Stupid question (simpsons and food related)

[gear02]

I'm watching simpsons and the tomacco episode made me think, so I googled it and now I'm puzzled: Mince meat pies contain no meat?

[RoniMan]

tastes like grandma!

i know that's no help, but i've never had mince meat pie, so i couldn't be of any help even if i wanted to

[gear02]

quick! someone shine the obby signal! ;)

[ShawnLee]

Mince meat pie is a fruity, usually berry based pie. The traditional recipes once included meat hence the name, and though it can still be used, meat isn't usually a part of it.

[kei2]

[Joey Tribiani] Beef? Goooood. Jam? Goooood. [/Friends]

[ialsohaveadream]

"It tastes like...burning!"

(I, too, have nothing to offer, but I can't resist posting a Simpsons quote)

[look_ma]

tastes like grandma!

[chief wiggam]You're right, it does taste like grandma[/cheif wiggam]

[Kim]

mincemeat

3 pounds green tomatoes, chopped and drained
1 cup cider vinegar
3 pounds tart apples, chopped
4 pounds firmly-packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup ground suet
1 pound ground venison, elk or beef
2 pounds raisins
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Rum or brandy to taste
In a large pot over medium-high heat, cover tomatoes with cold water; bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain. Reduce heat to low. Add cider vinegar, apples, brown sugar, cloves, nutmeg, suet, meat, raisins, salt, cinnamon, and butter or margarine; simmer 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat; add rum or brandy to taste. Refrigerate or pack in hot sterile jars and seal. Makes about 6 pints.

To make the pie, just put 4-1/2 cups of mincemeat in an unbaked pie shell, top it with pastry, crimp and poke lots of holes for the steam to vent, and bake at 375°F for 30 to 40 minutes.

[nickel]

I guess it depends on the kind of mincemeat. This one has "beef suet", which I guess you could say isn't meat.


Green Tomato Mincemeat

8 quarts green tomatoes, minced
8 quarts minced, cored apples
1/2 pound beef suet
6 pounds brown sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground allspice
2 pounds raisins
32 ounces candied mixed
citrus peel (optional)
7 large orange, peeled,
sectioned, and cut into bite-size
2 lemons, finely chopped


Directions
1 In a very large stock pot, combine green tomatoes,
apples, suet (or oil), brown sugar, chopped oranges, chopped
lemons, raisins, and candied peel. Season with salt, cinnamon,
cloves and allspice. Cover, and cook over low heat for 3 hours.
2 Sterilize 30 (1 pint) canning jars and lids according
to manufacturer's instructions.
3 Ladle filling into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/2
inch head space. Wipe the jar with a clean, damp cloth.
Cover with jars with lids, and screw on jar rings.
4 Heat water in a hot water canner. Place jars in rack,
and slowly lower jars into canner. The water should cover
the jars completely, and should be hot but not boiling.
Bring water to a boil, and process for 10 minutes.

[oblongmelon]

Today-if you look in the grocery store, at Christmas time, which is about the only time you'll find these pies around, you will notice that they no longer use suet or meat of any kind...although the spices and fruits are plentiful. The closest you'll get to any sort of animal in there is the LARD they use in the pie crust. Now let's talk Amish. Amish women make one hell of a mince pie-and happy to say, they still include beef and suet in theirs. Other than that-I hate the stuff, won't make it, or have it in my house. (old italians used to make it with the suet and scrap meat so I've seen quite enough of it thank you!). And mince used to be made because people never wasted anything-got a chunk of suet? Why throw it out-LET'S MAKE PIE! ..got some beef that's a bit green? Don't throw it out..MAKE PIE..Bulk of green tomatoes and your family is SICK of them? YEP-put them in the pie..and since the combination of it all tastes so nasty-let's throw in some of that fruit (and spice so you won't know you're eating scraps)

[Kim]

I hate it too, my Grandma used to make it every year.

[gear02]

what's suet?

[Kim]

I believe suet is hard fat from cattle.

[BrewMaster]

that sounds so gross. it sounded less gross (but still gross) when I thought it was a spiced meat pie. now knowing what kind of meat it could be makes me want to :puke:.

I've never had it and probably never will.

[oblongmelon]

what's suet?

suet is the stuff they stick bird seed to -to hang in trees...white, thick, and nasty..it's not even like real animal fat..it reminds me more of a big giant chunk of cream cheese left out to harden.

[gear02]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

thanks guys for the info. I think all along I've been thinking it was a sort of ground beef pie or something...

[BrewMaster]

we could only be so lucky for it to be ground beef pie...

[BigJon]

we could only be so lucky for it to be ground beef pie...

Would a ground beef pie be so bad? Maybe a cornbread crust, ground beef and cheese filling...mmm...lettuce on top....sour cream...

(runs off to kitchen to invent taco pie...)

[ialsohaveadream]

Mmmmm, taco pie. (But no sour cream...instead, add Frank's Red Hot)

[zippyjuan]

what's suet?

Suet is the hard white fat that is usually even solid at room temperature-even more solid than lard. In Europe a Mince is a deer which was ground into making a pie. Probably the closest thing you can find now is called "Sheppards Pie" which is like ground meat and carrots with mashed potatoes as the top crust- if I remember correctly-kind of like a stew, but thicker.

[BrewMaster]

Would a ground beef pie be so bad? Maybe a cornbread crust, ground beef and cheese filling...mmm...lettuce on top....sour cream...

(runs off to kitchen to invent taco pie...)
that's what i meant. it would be great if it was as you described instead of being made up of suet and scraps. :puke: