Tourtière

I found this recipe when looking for an untried recipe for ground pork. I wasn't sure about it, but after Thanksgiving we had leftover celery and potatoes and we routinely buy ground pork on quick sale. So it would be relatively cheap to make.

I helped D make this. It was pretty easy. Just a lot of chopping. We don't have 6 ramekins so we used a 2-qt casserole dish. It was very full. D pulled it out of the oven with 12 minutes left on the timer.

Although messy, it was very good. I loved all the flavors. Definitely would have again. We had with Broccoli with Roasted Balsamic Butter (subbed broccoli for the asparagus).

Photo by ALB

Tourtière

Spiced meat pie dating back to the Middle Ages is a holiday tradition in Québec. The dish is often made in a pie plate with top and bottom crusts. Our version calls to bake individual pies in ramekins with just a top crust—a simple way to shave both fat and calories from each serving. If you don't have ramekins, simply spoon the pork mixture into a (9-inch) pie plate and top with the entire store-bought pastry. (the pie plate will not hold it all, use a 2-qt casserole dish)

YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 1 ramekin)
COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon salt, divided (it only was called out once...we added the 2nd 1/2 tsp when we added the veggies)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1 (1-pound) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)

Photo by ALB

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan. Sprinkle pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper, and cloves; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove pork from pan. Add olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add 1 cup onion, carrot, celery, and potato; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return pork to pan. Stir in flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in chives.

3. Place 1 cup pork mixture into each of 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Roll pie dough to an 11-inch circle. Cut 4 (5-inch) dough circles. Combine and re-roll dough scraps. Cut 2 (5-inch) circles. Place 1 dough circle on each ramekin, tucking edges inside. Cut an X in the top of each circle; coat lightly with cooking spray. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly (D cooked it for 28 minutes since he used a 2-qt casserole dish).

Wine note: With traditional Canadian Tourtière, reach for the strong and spicy Québécois beer Maudite ($8.99/750 ml). Made in a Belgian style, Maudite has a peppery, spicy signature that echoes this dish's layers of cinnamon and clove. The beer is strong and full-flavored, with bold fruit, caramel, bready, and figgy flavors that work with the complex flavors of these meat pies, while remaining refreshingly drinkable. —Jeffery Lindenmuth

Nutritional Information
Calories: 420; Fat: 22.2g; Saturated fat: 7.6g; Monounsaturated fat: 9.8g; Polyunsaturated fat: 2g; Protein: 17.5g; Carbohydrate: 36.5g; Fiber: 2.4g; Cholesterol: 54mg; Iron: 1.8mg; Sodium: 683mg; Calcium: 45mg

Cooking Light JANUARY 2010