Quebec Tourtiere

Tourtiere is the traditional pork pie served by French-Canadians early Christmas morning after midnight mass. The heartiness of this dish makes it easy to see why it makes a festive meal on a cold winter morning. The name for the pie comes from the old pottery casserole, called a tourte in which the French-Canadians first baked this flavorful pie.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. minced pork (ground)
• 1 small onion
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. sage
• ¼ tsp. celery pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• ½ cup water
• ¼ to ½ cup bread crumbs

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan except bread crumbs. Bring to a boil and cook 20 minutes uncovered over medium heat, stirring often to break up meat - remove from heat. Add a few bread crumbs, let stand 10 minutes. If fat is sufficiently absorbed by the bread crumbs, do not add more. If not, continue adding bread crumbs. Cool and pour into pastry lined pie pan. Cover with pastry. Bake in a 400° oven until crust is brown.

Serve Hot.