adjust seasoning to suit your taste.
• In a 15 x 10 inch pan (or large pan), layer half the phyllo sheets, brushing each one generously with olive oil (use a pastry brush), before adding the next sheet of pastry.
• Pour the meat filling into the phyllo-lined pan.
• Layer the remaining phyllo sheets in the same way, over the filling, brushing each one generously with olive oil before adding the next sheet of pastry. When you reach the last sheet (the top one), brush this one slightly more generously than the rest, tuck in any overhang you have neatly into the pie and score pie, lengthwise, into 4, using the tip of a small, sharp knife and making sure you don't cut all the way through the bottom of the pastry (just the top crust and slightly into the filling).
• Position baking rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 190°C (375°F).
• Bring your pan next to the sink and run the cold water tap. Wet the tips of your fingers and shake the water onto the pastry. Do this a few times to ensure droplets of water fall all over the pastry (this ensures a crisp crust upon baking).
• Bake pie for approximately one hour, until you achieve a deep golden crust. If you have a flat-bottomed oven (no element), do put your pan on the floor of the oven for the last 20 minutes or so to ensure an even crisper bottom crust.
• The pita is best slightly warm or at room temperature.
• Enjoy!

GREEK FREIGHTER MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Heat oil and fry onions until soft.
• If using raw meat and potatoes, brown for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of hot water (2 cups water if using rice).
• Add rice, herbs and seasonings.
• Cover and cook 20 min until meat is cooked and potatoes or rice are soft.
• Remove from heat.
• Mix in cheese, egg and nuts (and cooked meat if you didn't use raw meat).
• Melt butter and oil in small pot.
• Oil a square or rectangular baking pan.
• Lay half of the sheets of filo, oiling lightly between each sheet.
• Spread on meat filling.
• Lay remaining filo sheets, oiling between sheets.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour.

TACO BEEF AND RICE PIE

Steps:

• Taco Pie Crust.
• In a sauce pan bring broth, butter and salt to a boil.
• Add rice, cover, turn to low and cook for 20 minutes.
• Cool rice slightly, add eggs mix well.
• Press mixture into a 9 inch greased pie plate, going up sides.
• Set aside.
• Taco Pie Filling.
• Brown ground beef, drain fat.
• Stir in garlic, cumin and salt, cook 2 minutes longer.
• Remove from heat, stir in taco sauce, egg.
• Spoon into prepared rice pie shell.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Taco Pie Topping.
• While pie is cooking, mash avocado together with onion, taco sauce, salt and lemon juice.
• When beef pie has cooked the 25 minutes, spread avocado mixture over the top and cook another 5 minutes.
• Serve.
• *Optional items green chillis, grated cheese.

RUSTIC GREEK PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to moderately hot 200oC (400oF).
• Squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach.
• Place the pastry sheet on a baking tray and spread the spinach in the middle, leaving a 3cm (1 1/4 inch) border.
• Sprinkle the garlic over the spinach and pile the haloumi and feta on top.
• Sprinkle with oregano and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Cut a short slit into each corner of the pastry sheet, then tuck each side of the pastry over to form a border around the filling.
• Lightly beat the eggs with the cream and carefully pour the egg mixture over the spinach filling.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is set.
• Cut into four portions and serve with lemon wedges and a green salad.
• Note: If haloumi cheese is not available use all feta instead.