HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
When I start planning for the holidays, the first thing I do is to ask my family what goodies they want me to make for the year. I have some tried and true favourites that I make every year, and on occasion, I get asked to make something new.
One of the foods I make every year is tourtière. It is a pork meat pie with French-Canadian origins. It was something my mother always made for us to eat on Christmas Eve, and I now do the same with my own family. Though, I also make it for other occasions as well. Here's the recipe I use...
JESSICA E. SUBJECT'S TOURTIÈRE RECIPE
I use store bought pie crusts. But, if you want to make your own, this recipe includes the crust...
Pie Crust:5 1/2 cups flour
1 lbs lard ie. Tenderflake
1 tsp salt
(cut lard into flour/salt until well combined using a pastry cutter)
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
water
Take a measuring cup, gently beat the egg, add vinegar and up to the one cup mark with very cold water. Slowly pour into dry mix using enough only to moisten the dough until it sticks together into a ball. Divide into six equal portions and wrap for later. If needed refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
Tourtière filling:2 lbs lean ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp butter or margerine
1 large or two medium potatoes (cooked and mashed)
1 large onion (chopped into tiny pieces)
2 teaspoons allspice
pepper to taste
1 tsp cinnamon
Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions until they've turned clear. Add the ground pork and beef until well cooked. Add the mashed potato and mix well. Add the allspice, pepper, and cinnamon, and mix well. Add enough water to totally cover the mixture and let simmer for a few hours allowing the potato to thicken the mixture. Add more allspice, pepper, and cinnamon to taste.
When mixture is thickened (very little water left), divide equally into prepared pie crusts. (I use deep dish pie shells, so I find this mixture is only enough for two pies). Cover with dough and pinch the edges. I always cut a star shape into the top of the pie.
Bake at 425 degrees F until edges are golden brown and pie dough cooked. Usually about 35 minutes. I will undercook one (25 minutes), so I can freeze it and pop into the oven to reheat without the pie dough getting burned during reheating.
Tell me, do you have any holiday recipes you like to make?
Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot. Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another planet for a romantic rendezvous.
When Jessica is not reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.
Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at
jessicasubject.com and on twitter
@jsubject.
