Tourtiere
I had one of these Quebecois specialties when I was in Ottawa more than a year ago. (Yes, I know Ottawa is in Ontario.) I also had this dish at an Irish bar. So I'm not sure how authentic it was anyway. All I know is that it was delicious, and I hadn't been able to put my hands on a recipe...until the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Cooking Light. Thanks, CL!
This isn't a super-fast dish -- there's a lot of chopping and it takes a while for everything to be ready. I don't think this is a good candidate for a weeknight dinner. However, I think you could probably prep the meat pie filling one day, refrigerate it for a day, then top it off with crust and bake it.
Spiced meat pie dating back to the Middle Ages is a holiday tradition in Québec. The dish is often made in a pie plate with top and bottom crusts. Our version calls to bake individual pies in ramekins with just a top crust—a simple way to shave both fat and calories from each serving. If you don't have ramekins, simply spoon the pork mixture into a (9-inch) pie plate and top with the entire store-bought pastry.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 ramekin)
Ingredients
* Cooking spray
* 1 pound ground pork (Geoff and I used 1.25#, since that's how our grocery sold it)
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided (I'm not sure why it says to divide the salt, since the recipe doesn't say what to do with the second half)
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
* 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
* 1 (1-pound) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
* 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan. Sprinkle pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper, and cloves; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove pork from pan. Add olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add 1 cup onion, carrot, celery, and potato; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return pork to pan. Stir in flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in chives.
3. Place 1 cup pork mixture into each of 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Roll pie dough to an 11-inch circle. Cut 4 (5-inch) dough circles. Combine and re-roll dough scraps. Cut 2 (5-inch) circles. Place 1 dough circle on each ramekin, tucking edges inside. Cut an X in the top of each circle; coat lightly with cooking spray. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly. (Geoff and I let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.)
Wine note: With traditional Canadian Tourtière, reach for the strong and spicy Québécois beer Maudite ($8.99/750 ml). Made in a Belgian style, Maudite has a peppery, spicy signature that echoes this dish's layers of cinnamon and clove. The beer is strong and full-flavored, with bold fruit, caramel, bready, and figgy flavors that work with the complex flavors of these meat pies, while remaining refreshingly drinkable. —Jeffery Lindenmuth
Linky link with picture here
This isn't a super-fast dish -- there's a lot of chopping and it takes a while for everything to be ready. I don't think this is a good candidate for a weeknight dinner. However, I think you could probably prep the meat pie filling one day, refrigerate it for a day, then top it off with crust and bake it.
Spiced meat pie dating back to the Middle Ages is a holiday tradition in Québec. The dish is often made in a pie plate with top and bottom crusts. Our version calls to bake individual pies in ramekins with just a top crust—a simple way to shave both fat and calories from each serving. If you don't have ramekins, simply spoon the pork mixture into a (9-inch) pie plate and top with the entire store-bought pastry.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 ramekin)
Ingredients
* Cooking spray
* 1 pound ground pork (Geoff and I used 1.25#, since that's how our grocery sold it)
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided (I'm not sure why it says to divide the salt, since the recipe doesn't say what to do with the second half)
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
* 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
* 1 (1-pound) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
* 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan. Sprinkle pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper, and cloves; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove pork from pan. Add olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add 1 cup onion, carrot, celery, and potato; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return pork to pan. Stir in flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in chives.
3. Place 1 cup pork mixture into each of 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Roll pie dough to an 11-inch circle. Cut 4 (5-inch) dough circles. Combine and re-roll dough scraps. Cut 2 (5-inch) circles. Place 1 dough circle on each ramekin, tucking edges inside. Cut an X in the top of each circle; coat lightly with cooking spray. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly. (Geoff and I let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.)
Wine note: With traditional Canadian Tourtière, reach for the strong and spicy Québécois beer Maudite ($8.99/750 ml). Made in a Belgian style, Maudite has a peppery, spicy signature that echoes this dish's layers of cinnamon and clove. The beer is strong and full-flavored, with bold fruit, caramel, bready, and figgy flavors that work with the complex flavors of these meat pies, while remaining refreshingly drinkable. —Jeffery Lindenmuth
Linky link with picture here
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