I bought a very expensive tourtiere from a high-end food shop to serve during the holidays. It had little flavour and a difficult texture. There had to be a better way.
According to the Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook, this French Canadian specialty was originally prepared with passenger pigeon (tourtes). As a child, I read a fictionalized account of the final days of the last passenger pigeon and it just about did me in. It was not until adulthood that I had any idea that my favourite pork pie had any relationship to a now extinct bird.
These days either minced pork or a mixture of different meats is used to make this savoury pie. Many people serve tourtiere on Christmas Eve, but our family often served it on New Year's Eve or on the first day of the new year, (along with oyster stew). This is really wonderful served with chutney and a green salad with an acidic dressing.
Just try not to think about the pigeons.
- enough pastry for a 2-crust, 9 inch pie
- 3 potatoes
In a heavy 3 quart saucepan combine the rest of the ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 pounds of ground pork
- 1 small onion minced
- 1/2 cup of boiling water
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1&1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- pinch of ground cloves
Cook the meat mixture over a low heat, stirring constantly until it loses its redness and about half of the liquid has evaporated. Cover and cook for 45 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, boil and mash 3 medium sized potatoes. Mix the mashed potatoes into the meat mixture and cool.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Roll out half the dough and line a deep 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Fill with the cooled meat mixture and cover with the remaining dough. Seal the edges and make a cut in the top crust with a sharp knife. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and bake for 30-40 minutes longer. Makes 6 to 7 servings.
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