Tourtière
This delicious and flavorful 400 year old recipe pairs so well with turkey dinner during the Holidays but we, French Canadians, enjoy it any time of the year!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (500 g) lean ground beef
- 1 lb. (500 g) ground veal
- 1 lb. (500 g) lean ground pork
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cups red onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped tips & tricks
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 tsp. mixed spice aka épices mélangées see Recipe
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/4 tsp. garlic salt, or more to taste
- 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 3 1/2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth, or more if needed
- 2 cups water, or more if needed
- 4 (9-inch) pie crusts see Recipe
- milk for brushing the top crusts
Directions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add ground veal, ground pork, ground beef, ground clove, red onions, parsley, garlic, mixed spices (épices mélangées), freshly ground black pepper, garlic salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and potatoes. Cover the ingredients with beef broth and water. Simmer for about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF
- In two greased and floured pie plates, place a pie crust on the bottom of each.
- Spoon the meat mixture in the pie crusts and cover with another crust; brush a little milk on top.
- Transfer the pies to the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. If the tourtières are going to be frozen (*see footnote), remove from the oven, let them cool and wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. If not, reduce the temperature down to 350ºF and cook for 50 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Notes
Footnote: After baking the pies at 425ºF for 15 minutes, you have 2 options; either you continue baking and reduce the heat to 350ºF for an additional 50 to 60 minutes OR you freeze them for later use.
- If you decide to freeze the tourtières, remove from the heat after 15 minutes and let them cool to room temperature before wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap followed with aluminum foil. To thaw out the frozen pies, place them in the refrigerator overnight and then bake them in the oven at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes or until the crust is golden.
- If you decide to freeze the tourtières, remove from the heat after 15 minutes and let them cool to room temperature before wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap followed with aluminum foil. To thaw out the frozen pies, place them in the refrigerator overnight and then bake them in the oven at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes or until the crust is golden.