Meat Pie (Québec Tourtière de la Gazette)

frenchcanadian-tourtiere9 This impressive but inexpensive meat pie makes the perfect centrepiece at your holiday table. But, growing up in Québec we didn't need an excuse for this comforting pie to be served anytime throughout the cold winter. This is a tradition fondly practiced throughout Québec, whether preceded by a religious service or not. At our home, the tourtière is homemade, and we enjoy it throughout the holidays, not just on Christmas Eve. As I write, six wrapped pies sit in my deep freezer, waiting to be baked to golden perfection. I've always loved the spices and the textures. This dish is definitely one of my favourites.

Essentially, tourtière is a meat pie, lightly spiced ground pork layered between flaky pastry, and served with a chunky green ketchup. It's total comfort food, loved by all and needs nothing save a tossed salad or bowl of steamed peas to make up a complete meal. It can be enjoyed warm or cold, for brunch, lunch, or dinner - and makes a splendid midnight feast. Recipes for tourtière vary from region to region and kitchen to kitchen. It's been said that the best recipe is the one your grand-mère gave you, but as my Granny was English/Irish, I've sourced my recipe elsewhere.

This recipe is straightforward, appealing to all, and lends itself well to large batches. It is from the Montreal Gazette food editor Julian Armstrong's cookbook, A Taste of Québec, and apparently was one of the winners in a tourtière contest put on by the Gazette. It's a winning recipe in my books.

Filling:
2½ lbs ground pork
1½ cups water, cold
1 cup onion, finely chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 bay leafs
1 tsp. dried savoury
½ tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
sea salt
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

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

To Serve:
Green Chow Chow or Picadilli Relish

In a large, heavy frying pan, combine pork with cold water and heat to boiling point. It should be slightly soupy.

Add onion, celery, pepper, bay leaf, savoury, rosemary, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 1 ¼ hours, stir often. Add more water if mixture dries out.

Halfway through cooking time, season with salt to taste.

Stir in rolled oats and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Remove bay leaf and allow to cool. Setting the entire pot in the snow bank speeds up this process.

Meanwhile, line two 9" pie plates with pastry. When meat mixture is lukewarm, divide it between two pie shells and spread it out evenly.

Brush around outer edge of pastry with the beaten egg. Place top crust on the tart and press gently around the edge to seal. Trim pastry, crimp edges and cut steam vents in top crust. Decorate as desired.

Bake in preheated 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7) oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) and bake another 25 minutes or until crust is golden.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Make-Ahead: Is there any point in making just one meat pie? Not really. They freeze beautifully, whether pre-cooked or frozen with raw pastry dough, which ensures that you can get a hot, filling meal during the busy days ahead. I also make a few extra to give away. Friends who are adapting to life with a new baby in the house, or are going through a rough patch, can expect an edible gift of tourtière from my kitchen. Pies can be frozen directly after assembly, with the dough still raw (this is what I do). Wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze.
Remove pie from the freezer and unwrap. Brush the top with a little beaten egg and place frozen meat pie in a preheated 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) oven. Bake until golden and heated through, about 50 minutes.
Pies can also be baked and cooled, then wrapped and frozen. This is convenient when you really need an instant supper fix.
Remove meat pie from the freezer a few hours before serving, if possible. Wrap in foil to keep it moist and warm in a low 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2) oven until heated through.