Tourtiere is a French Canadian tradition that is often made on Christmas eve. It's a meat pie, often filled with pork and beef.
Christmas is a time for some major traditions to come out. It could be in the activities you do with your family.
Some of my favorite Christmas traditions are new Christmas pajamas every Christmas eve and decorating the tree with my kids.
Food plays a major role in traditions around the holidays too. My family has a whole host of sweet treats that get baked every Christmas, and only at Christmas. And we almost always ate a huge Ukrainian feast every Christmas eve.
In Canada, and particularly for French Canadians, Tourtiere is the traditional dish that gets enjoyed every Christmas eve.
What is Tourtiere?
If you haven't had (or heard of) it before, Tourtiere is a meat pie, often filled with ground meat (usually a combination of beef and pork).
It's usually seasoned with a blend of spices that are often associated with the holidays, like cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
How to make Tourtiere:
I found that I could make my Tourtiere with a mixture of lean ground beef and ground chicken to reduce the saturated fat and red meat content. (And also, that's what I happened to have in the freezer).
This mixture did not compromise the flavor or texture of the pie compared to the ones I have had in the past that are made with pork and beef.
I also seasoned mine a little bit more conservatively than some others that I've had, because that's the way I prefer it. There is really no right or wrong way to make Tourtiere - make it to your preferences, and you'll be sure to love it.
When you're making tourtiere, you will need pie crust - both for the top and bottom of the pie. Pie crust is one of those things I really hate making, so I buy pre-made pie dough from the store to save time. If you prefer to make yours from scratch, go ahead.
Tourtiere Ingredients:
- Olive oil: or substitute with whatever neutral flavored cooking oil you prefer
- Onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt: or this would be a great recipe to try MSG-salt
- Black pepper
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Allspice
- Ground beef, pork and/or chicken: Choose a combination of two or more of these
- White wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Leftover mashed potatoes or a russet potato, cooked and mashed
- Unbaked pie crusts, store-bought or homemade
- Large egg
- Milk
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Tourtiere Nutrition Notes:
The above nutrition information uses half extra lean ground beef and half ground chicken thighs. Serve your tourtiere with a green salad and vinaigrette to make a complete meal.
Tourtiere
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 medium carrot minced
- 1 stalk celery minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 pounds combination of ground beef, pork and/or chicken (see note)
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes or 1 russet potato, cooked and mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 2 unbaked pie crusts store bought or homemade
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add minced onion, minced carrot, minced celery, minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes, reducing heat to medium if vegetables begin to brown.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 2 pounds combination of ground beef, pork and/or chicken and break up with a spoon. Cook until browned, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in ½ cup water and 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes, and continue to simmer, uncovered until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. (You can refrigerate the cooked meat mixture until ready to cook the pie, up to 2 days).
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 large egg and 1 Tablespoon milk. Set aside.
- Move oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 425°F. Roll one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie pan. Spoon the meat filling into the crust. Using your finger or a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the pie crust with the egg wash. Place the remaining pie crust on the top of the filling. Crimp the two pie crust together, and cut off any excess. Cut steam vents in the center of the pie with a paring knife. Brush the top of the pie lightly with the egg wash.
- Bake pie for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and continue to bake until the top of the crust is well browned, about 35-40 more minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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