Meat Pie (Québec Tourtière à la Québécoise)

Originally from France, Tourtière was introduced to "New France" at the beginning of the 17th century. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice were common seasonings in meat pies. This tradition has also been passed down to Canada, but there are many regional differences in tourtière in Québec:

Tourtière de Québec: characterized by ground pork, onion and ground celery. It is seasoned with bay leaf, black pepper, savoury, rosemary, nutmeg and cinnamon and rolled oats are used to thicken it.

La Tourtière du Saguenay: includes diced pork and other meats as well as onions, black pepper, cinnamon and potatoes. It is characterized by alternating layers of meat and potatoes, each layer being sprinkled with Montreal spices.

Sur l'Île d'Orléans: uses ground pork, beef, veal, lard, a clove of garlic and spices. The texture is less grainy and is egg-bound.

Outaouais: One of the most interesting versions comes from the Outaouais region where the tourtière is made only from duck cut into cubes and simmered in chicken broth.

Pastry:
1 recipe Double Pie Crust
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp. water, for glaze

Filling:
pork, cut into cubes (600 g)
beef, cut into cubes (600 g)
chicken, cut into cubes (600 g)
1 onion, finely chopped
potatoes, cut into cubes (1.5 kg)
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 broth concentrate beef

Make the Filling:
In a salad bowl, put the beef, pork, chicken, the finely chopped onion and the beef broth concentrate. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Make the Pastry:
Spread a shortcrust pastry at the bottom of a pie dish, making it come up well on the sides, then pour the cubed potatoes into the marinade and mix everything together.

Pour the mixture into the pie dish and cover with water.

Place the second pastry on top, closing the edges well and making a hole in the center so that the steam can escape.

Put in the oven for 1 hour at 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) to make the dough rise, then lower to 120°C and cook for 7 hours.

Makes 6-8 servings.