tourtiere

Strawberry Girl's Note:

This is a traditional dish for French Canadians and is pronounced "tort-ee-air". The true French Canadian meat pie has a lard-based pastry, but you can substitute a basic shortcrust if you prefer a lighter crust. If the potato is omitted, the filling will be less dense. Tourtière is traditionally served with pickles beets or other pickles and a salad.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄3; cup lard
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup ice water , plus 1 Tbsp

Filling

• 1 ½ lbs ground pork
• 1 onion , chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried savory
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon pepper , freshly ground
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ cup water
• 1 pinch allspice
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 potato , cooked and mashed

Directions:

1. To make the pastry, sift the flour with the salt and baking powder.
2. With your fingertips, cut in the lard and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Stir in the ice water. Form into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Place all the filling ingredients except the potato into a pot. Mix well. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is cooked.
5. Add the mashed potato and mix well to eliminate any lumps. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper or spices as needed.
6. Cool. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
7. Divide the pastry in half. Roll out half to fit a 9 inch (23 cm) pie plate.
8. Add the filling. Cover with the remaining pastry. Make three or four incisions on top of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Serve hot.