Tourtière, and how my family celebrates Christmas

[marguerite_26]

wwmrsweasleydo asked for: something Canadian? A vegetable dish, please?
And I honestly cannot think of a recipe that is a 'Canadian' vegetable dish that we eat. So I'm going with the first part. This dish is about as Canadian as you can get. :D

Réveillon – or how we celebrate Christmas

A little prologue to this recipe: This is our réveillon, but keep in mind that we are Ontario French Canadian which is different from people from France, or fromQuebec. My parents grew up in a very French-speaking town a few hours north of Toronto, but by the time my oldest sister was born they moved away to English-speaking Ontario. Then when I was born they moved near Montreal.

Although my parent both were raised French, I am the only one of my siblings to speak French and I am the youngest of six. It sounds a little strange but it is sadly common to see people would were raised only knowing French, to raise their children to only know English. But at least our Christmas traditions are still based on my parents' heritage.

On Christmas Eve we get dressed in our finest, go to Midnight Mass. After Mass we go home or to a close friend/relative's house. If there are kids around (who are impatient to get to the gifts) we start at our stockings. The adults all get a drink and the Tourtière goes in the oven and Raoul Jobin goes on the stereo.

Appetizers are served as we start to pass out the presents (again if there are no kids we might put off gifts until after we have all drank/eaten our fill, but usually we have kids around so the gifts and 'meal' happen at the same time). Once the Tourtière is ready we eat it, usually sitting around the tree wearing our newly unwrapped slippers, still in our dresses and suits and balance plates on our laps.

Then we will move on to Port and a cheese and fruit plate.

Finally, the young and old play with the toys we received (often a 3000 piece puzzle is started).

By this time it is 4am and people wander off to bed. My 8am some evil soul starts to empty the dishwasher. O.o

On to the recipe:



Tourtière (Meat pie)

½ lb ground beef
½ lb ground pork
¼ med onion diced
¼ tsp savoury
Salt, pepper
Bread crumbs

Brown meat, then skim excess fat. Add chopped onion and cook for 5 min longer.
Add enough water to cover.
Simmer for 1 hour.

Add salt, pepper and savoury
Stir in bread crumbs to thicken slightly

Place in uncooked pie crust, and top with pie crust.

Cook at 400 for ½ hour. (makes one pie)

Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving. it stays together better.

We make several dozen of these in early December and freeze them. Every time company stops by through the hols, one gets popped in the oven.

I like it best with a mango chutney on the side.

Bon apetit!