Breakfast

Alpine Pie from Schweigert Meat Company in Minneapolis

Alpine Pie

A recipe from the Little Meat Cookbook published by the Schweigert Meats in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the 1960s.
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 6 slices any deli meat (ham or bologna is recommended)
  • Uncooked pastry for a 9-inch pie shell
  • 6 oz. Swiss cheese, sliced
  • ¼ c. onion, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp. flour
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 c. half-and-half

Instructions

  • Roll pastry dough into a circle about two inches larger than cooking dish. Place in dish, then trim edges and flute.
  • Tear cheese and deli meat into pieces. Layer into pie shell. Add onion.
  • Beat together eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. Add half-and-half. Pour mixture into the pie shell.
  • Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

About Schweigert Meat Company

Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Status:
Open

Dates active:
1937-present

In 1937, Ray Schweigert opened a retail store specializing in fresh and cured meats and groceries at 34th and Bryant in North Minneapolis. He was committed to selling the tastiest high-quality meats, so word spread quickly around the city about the little shop. Schweigert purchased a delivery truck to deliver orders to customers’ homes, but the demand for Schweigert products continued to outpace what the little store could deliver. 

The business was thriving, and by the summer of 1940, Schweigert’s had grown to be the top meat shop in the area. Schweigert decided to move to a larger location at 26th and Emerson. With this move, he added three more delivery trucks to service Minneapolis, St. Paul, and St. Cloud.

Schweigert’s remained at that location for nearly 33 years and grew to include a fleet of more than 30 delivery trucks servicing Minnesota and parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.

Ray Schweigert died in 1996. In 1983, the company moved to Albert Lea, eventually becoming a member of Cargill Meat Solutions.

Here’s a fun fact about Ray Schweigert that you may not know: Before going into the meat business, he had a promising career as a violinist until a hand injury forced him to abandon a career in music.

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