OK, folks, I’ve waited long enough and let the suspense build. I wrote earlier this month about the fantastic tourtiere meat pie we enjoyed New Year’s Day at my brother-in-law’s house.
I guess I did a fine job describing these succulent pies, as a number of folks called and e-mailed wanting the recipe.
Well, it’s Gramma Deighton’s family recipe. A number of Wallaceburg readers will be familiar with the name.
Just proofreading this recipe made my stomach growl.
This is something worth preparing in the cold of winter. It will warm you from the inside out.
Gramma Deighton’s Tourtiere
Helpful Hints: Prepare meat filling the day before you fill your crusts. This brings out the flavour. Make the pies with love and with someone you love, and they will not fail.
2 lbs. ground pork (get it fresh from the butcher)
1 lb. lean ground beef
Sautee in a little butter until softened:
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
Add the meat and 1 ½ cups of boiling water.
Combine 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon allspice into a small bowl. This blends the seasonings up nicely.
Season mixture to taste with a little bit of sage. Start with 1 teaspoon and taste when cooked. (Gramma says pork needs sage to enhance its flavor.)
Add seasonings to meat mixture and cook until the water is gone. Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes. Don’t over cook … remember it will finish in the oven.
In the meantime, boil and mash three small potatoes, set aside and let cool.
When your meat mixture is done, add the cooled mashed potatoes. Be careful not over stir or you will have a mushy mess.
*Variation – Gramma said she added 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (undiluted) and got rave reviews.
Refrigerate overnight, then have a pie-crust-making party and fill your shells. Pies can be frozen now, or cooked and then frozen to be reheated when needed.
To cook now, bake at 400 F for 10 minutes, then 350 F for 45 minutes.
To cook from frozen, bake at 425 F for 20 minutes and reduce temperature to 350 F for 30-40 minutes.
The crust will be rich and tends to burn, so it is a good idea to cover the edge of your pies with tin foil. Cut the centre out of a tin pie plate and lay over your pie so that the edges are covered, but not the centre.
Chill the wine, then serve your pies with leftover turkey gravy, hash brown potatoes, green beans a la Gramma, and a pretty green salad. Numerous desserts are a must to complete this meal. Sit back and enjoy.
Yeah, that about sums up what we inhaled New Year’s Day. And trust me, covering the outside of the pie crust with aluminum foil really works. The crust didn’t burn at all.
