Meat Pies - A Canadian Christmas Tradition

Meat pies have been part of my life for as long as I can remember.  Meat pies are a Acadian French tradition, a staple  from the east coast of Canada. The Quebec version, " tourtiere" , is a different version  of the French pie as  it uses ground pork , sometimes ground beef, along with other ingredients.  Some Acadian- French make it with rabbit as well, the French I knew did anyway,   I do not,  but, I have  tried it with rabbit and it is good.  Growing up in my Mother’s home, she used turkey ( or chicken) beef and pork and that is what I use today. Traditionally, Meat Pies are served around the holiday season.  In my house growing up, it was custom to have it for Christmas Eve or for breakfast on Christmas morning.  Some eat the pie cold or warmed, with gravy, cranberry sauce or even with  molasses over top.  When making meat pies, you don’t simple make one pie, you make several, 4-6 at a time and have them over the Winter months on chilly Winter evenings. The amount of pies depend on how much meat you cook.  It’s labor intensive but very much worth all the work.  I give them out for gifts at Christmas time , along with homemade jarred cranberry sauce, mustard pickles and harvest beets.  Friends who have not heard of them before are pleasantly surprised and enjoy them very much.

Here is my version of Meat Pie.  Nothing is measured, things are approximate.   Having a little more of one thing is not going to make a difference.  This time, I was able to get four fully stuffed pies.  For this recipe I used chickens.

2 -   3-5 lbs chickens or a turkey

1 -   5-6 lb beef,  chuck roast

1 -  5lb pork,  butt roast

 

In a large stock pot or pot, fill with water and submerge the chickens, you may need to do two separate pots if your pot is not large enough to hold the two chickens.  I keep the chickens whole., you can cut them up if you choose. In the same pot, chopped up two onions, add sea salt and cracked black pepper and 1 Tb of Summer Savory.  Summer Savory may be hard to come by  where you live but try to find it.  It's a unique herb, similar to savory, but better in taste. I order mine online from a Canadian food store.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the chickens for about 2 hours.  To check if done, twist a chicken leg back, if it resists breaking, it's not done, or if you see blood running from bone.. not done.   The leg should break free from the rest of the chicken easily. this next step is important ***  DO NOT THROW OUT THE CHICKEN STOCK/BROTH.*** you will need it for the pies.

Cook the beef and pork at the same time, place the pork and beef in a roasting pan, season with grey sea salt and cracked black pepper.  I cover the bottom of the pan with beef stock.  Cook the pork and beef  on 375, for about 3 hours.

 

 

I put small chunks of potatoes in my meat pies, a chunky mash. Not a lot, maybe 3-4 potatoes for all the mixture.  So get the potatoes cooked, when done, set aside.

I have said this before, in my other recipes  - I DO NOT BAKE.  I have made homemade pie crusts before, but quite frankly, I don't have the patience for dough and buying a good pie crust is more practical for me.  But, have at it if you are inclined to make fresh pie crust.

When the meat is done. Let it cool before you start shredding and cutting up the meat. Any juices from the beef and pork pan,  add to the chicken stock pot. With the chickens, remove the skin and bones .  Do the same with the beef and pork.  On a flat surface.. put all the meat in front of you and chop up all the meat.  How big or small the pieces depends on how you like it.   When all the meat in combined,  place in a roasting pan or something big enough to hold all the meat, add about 2 tablespoons of Summer Savory ( I used dried).  Start off with less if you want and taste the mixture to get it where you want it.  Add sea salt and black pepper.  Again, after adding, taste the mixture to the right consistency of saltiness.  Start with a little, you can always add, but you can't take away.

Once you get the salt, pepper, summer savory mixed in.. add the potatoes.  This is where you add the meat stock.  There is no real way to measure this or to tell exactly how much to add.  This is the way I can tell when I have added enough.  With the meat all placed in pan/pot, start adding one cup of meat stock from the chicken pot.  After adding one cup, toss the meat in the stock to see if you need more. The way I can tell when there is enough stock/liquid is a put a handful of meat in my hand and squeeze ( not too tight)... the liquid should not drip from your hand but should be visible when you squeeze.  In the end... I think I used about 2 cups of broth.

 

In prepared pie start put the meat mixture into the trays.  I like my pies full.  Place the dough over top, seal edges.

The meat is fully cooked, so all you are doing is cooking the pie crust.  Cook pies until golden brown.  Approximately 30-45 minutes, in a 375 oven.  Ovens vary, so keep an eye on it.

Serve how you want.. start a tradition of your own.  Cranberry sauce is my favorite. I encourage you to try the molasses though :)

 

Enjoy ! Happy Holidays.

 

 

Mediterranean Beef Roast

I made this beef roast to go along with the gnocchi and

butternut squash in creamy porcini sauce.  I love

roast beef and am always trying to come

up with different ways of making it.  I thought I

was taking a chance by adding oilves to

the roast but I was wrong - it turned out

quite tasty, hope you will like it

if you make it.

Ingredients:

1 - 2lb beef chuck roast

1-1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 large tomato, cut into chunks

1/4 of red onion, diced

two stems of rosemary, or one long one

about 20 pitted kalamata olives

kosher salt and cracked black pepper

How to :

Season the beef well with salt and pepper

  Add oilve oil to med-high heat pan, let oil get hot

sear beef on both side, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Transfer to a oven pot with a lid

add broth, wine, tomato, onion and lives and rosemary.

If there are any bits left in the pan

you sear the beef in, deglaze it with some beef broth

and add to the roasting pot.

Cook at 375 for about 2-3 hours, or until fork pull apart tender.

Enjoy Every Bite !

Jamaican Beef Patties

I moved to Ontario when I was 22 and was introduced to many different types of Ethinc food and different food in general. This was a whole new world for me because I grew up eating potatoes, a veggie and a meat at almost every meal. Moving away from my hometown was when I began to love food and cooking. I remember I would go to this one particular place for lunch at work and have a Jamaican Patty. I fell in love with this little patty stuffed with spicy meat. Then a few years later I moved back to my hometown and that was the end of my Jamaican patties and basically anything else excpet for Chinese food ( I think almost every small town has a Chinese food restuarant) and a really good Lebansese restauarnt in my provinces capital ( Cedar's Eatery) What was a girl to do without being able to buy Jamaican patties? I learned to make them and even got a few people to start liking them as well. I really didn't know how to make the filling but tried to go on taste memory. When I read some recipes for the patties, the ingredients seems so simple... basically thyme and a hot pepper. I like them with a little more flavor and this is how I have been making them for the pass thirteen years. I love making them but really do not like making the pastry dough part... but worth the teeth grinding pain in the end.

Dough recipe :

2 cups of flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp tumeric (for color)

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup cold water

How to :

In a bowl put all dry ingredients. Add the shortnening and rub into the flour mixture until the flour mixture is crumbly.

Add the cold water and mix with a fork until combined.

With your hands, knead the dough just until it forms a ball. Put on floured flat surface and roll out dough until about 1/4" thick. With a small bowl (4"), lay the bowl upside down and cut out a circles.

Place about 4-6 tablespoon of meat filling on half of the cirlce, fold over and press edges with fork to seal.

Beef Filling

1 lb ground beef

1/2 small onion, diced fine

1/4 green pepper, diced fine

2 TB Curry

1 tsp Thyme

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Garlic powder

2 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 TB beef Bouillon powder (try to use salt free)

1 cup Beef broth

1/4 cup Breadcrumbs

How To :

In a pan with a little bit of oil, add ground beef. Cooked until done, crumbling it as much as you can while it cooks. Drain off excess fat.

Add onions and green pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add all the spices. "Not the breadcrumbs yet"

Let the beef cook with the spices for about 5 minutes.

Add cup of beef broth, mix. Then add the breadcrumbs. This will thicken the mixture. Think of it as thick oatmeal.

Adjust the spices to your palette. I added a little more curry because I like curry.

Let the mixture cool in a pan.

Make patties.

Bake in 350 oven for about 10-12 mins.

Serve & Enjoy Every Bite.

Beef Stew alla Kim ! (recipe)

I have made boeuf bourguignon many times... even made Julia Child's recipe from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" once but I wanted to make another type of stew. When I make a beef stew I sometimes add pearl onions, mushrooms or baby carrots but tonight I did something different again. I like the addition of the balsamic vinegar and the orange zest.


Ingredients
3 lbs of beef, cut into 2" chunks, stewing beef or chuck roast
1/4 cup of olive oil
4 Tb Butter
10 whole garlic cloves (a lot I know, but I love garlic)
4 Tb spoons of tomato paste
1/4 cup balsaminc vinegar
1 cup of red wine, I used pinot noir (It was open becasue I was having a glass already)
1 can beef broth
zest from one orange


The Side : Buttermilk Blue Cheese Mashes Potataoes


4 medium red skinned potatoes
1/2 cup butter
2-3 Big TB sour cream
2 Tb of whipping cream
4 Tb of Buttermilk Blue Cheese
kosher salt

HOW TO :

- lightly dust beef chunks with flour and pepper
- drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a cast iron casserole dish
- saute beef chunks on both side until brown
- into the casserole dish, add the butter, garlic, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, red wine and beef broth

*** I didn't add the zest of the orange until the stew was almost cooked, in the last half hour.

I cooked in a 325°F convection oven for about 2 1/2 hours. From my experience, the time will vary for when the meat will be tender. Keep an eye on it. Also, I find the stew always taste best the next day.

Potatoes :
Boil potatoes. When done, keep skins on, mash, add butter, sour cream, whipping cream and blue cheese. The tang of the blue cheese compliments the beef dish nicely.

Plate It :

Place some of the stew on a plate and a nice big dollop of the mashed potatoes.

ENJOY EVERY BITE !

Burger Time (recipe)

A few years ago I was tired of eating the same burger - ketchup, mustard, dill relish , onions and cheese. A good classic burger I know but it gets boring after awhile. I needed to step it up a bit so this is what I came up with and I have been dedicated to this burger since. Sometimes I grill it and sometimes I cook it stove top in a pan. I just made it an hour ago for my lunch and I only had half of it, it's a big burger with big taste.

What's it called... Pesto & Roasted Red Pepper Burger

** Makes two burgers for two people... unless you're really hungry.

Ingredients

½ lb ground beef 85/15 ... fat is good., form into two patties , grill or pan fry
1 TB of Montreal Steak Seasoning
½ cup mayonnaise
4 Tb of prepared pesto
roasted red pepper, cut into strips
4 slices of Basil Havarti cheese ( I buy it at Albertsons, haven't seen it anywhere else)
Sesame or Poppyseed bun

How To :

- Mix mayo and pesto sauce
- Form beef into patties and sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning, cook until medium doneness
- Spread pesto mayo on bottom and underside of top, place slice of Basil Havarti on bottom bun, then beef patty, another slice of the cheese, and top with slices of red pepper.



Enjoy every bite !

Confession: I have roasted the red pepper in the past and you can certainly do this, as well as the pesto... knock yourself out with doing it homemade style. But when I crave this burger, it's an impulse to make it and the quicker the better so I buy a jar of roasted red peppers.