Tourtière

By Marieanne

This is a traditional Christmas dish fondly prepared throughout Québec, whether preceded by a religious service or not.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds ground pork, or a mixture of pork and beef
• 1 1/2 cups cold beef broth
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 bay leafs
• 1 teaspoon dried savory or thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt
• 1 large russet potato, peeled, boiled and mashed
• Pastry for two double-crust, 9-inch pies
• 1 egg, beaten, for glaze

Details

Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large, heavy frying pan, combine pork with beef broth and heat to boiling point. It should be slightly soupy.
Add onion, celery, pepper, bay leaf, savory, rosemary, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 1 1/4 hours; stir often. Add more water if mixture dries out.
Halfway through cooking time, season with salt to taste.
Stir in mashed potato and cook, stirring, for 1 to 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-inch 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 oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and bake another 25 minutes or until crust is golden.