333961 Fri Oct 13 20:23:12 -0700 2006 26 31 Home Cooking 0 1944505 All this talk about ground pork and about chicken stock got me to bring out my favorite tourtiere recipe, for which I've made the pie dough and will finish cooking the whole thing tonight. I doubled the recipe because it 'disappears' fast! In case anyone else wants to try it, here it is: Tourtiere Make dough for double crust pie, chill, wrapped, for 1 hour Filling: 1 onion, chopped 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter 1 lb. ground pork 1 stalk celery, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 cup chicken stock (I use homemade) 1/2 teasp. salt 1/2 teasp. thyme 1/4 teasp. ground allspice 1 bay leaf 2 Tablespoons fresh bread crumbs (I use dry) In a saucepan cook onion & celery in butter over mod. heat, stirring frequently, for 4 mins. Add garlic and cook the mix for 2 mins. Add the pork and cook stirring until pork changes color. Add the chicken stock, the thyme, salt, allspice and bay leaf and simmer the mixture, covered, for 30 mins. Let it cool and stir in breadcrumbs. Roll ball of dough into 9-inch round,fit it into a 7-inch pie plate & spoon pork mixture into it. Roll smaller ball of dought into 7.5 inch round and lay on top of the filling. Press edges together to seal pie and trim excess dough. Make a 1/2 inch X in the center, brush dought with egg glaze (1 egg, beaten with 2 Tablesp. cream) and bake the tourtiere in the lower third of a preheated oven (425 degrees F) for 10 mins. Reduce heat to moderately hot (375 degrees F), transfer the tourtiere to the middle of the oven and bake it for 25 mins. more, or until crust is golden. Fri Oct 13 20:23:12 -0700 2006 20128 morebubbles 1 1945206 Thanks for the recipe. My mother used to make this sometimes, learned fromn her French-Canadian mother. We used to call it "tout-care" pie, hah! Sat Oct 14 01:32:04 -0700 2006 1944505 14135 scenicrec 1 1945230 Thanks for the memories. Tortiere was one of the first things I ever made (in high school) and the recipe came from watching Graham Kerr's show, the Galloping Gourmet. I was watching this in Canada before I had even heard of Julia Child. Kerr's recipe used water instead of stock or wine but poured in out of a wine bottle to keep up appearances. Sat Oct 14 01:43:03 -0700 2006 1944505 13803 gourmaniac 2 2522976 There are many traditional variations on tourtière, using game meats, such as la tourtière du Saguenay (ou du Lac-Saint-Jean), made of diced (not minced) meats and diced potatoes, with onions of course. And nowadays there are many tourtières featuring meats other than pork, for non-pork eaters or people who want a lighter meal. There are also surprisingly successful vegetarian tourtières based on millet, seitan, or "fake meats" like the popular Yves Veggie line. Something I often serve as a veggie option, for a winter meal. Sat Apr 28 06:17:57 -0700 2007 1945230 84119 lagatta 1 2522986 Thanks for that recipe... Is there a traditional way to serve it? Hot or cold? Is there anything usually served with it? Sat Apr 28 06:30:17 -0700 2007 1944505 47019 gido 2 2523067 My in-laws (French Canadians) eat it with ketchup. go figure. Sat Apr 28 07:19:36 -0700 2007 2522986 87518 manya7 3 2524931 Actual ketchup or chow-chow, aka green tomato "ketchup"? We've always used the latter, and I assumed it was the traditional tourtière condiment. Sun Apr 29 08:56:13 -0700 2007 2523067 10681 piccola 3 2525958 My Grandmother served it with her homemade chili sauce (not chow-chow), so sort of a vinegary ketchup. It cuts the richness of the tortiere (her recipe had ground veal, pork and beef - lard crust - and one of these days I'll dig it up and make it). If I'm eating commercial frozen tortiere and I don't have chili sauce I will eat a dill pickle with it. Sun Apr 29 16:47:36 -0700 2007 2523067 12120 julesrules 4 2526079 I could totally see it with a good spicy/vinegary condiment, like those pickled hot peppers. Even the veggie version (which is what I eat). Something to look forward to at Xmas... Sun Apr 29 17:38:15 -0700 2007 2525958 10681 piccola 3 2525969 We have always had it with good gravy and crispy fresh frites, but we're from NY State. Only 15 minutes to the Quebec border, but frites, gravy and peas always seem perfect. Our favorite for Christmas Eve. Sun Apr 29 16:51:46 -0700 2007 2523067 10285 Candy 3 4051406 Traditionally it's *ketchup maison*, homemade ketchup that bares little resemblance to American store-bought ketchups like Heinz's. It comes in a jar; is loose, chunky and watery (similar to salsa); sweet; vinegary; and redolent of sweet spices. Sun Sep 21 15:00:50 -0700 2008 2523067 10520 carswell 2 2523161 lagatta, great that you reminded me of the vegetarian tourtieres too. I've got to look up some recipes for that - do you have any that you like/use, by chance? gido, It's served so many ways. You could have it as part of a brunch for example, with baked beans, ham etc. Here it's often served along with other offerings at holiday turkey dinners. I'd serve it warm, keeping the crust a nice texture (in other words I'd avoid heating it in a microwave). Myself, I'd eat it with any(or all) of these: baked beans, mashed potatoes, &/or a salad if I'm eating it at lunch. And I do make it at Christmas, to serve along with roast turkey. At times, I've made several & have frozen a couple of them, ready for the final baking another day; a great time saver! Sat Apr 28 08:05:11 -0700 2007 2522986 20128 morebubbles 3 4051347 I'll have to remember exactly what I put in the veg tourtière. I've had luck using some Yves fake ground meat, but I also add vegetables as I don't like the fake meat taste to dominate. Mushrooms, sautéed in red wine, are a nice touch. Onions are mandatory. Personally, I do like to bind tourtière with a bit of grated or mashed potato (or other root vegetable), but that is a bone of contention among tourtière makers. One that was very successful featured some St-Ambroise oatmeal stout as the liquid... For meat eaters, I make a lovely one from venison. You do have to add a bit of fattier meat, or some other fat or oil, As for the ketchup, I think it depends on the family, the region, the mileu. Tourtière "ketchup" for me is a kind of relish, made from tomato or various fruits - and typically best bought at autumnal church bazaars. Sun Sep 21 13:25:25 -0700 2008 2523161 84119 lagatta 4 4280396 hi, my family is from the three rivers area and we used to eat what my grandmother (and everybody else in watertown, ct) called PUTSINS....they are dumplings with ground meat, cinnimon, nutmeg, and cloves...in a great gravy made from the broth of many different meats boiling for hours together.....they are the best....but i can't find anything about them on the internet.......have you heard of them? Mon Dec 29 12:03:51 -0800 2008 4051347 252307 redsoxmama 5 4280882 Your description makes me think of "ragout de boulettes", a stew of meatballs made in a thick pork gravy, but the word "putsin" with the word "dumpling" makes me think of "poutine râpée", an Acadian recipe made of ground meat stuffed potato dumplings. Does any of those two ring a bell? Mon Dec 29 14:20:12 -0800 2008 4280396 95785 Soufi 2 2810987 Regular ketchup is traditional and you absolutely have to eat pickled beets with tourtière ! Fri Aug 03 10:48:41 -0700 2007 2522986 35348 toto 2 5258321 Mémé always served it (after midnight Mass on Chrismas eve) at room temperature or warmed, with fresh cranberry sauce and dill pickles. I see after looking at other replies that these are apparently not the usual accompaniments. :-) On the other hand, the theme in general seems to be something vinegary or tart to cut the richness of the pie. Thu Dec 17 07:13:54 -0800 2009 2522986 1132539 alyciamarie 3 5258853 Oh, I'm glad you started this up again in time for ""Les Fêtes". Any new recipes you've found? Thu Dec 17 10:43:35 -0800 2009 5258321 84119 lagatta 4 5260384 When the wife makes a batch (usually about 20 pies at holiday time), I'll shanghai two before baking. I add cayenne to one, making a "hot" pie and cretons seasonings to another, a cretons pie. Not quite traditional, but very tasty indeed. Fri Dec 18 04:33:16 -0800 2009 5258853 176627 porker 1 2807523 I just busted out my families recipie with a few small twists. I added 30% ground turkey to the ground pork. It makes it a little lighter. I also used water and 2 tablespoons of salted butter instead of stock. I also add cinimmon, nutmeg and sage to the mix. The extra herbs and spices really kick up the flavor a little. The sage is a hint from my french relatives. Also I made it in tart sized pans so that each one is a nice individual size. They are easy to keep and easy to reheat this way. Thu Aug 02 11:23:35 -0700 2007 1944505 116277 jdean1 2 2812407 I had tourtiere in the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou on Cape Breton Island a few weeks ago. It had a nice, allspice flavor to it. Fri Aug 03 17:48:27 -0700 2007 2807523 47019 gido 1 2808389 My grandmother used to make this (she lived in central Maine and called it "toochie" pie) and would add about a cup of mashed potatoes to it. It's great in the winter- one of my favorites! Thu Aug 02 14:33:59 -0700 2007 1944505 86995 kelseyfrost 2 4281650 Yup, my Maine family calls it "toochie" too. We use 3/4 lb. lean ground pork, 3/4 lb. lean ground round, and allspice -- but no other spices. No garlic. I was taught to boil the meat and one very finely chopped onion with 1/2 c. water in a pot for about 2 hours, until the meat is, well, grey. Boil 2 potatoes, peeled and diced, separately. When they're soft, skim the fat off the meat mixture, add the potatoes, and mash it all together with a potato masher. Add salt and allspice, some pepper, then spread the mixture in a crust-lined plate, add top crust, brush with egg wash, and bake for about 20-25 mins. until golden. Even better the next day. I do like it cold and with ketchup. Mon Dec 29 19:03:50 -0800 2008 2808389 252475 lobsterfest 3 4282631 Funny how you say 'until the meat is, well, grey.' My mother-in-law frequently complained how my wife's meat pie (we don't call it 'tortiere') was pinkish. "The meat's not cooked" "But ma, it boiled for 2 hours, how can't it be cooked?" "I don't know, but it ain't cooked..." I paid more attention to her technique - she was adding salt to the pork/water mix immediately, the pork was still raw and the water cold. In the time it took to come to a boil, the ground pork had been slightly cured by the salt, retaining a pinkish color. Afterwards, she only salted at the end of the cooking process. Mother-in-law was happy, no longer eating 'raw' meat pies. HAHA She needed that 'greyness', simple as that. Tue Dec 30 07:51:32 -0800 2008 4281650 176627 porker 1 2812775 As all this back-and-forth makes clear, it can't be stressed enough just how variable tourtiere ingredients can be. I heard an interview with a French Canadian food expert who, when the host finally asked, "So, which is the best tourtiere?," replied, "The one your mother made." The New York Times ran a lovely, mellow recipe a few years ago (no potatoes, just like the ones I grew up with and prefer). You may enjoy listening to this radio piece from a while back: http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-69-1371-8412/life_society/canadian_food/ By the way, if you can drum up a batch of Quebec rhubarb ketchup, it can make a nice accompaniment--I think so, anyway. Eat hearty. Fri Aug 03 21:05:45 -0700 2007 1944505 114020 Barry Foy 2 4281397 Mango chutney, yum. And ditto on the beets! Mon Dec 29 17:23:09 -0800 2008 2812775 100701 millygirl 1 4694488 Well, I am on the second time making this as the first time was a hit, despite my not having ingredients and having to improvise. The first time was with a bisquick crust, and now I'm onto an olive oil crust. Also had to swap the stock this time, but the main flavors/ingredients are all there. I'm in Nantucket, and even though it is May already it is cold and wet outside! Feel like spring is never coming. So glad you posted this recipe for people to enjoy for years to come! Mon May 18 11:59:54 -0700 2009 1944505 293844 avenuegirl