**Unveiling the Delights of Italian-Canadian Meat Pie: A Culinary Journey Through Two Cultures**
In the realm of culinary delights, the Italian-Canadian meat pie stands tall as a testament to the harmonious fusion of two rich cuisines. This savory masterpiece, often referred to as "torta della carne" or "tourtière," seamlessly blends the vibrant flavors of Italy with the hearty traditions of Canada. With its golden-brown crust encasing layers of seasoned ground meat, aromatic herbs, and a tantalizing filling, this dish promises an explosion of flavors in every bite. Join us on a culinary adventure as we explore the enticing world of Italian-Canadian meat pie, uncovering the secrets behind its captivating taste and delving into the diverse recipes that showcase its versatility. From classic variations to modern interpretations, our article presents a symphony of flavors that will satisfy even the most discerning palate. Get ready to embark on a journey where tradition meets innovation, where the warmth of Italy meets the charm of Canada, all encapsulated within the golden crust of this delectable dish.
CANADIAN MEAT PIE
This hearty meat pie has a filling seasoned with a tasty combination of herbs and spices and is topped with a flaky golden crust. Called tourtiere, it's a dish traditionally served by French Canadians following mid-night Mass on Christmas Eve.
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 1h
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and water; toss lightly with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic and refrigerate. , In a large skillet, cook beef, pork, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in seasonings; heat through. , On a floured surface, roll out one portion of dough. Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry. Spoon filling into crust. Roll out remaining dough to fit top of pie. Place over filling. Seal and flute edges. Brush pastry with milk; cut slits in top. , Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown, covering edges loosely with foil if necessary. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 480 calories, Fat 32g fat (9g saturated fat), Cholesterol 83mg cholesterol, Sodium 643mg sodium, Carbohydrate 26g carbohydrate (2g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 21g protein.
TOURTIERE DU QUEBEC (FRENCH-CANADIAN MEAT PIE)
I grew in Quebec and always looked forward to Christmas to be able to eat meat pies. When I married & moved to the US, I took the recipe with me, no way I can spend Christmas without the smell of cooking meat pies. Luckily for me, hubby & kids are hooked. I've been making this recipe for years, delicious.
Provided by French Canadian Chef
Categories Savory Pies
Time 1h35m
Yield 1 pie, 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Place all the ingredients (except for pie shell) in a sauce pan and bring to boil and cook uncovered for 20 minutes over medium heat.
- Cool the meat mixture and pour in pastry lined pan. Note: I like to cool mine in refrigerator over night if time permits.
- Cover with the top crust, cut steam vents and bake in a 400F oven until golden, about 45 minutes.
- Freeze well.
- Note: If ground pork and ground veal cannot be found, you can use meatloaf mix which is all 3 meat but I'm not sure of the ratio.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 751.4, Fat 47.5, SaturatedFat 14, Cholesterol 83.8, Sodium 859.7, Carbohydrate 52.4, Fiber 2.8, Sugar 1.3, Protein 27.5
FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE
Traditional French Canadian Tourtiere (meat pie), served on Reveillon (Christmas Eve).
Provided by Rayna Jordan
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Time 2h
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a saucepan, combine pork, beef, onion, garlic, water, salt, thyme, sage, black pepper and cloves. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils; stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Spoon the meat mixture into the pie crust. Place top crust on top of pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape. Cover edges of pie with strips of aluminum foil.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove foil and return to oven. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 404.6 calories, Carbohydrate 22.1 g, Cholesterol 55.3 mg, Fat 26.6 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 18.4 g, SaturatedFat 8.1 g, Sodium 748.9 mg, Sugar 0.7 g
TOURTIERE (FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE)
This dish is traditional in French Canadian homes at Christmas. It freezes well, and is handy for company.
Provided by Bluenoser
Categories Savory Pies
Time 1h
Yield 2 pies, 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- In large skillet, brown meat with onion and garlic. Drain fat.
- Stir in water, celery, carrot, boullion and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 7-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add potatoes and spices.
- Spoon into pie shells. Cover with pastry topping.
- Combine egg yolk, water and brush lightly on crust.
- Bake 375°F 30-40 minutes.
- Serve with brown gravy and salad.
TOURTIERE (FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE)
This French Canadian meat pie is hearty, satisfying, and easy to make so it's a great choice for a holiday main course. Visually impressive, relatively affordable, and best served at room temperature, so a tourtiere doesn't require any kind of precise timing.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Time 2h15m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 28
Steps:
- Place flour, salt, and frozen butter slices into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until butter is about the size of peas, about 30 seconds. Stir vinegar into cold water; drizzle water/vinegar into the flour mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly and holds together when you pinch a piece off, about 10 seconds. If dough isn't pressing together, drizzle in another teaspoon of water.
- Transfer mixture to a work surface. Press it together until it becomes a lump of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
- Mix salt, pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, clove, and cayenne together in a small bowl.
- Place potato quarters in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat. Simmer until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Scoop out potatoes and transfer to a bowl; save cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir garlic, celery, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with the spices, about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and ground pork. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the potato cooking liquid into the skillet.
- Cook and stir until meat is browned and has a very fine, almost pastelike texture. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Roll top crust out into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Cut small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
- Fill bottom crust with the meat mixture; smooth out the surface. Whisk egg and water together to make egg wash. Brush edges of the bottom crust with egg wash. Place top crust on the pie and press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough from the crust. Crimp the edges of the crust. Brush entire surface of the pie with egg wash.
- Place in preheated oven. Bake until well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 663 calories, Carbohydrate 47.3 g, Cholesterol 159.2 mg, Fat 40.5 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 26.9 g, SaturatedFat 21.4 g, Sodium 1074 mg, Sugar 1.5 g
MEAT PIE (TOURTIERE)
French Canadian Tourtiere. Contains pork, potatoes, onions and spices.
Provided by Maggie Rogers
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Bake the potato until done, 30 - 45 minutes in a preheated 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) oven. Peel and mash the potato.
- Place the potato, ground pork, onion, spices and water in a large frying pan and simmer until very thick, for about one hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare your pastry.
- Line a deep-dish pie plate with pastry. Spoon in filling, spreading evenly. Cover with top crust.
- Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Cut steam vent. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). If edges brown too fast, cover with a strip of foil. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 485.4 calories, Carbohydrate 30.5 g, Cholesterol 84.5 mg, Fat 32 g, Fiber 1.7 g, Protein 17.9 g, SaturatedFat 8.9 g, Sodium 565 mg, Sugar 2.9 g
FAVORITE FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE
I'm a seventh-generation French Canadian, and my ancestors started the tradition of serving this meat pie on Christmas Eve. One year I didn't make it, and my daughter and I felt something was missing. The savory pie goes well with salad and fresh rolls for a lighter meal, and it's good served in small portions with turkey and all the trimmings, too.
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 1h25m
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the pork, beef, veal, potatoes and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the garlic, seasonings and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently., Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Stir in bread crumbs. Combine egg and remaining water; stir into meat mixture. , Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill with meat mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Cover edges loosely with foil., Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil. Reduce heat to 375°; bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 501 calories, Fat 29g fat (12g saturated fat), Cholesterol 110mg cholesterol, Sodium 737mg sodium, Carbohydrate 34g carbohydrate (3g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 24g protein.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients. Fresh, flavorful ingredients will make a big difference in the final product.
- Don't overwork the dough. Overworking the dough will make it tough. Mix it just until it comes together, then let it rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.
- Blind-bake the pie crust. This will help to prevent the crust from becoming soggy. To blind-bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Use a variety of fillings. You can use any type of meat or vegetables that you like in your pie. Some popular fillings include ground beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and peppers.
- Don't overcook the pie. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Overcooking the pie will make the crust dry and the filling tough.
Conclusion:
Italian Canadian meat pie is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With its flaky crust, savory filling, and gooey cheese, it's the perfect comfort food for any occasion. So next time you're looking for a hearty and satisfying meal, give Italian Canadian meat pie a try.
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