Slice of tourtiere, a kind of meat pie, on a paper plate with a colorful border.

Our fifth Family History Recipe comes from Caroline and is for a traditional French Canadian meat pie, officially called “Tourtiere.” 

Caroline’s mom was “born in Quebec, Canada… and has been eating this pie her entire life. My mother’s family was not wealthy by any means, so a tourtiere, which contains simple and somewhat cheap ingredients… was a staple recipe.” 

Simple and cheap, sure, but this pie was also hearty and delicious! Taste Tester Josh was all business as he dove into trying his slice of tourtiere. The filling was flavorful and the crust crisp. Josh barely had time to give a thumbs up before he went back to finishing his portion.

Taste Tester Josh performing a sniff test of his slice of the tourtiere.

Taste Tester Josh going in for the first taste with his fork.

Taste Tester Josh gives a quick thumbs up before getting back to his slice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe: Tourtiere

A little bit about the dish: My mom was born in Quebec, Canada in 1958 and has been eating this pie her entire life. My mother’s family was not wealthy by any means, so a tourtiere, which contains simple and somewhat cheap ingredients, (historically, tourtieres were made with minced meat and meat scraps) it was made with minced meat and was a staple recipe. Generally, French Canadians will bake anywhere from 5-10 pies at one time, as they can be frozen and preserved for a later time. - Caroline 

Ingredients: 

  • 4 celery ribs
  • 4 medium carrots
  • 2 large onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 4 pounds ground pork
  • 2 pounds ground veal
  • 2 pounds bulk pork sausage
  • 1 can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth
  • ½ cup minced parsley 
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp ground mace
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 cup dry bread crumbs
  • Dough for 4 double-crust pies

Directions: 

  • Coarsely chop celery, carrots and onions; place in a food processor with garlic. Cover and process until finely chopped; set aside.
  • In a stockpot or two Dutch ovens, cook vegetables, pork, veal and sausage until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in broth, parsley and seasonings. Cover and cook over low heat 20 minutes. Stir in breadcrumbs.
  • Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough into four 1/8-in.-thick circles; transfer to four 9-in. pie plates. Trim even with rims. Add about 4 cups filling to each crust. Roll remaining dough into four 1/8-in.-thick circles. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in tops.
  • Cover edges of pies loosely with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°. Remove foil and bake pies until crusts are golden brown, 15-20 minutes longer.
       

Makes 4 pies 
(Adapted from Taste of Home's French Canadian Tourtieres