Christmas Eve Dinner - Tourtiere Pie

Tourtiere Pie is a traditional French Canadian meat pie served on Christmas Eve after returning from Midnight Mass. My Meme (grandmother) served us this dish every year on Christmas Eve even though we lived in Florida. We looked forward to it every year and held our breaths until she pulled it out to serve. We didn't want to miss it! The word tourtiere is pronounced in such a way that it sounds like "two chair" and the first time that my husband ate this he pronounced that it should be called "four chair" pie because he ate so much he needed four chairs for his behind!

The pie is made with very lean ground pork and potato. It can be served plain or with a fruit chutney or relish. My Meme always served it with a cheese and cracker plate and a raw veggie platter as a light meal after Mass. This could easily be served as a party dish or as a family meal with sides to compliment it. The slightly spicy and wonderfully savory flavor of this pie makes it a favorite any time of the year, but for Christmas Eve it is a must!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of ground or finely chopped pork

1 large baking potato

1 large onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 dash ground allspice

1/2 cup water

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust deep dish pie (can use frozen)

1 egg, beaten

Bake the potato until done, 30 - 45 minutes in a preheated 400 degrees F oven. I usually go ahead and bake my potato in the microwave to make it faster. Peel and mash the potato. Do not add any butter or spices to the potato. Place the plain, mashed potato, ground pork, onion, spices and water in a large frying pan and simmer until very thick, for about one hour. You do not need to brown the pork or precook it as the simmering will cook it through.

Line a deep-dish pie plate with the pie crust. Spoon in the filling, spreading it evenly. Cover with the top crust. Brush with beaten egg. Cut a steam vent. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. If the edges start to brown too fast, cover with a strip of foil. Serve warm.

Makes six servings. I usually try to plan on two pieces per person in our family as we really love this pie! To make more than one pie, just double the recipe.