French Canadian Tortiere

Ingredients

1 lb. lean minced beef

1/2 lb. lean minced pork

1 med. onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. boiling water

1 1/2 tsp.s salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. summer savory

1 c. mashed potatoes, cooked

Preparation

Put a little oil into fry pan; add meat and onion. Cook until lightly browned. Add water and spices. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover pan and cook for 45 minutes. Then add mashed potatoes. Cool slightly. Prepare pastry lined 9" pie with pastry. Fill with meat, cover with top crust. Seal edges and slash top crust. Bake in hot oven, 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake 30 minutes longer. Makes 6 good

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About

French Canadian Tortiere is part of the peasant fare cooking from Quebec, Canada. However, there is nothing peasant fare about the savory taste of tortiere and the many savory dishes from this recipe base.

Families carefully guard their secret recipes, swearing that the "pie" is all in the spices used.The above recipe is a fairly traditional rendition from a spice point of view, and further searches online will show recipes using cinnamon, cloves, allspice, marjoram or thyme, and any combination of these spices in varying amounts. Some also use ground veal instead of ground beef as it is lighter in taste and breadcrumbs in lieu of the mashed potato thickener.

Tortiere is traditionally served after midnight mass on Christmas Eve, when family and friends gather at a relative's home to partake in réveillon (meaning long meal). It is served with home made tomato relish and/or sweet pickles. Potato Frickassé, a savory dish of potatoes and onions is frequently served with tortiere as well. While many different dishes are presented at réveillon, it is common for the tortiere pie to take centre stage.

You can enjoy tortiere at any time of the year and serve it mashed potatoes or Potato Frickassé.