Savory pies, oh my!

     I can't really explain my extreme love of savory pies, especially since the only ones I ever had well into adulthood, were the cheap, little "pot pies" from the grocery freezer. Once I had tasted other varieties from different countries however, I was hooked. My first savory "pie" was a handheld version, called a samosa, a popular snack that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Available as either vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and accompanied by spicy, tangy, or creamy condiments, they were a delightful revelation in my late twenties. Living in Dallas, I was able to buy them hot and fresh from the local Indo-Pak stores, and would be embarrassed to admit to how many of them I actually ate. One of my regular grocers also had another version of these ubiquitous hand held pies, which were simply referred to, as "chicken patties". Milder spices in ground chicken and baked in a puff pastry triangle; these quickly became my kids favorite. As I got more into cooking foods from other parts of the world, I found that the samosa had spread to Africa, where it was called a "samoosa".  Local festivals introduced me to spanakopita, the Greek spinach and feta cheese hand held pies baked in crispy phyllo dough. I was in love, flaky, delicious love.

Within a few years, my travels had me living in the United Kingdom, where I found a plethora of pies of every variety imaginable: pork pies, kidney pies, Cornish pasties, "slices" of all flavors; chicken, cheese and onion, spinach and cheese, and much more. I tried them all, and I tried them a second time, and every bite only made me want more. It was quite a downer to leave the UK and leave behind the incredible variety of offerings available there. I decided to remedy that by making my own savory pies. Some early attempts were laughable, but a decade later, my versions are as good as those I remember eating. Full sized pot pies, hand held pies, samosas, chicken patties, I make them all, and my kids eat them up. I have a special affinity for the hand held variety because they are so easy to carry for a quick meal, and decided to make one of my fusion versions tonight. Fusion, because it was partially chicken patty, with its milder spices and ground chicken in puff pastry, but fusion, because, like the samosas, I added potato and made a tamarind chutney to dip them in. Heavenly!

Also, a shout out to the Original Fried Pie Shop in Jacksonville, Arkansas. I have a nephew to thank for giving me a heads up about this place. While they have hamburgers and other menu items, their focus is fried pies. Unlike the fried pies I grew up with, which were skillet fried, these are deep fried and encased in a pastry that is somewhere between a fried won ton and "squaw bread".  Now I know "squaw bread" isn't a politically correct term, but I've not heard any other term for it, and is the puffy, deep fried bread that Native Americans forced on reservations learned to make with their government-supplied flour ration. The fruit flavored variety was good, but the real stars are the breakfast pies. They are hand pies, but are two hands full, and a very hearty breakfast; filled with your choice of eggs, breakfast meat, and more. If you're ever passing through Jacksonville, Arkansas up US-67 north, make sure to stop in. They're located just off the last Jacksonville exit!