US Cooking Tour Stop 6: MONTANA

Another state I've yet to visit, but it's certainly on my list! Sometimes I like to daydream about living in The Treasure State and becoming a Mountain-Momma. Owning a ranch and riding horses through the rolling meadows with majestic mountains all around me. Waking up before the sun and harvesting eggs from my chickens and churning fresh butter for the morning batch of biscuits. 

But then I remember how much work I think my puppy is, let alone a farm full of animals, and how much of a morning person I am not. So I think I'll stick to my rural Oklahoma roots, and settle for strawberry-lemonade colored sunsets and a box of Hiland butter. Not too shabby in my opinion. 

This stop on our tour was certainly a challenge and definitely the most interesting meal to make yet. It was a meal with a history! The Butte Pasty was Montana's meal - a savory meat and potato filled hand pie. The pasty came down from Cornwall, England with the immigrants who came to mine tin and copper. Their wives would wake up early every morning and prepare these delicious handheld all-in-one meals for them to eat on the job, down in the mines. The twisted edge of crust made the perfect "handle" for the men to hold onto - no utensils needed. They would carve their husbands initials into the crust to distinguish one from the other. Oftentimes the women would make a dessert version, too, or make half of it savory and half of it sweet. These meat pies are certainly hearty and would keep the men full and satisfied all day. 

This was such a fun one to make! I have to say, I had a newfound appreciation for those housewives who did this on the daily. And to think I'm proud when my husband has a lunchbox full of leftovers from the night before to bring to work with him. 

The Butte Pasty is still a staple dish for Montana natives and several restaurants specialize in them. I'll have to make it a point to enjoy an authentic one when I visit. 

BUTTE PASTY

For the Pie Crust

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 8 oz. unsalted butter, very cold, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 7-9 TBSP ice water

Traditional Pasty Filling

• 10 oz. beef chuck, trimmed, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 10 small potatoes, cubed
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 egg, beaten
• S&P

For the Pie Crust

1. Sift together the flour and salt into a large bowl.
2. Add the cold butter pieces and work it in with your hands until you have a pea-sized texture
3. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough starts to hold together.
4. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll out each portion into thin dinner plate-sized disks.

1. Mound the beef, potato, and onion on one side of the pie dough.
2. Fold over the dough and pinch the two edges to seal it. Repeat these steps to make 3 more pasties.
3. Place the pasties on a baking sheet about one inch apart. Brush the tops (or use your fingers, the best tool for the job) with beaten egg.
4. Bake the pasties at 350°F oven for about one hour. 

Dessert was Huckleberry Buckle. I tried my very best to find huckleberries in the dead of winter in Oklahoma, but had no such luck. I even checked the specialty grocers in Tulsa, hoping for at least a bag of frozen ones. But no. I had to substitute the hucks for blueberries. It was still a hit!

HUCKLEBERRY BUCKLE 

• ¼ cup butter 
• ½ cup white sugar 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• ½ cup milk 
• 2 ½ cups huckleberries 
• ¾ cup white sugar 
• ½ cup boiling water 
• 1 tablespoon butter 

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) Grease the bottom of a 9 inch square pan.
• Step 2 In a large bowl, cream 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar. In a separate small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into butter mixture. Stir in milk; mixture will be thick and lumpy. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
• Step 3 In a large bowl, combine berries, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup boiling water. Pour over the batter in the pan. Dot the top with remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Step 4 Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

Make these recipes for a special taste of Montana and a bite out of history!