Culinary Guides

A cozy, clear the fridge dinner: a savory beef and tomato filling under a lid of buttermilk biscuits, baked in one cast iron pan. It is loosely inspired by Jill Winger's Prairie Homestead Cookbook and built to use up last season's canned tomatoes and freezer meat.

Ingredients

For the buttermilk biscuits

• 2 1/2 cups whole spelt flour (or half all-purpose for a lighter biscuit)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into a large dice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the filling

• 1 pound ground beef, lamb, or bison
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• A few grinds of black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes with their juices
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Make the biscuits

1. If soaking, mix the flour and buttermilk into a thick dough, cover, and leave in a warm spot 12 to 24 hours. You can skip this step if you prefer.
2. Heat the oven to 350F (175C).
3. Add the dough (soaked or not) to a food processor with the butter, baking soda, and salt and process until it comes together. You can also knead it by hand.
4. Roll out on a floured surface to about 3/4 inch thick and cut biscuits with a cutter or glass. Set aside.

Make the filling

1. Brown the ground beef in a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, dried herbs, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook about 6 minutes until the onion softens.
2. Stir in the canned tomatoes with their juices, bring to a simmer, and cook 15 to 20 minutes until slightly thickened.

Assemble and bake

1. Scatter the mozzarella and chopped fresh parsley over the filling.
2. Arrange the cut biscuits on top.
3. Bake 25 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and the filling bubbles at the edges.
4. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

The assembled unbaked pie freezes well for up to 3 months; bake from frozen and add 10 to 15 minutes. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Grower's tip: a pie like this is a fine use for a pantry full of home canned tomatoes. Grow a paste type in summer, which cans down thick and holds its flavor, so a winter dinner like this tastes like August even on a grey night.

Much of this filling can start in your own beds. Grow an onion patch and pots of thyme, oregano, and parsley for the seasoning.