Happy Pi Day: Tourtière

Happy π Day!

Given this year is a special pi year (if you don't know, look at the number below and you'll see it), it only made sense to join in this roundly delicious celebration.

How better to celebrate 3.141592653 (et cetera) in the land of math and physics geniuses than with a very Canadian pie? I thought of butter tarts (which are just little pies), flapper pie and bumbleberry pie but I wanted something savoury. To my mind, the quintessential Canadian savoury pie is “tourtière,” the Quebecois meat pie, traditionally eaten over the Christmas-New Year season.

Tourtière falls within the millennia-old tradition of pie-making, with distant ancestors traced to ancient Egypt and Sumeria. The Romans helped spread pie-making throughout their empire, and soldiers returned from the Crusades with Middle Eastern pies.  European explorers, missionaries and colonists continued to spread pie-making traditions throughout the world.

Regional variations mean it’s difficult to declare an “authentic tourtière.” General agreement among Quebeckers seems to end with the point that tourtières are double-crusted savoury pies.  The pies can be: 

• Made in shallow pie tins or deep cast iron pots

• Fish pies or meat pies, with or without veg or grains

• Filled with one or several meats

• Made with ground or diced meat

So why do I think tourtière is quintessentially Canadian?

• According to Chef Richard Bergeron, 17^th Century France provided the pie's five essential seasonings--allspice, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and pepper.

• Quebec food journalist Julian Armstrong found British influences in ingredients rolled oats (Scottish) and potatoes (Irish), and form (the deep dish sea-pies from the 18^th Century British Navy).

• It takes advantage of regional ingredients such as pork, game, veal and/or beef; coastal variations can use fish.

• While purists may decry modern interpretations, some newer recipes use ingredients that indicate the diversity of Canadian tastes such as meatless fillings and chicken or include garlic or soy sauce.

Click here to listen to Bergeron and Armstrong talk tourtières on the CBC. 

This straightforward recipe is very much like the first tourtière I tried -- a rich ground pork pie and lightly spiced.  Served with a dollop of HP sauce, buttery peas and creamy mash, it makes a delicious winter's meal.  And that's not an irrational declaration.


Tourtière
Adapted from a recipe by Julian Armstrong

Yield 1 23cm (9") pie

Ingredients
600g / 1.33lb minced regular pork (see notes)
190ml /0.75c cold water
125ml / 0.5c finely chopped onion (approximately 1/2 a medium onion)
62ml / 0.25c finely chopped celery (approximately 1/2 a rib)
1 bay leaf
0.5tsp / 2.5ml pepper
0.5tsp / 2.5ml dried summer savory (see notes)
0.25tsp / 1.25ml dried rosemary
0.25tsp / 1.25ml nutmeg
0.25tsp / 1.25ml cinnamon
0.25tsp / 1.25ml allspice
Salt, to taste
25g / 60ml / 0.25c rolled oats

Pastry for one 23cm (9") double-crust pie (see notes)

1 beaten egg

Method

In a heavy bottomed pan, combine water with pork and bring to a boil.

Add onion, celery, herbs and spices (except for salt).  Cover and cook over a medium-low flame for about 30 minutes, stirring often.  Add more water, if the mixture begins to dry.

Taste the mixture, and add salt, to taste. Stir in the oats, cover and continue to cook (still stirring often). Remove bay leaf and let the mixture cool.

Preheat oven to 210C/425F

Line the pie tin with pastry.  Evenly spread the filling in the lined tin, brushing the edge with egg. Cover the pie with the top crust, seal the edge.  Trim and crimp.  Cut steam vents, in the usual way, and brush the surface with egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes. 

Reduce heat to 180C/375F and continue to bake until the crust is golden (approximately 25-35 minutes).

Cool slightly (about 10-15 minutes) before slicing.

To help cut the richness, serve with something sharp such as

• Pickled vegetables (such as jardinière, pickled beets, vinegary coleslaw)
• Sauce (such as cranberry sauce, HP, chowchow)

Notes:

• Regular pork adds a richness to the pie that lean pork lacks.  If you prefer lean pork, by all means use it.
•  If you can't find summer savory, substitute with winter savory or thyme.
•  I prefer meat pies with a savoury flakey crust, but a shortcrust would work as well.
• This recipe should convert easily to handpies or individual pot pies.

cheers!
jasmine
I'm a quill for hire!

Feast: Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua!

Happy Easter to all who celebrate!  I hope you and yours had a wonderful Easter, filled with good people, good fun and (of course) good food.

After a longer and harder winter than usual, Little Robin Redbreast hops through shoots of grass and tells me warmer weather will soon arrive.  This of course means soon trees will bud,  my irises will  their striated leaves through the ground, and of course favourite farmers' tweets about their spring rituals will fill my Twitter feed.

I start thinking about my Easter feast when the leaves begin to turn and we all begin to resettle into shorter days and longer nights.  Rarely do my plans hold true.  In September I thought about roasting turkey; in January that turkey became an Indian-themed dinner.  

By March, Italy and the thoughts of homemade porchetta filled my mind.  Previously I'd done a Tuscan-style pork roast--a bit of a cheat on porchetta for those who don't want to wrap and tie a pork belly around a roast--so going the extra step only seemed right. Our Dear Little Puff of Cream suggested a recipe, and Alessandro gave me some moral support and tips as to what he looks for in porchetta (tip:  it's all about the crackling). The meal was rounded out with roasted capsicums, garlic and onions tossed with marinated artichokes in olive oil and lemon, grilled asparagus dressed in balsamic and parmesan, and potatoes mashed with (more) roast garlic.  I took a bit of a liberty with dessert, opting for a citrussy limoncello tiramisu.

Instead of snapping pics of each item, I decided to offer images and recipe links to the porchetta and tiramisu.

Porchetta (Bon Appetit (Sept 2011))
If you ever need a reason to go to a real butcher, this is it.  Matt (my favourite butcher), presented me with some beautiful tamworth pork, and he trimmed the belly to fit the loin exactly.

The roasted, fennelly-spicy meat was simply sublime.  And the crackling?  Burnished and amazing.




Tiramisù al Limoncello (Lidia Matticchio Bastianich)
As a means to shake off winter's heavy mantle, I wanted an Italian dessert that also brought a promise of sunny skies and warm weather.  Lemon and limoncello fit the bill.

Don't let the fact this contains alcohol scare you--it's cooked off in both the zabaglione and the simple syrup, allowing its boozy nature evaporate. And what's better?  It can be made ahead (up to two days).




cheers!
jasmine
 I'm a quill for hire!

The Contraption: Slow Cooker Pork Sandwiches

Hmmm...

I'm not sure what I can say about this one. Last month's successful ribs experiment made me hopeful that my slow cooker wasn't an unfortunate acquisition.

Now, I'm back to doubting things.

After hearing a number of people tell me how delicious their slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches are, I thought that would be an excellent next adventure with the contraption.

Well...not so much. My friend lent me her copy of Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes as she swears by its pulled pork recipe. Rootbeer, onions garlic and chili sauce (not chili as in the spicy hot chilli sauce you find in Vietnamese or Thai restaurants, but the uber sweet "daring" ketchup). The result?

Meh.

No doubt the meat was juicy. In and of itself it was an incredibly tender roast...but as far as a pulled pork sandwich goes, it was...meh.

(And yes, I concede that I photographed sliced meat versions, not pulled meat versions).

I found the sauce in combination with the root beer braised meat far too sweet and uninspired. And that's me being kind.

So...where to go with this?

Given that pulled pork sandwiches are one of the few things with which the cafeteria can tempt me, I want to try this again, but with a tastier sauce.

So if you have a slow cooked pulled pork recipe you are willing to send me, please do. Assuming I get more than one, I'll select one and prepare it for another contraption post. Simply share it in comments or email me at cardamomaddict at gmail dot com.

Thanks in advance.


Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes

serves 8-10

1.5kg (3lb) pork roast, trimmed of excess fat
salt
pepper
oil, for frying
2 onions, slivered
1L (4c) root beer (not diet), divided
6 cloves minced garlic
250ml (1c) chili sauce (as mentioned in the post)
1-2 Tbsp chilli-garlic sauce

Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and sear on all sides.

Transfer the meat to the slow cooker. Add the onions, garlic and 250ml (1c) root beer. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hrs or high for 4-5 hrs.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by reducing 750ml (3c) rootbeer, chilli sauce and the hot sauce, by reducing the volume by half, so you get about 2 cups of sauce.

When the meat is done, shred the meat with two forks and toss in the sauce. Serve on buns with the onions that the pork was cooked in.

cheers!
jasmine

I'm a quill for hire!

The Contraption: Slow Cooker Ribs in Barbecue Sauce

For better or for worse we are attracted to types. And for better or worse, types are attracted to us.

Give me a single, smart (verging on geeky), well-read, musical man who’s interested in politics, science and art and I simply swoon…I, unfortunately, collect men who would be better off with someone who will simply acquiesce to their officious, ill-informed prattle…or someone easily flattered when these men admit to researching conversation via Wikipedia. Really.

Yet there is one commonality amongst the men who like, love and would like to love me: ribs. An unreal weakness for saucy, juicy, spicy, sweet, tangy, meaty ribs.

Hmmm…I’m making a connection here…

Those who’ve tried my back ribs never seem to tire of them—Michael requested them weekly for several months; both he and the exbf chose them as birthday meals. Heck, even my father sent my Dear Little Cardamummy on a mission to find out what I did that made my ribs so much better than hers (that went over well, I can tell you).

I fully admit that my usual method leaves many rib aficionados cowering with horror: I boil rub-massaged slabs with an onion and a bay or two before giving them a lacquer-like sheen in the oven, courtesy of several brushings of barbecue sauce.

When a colleague told me of her slow cooker rib recipe, I was intrigued. Unlike other meat recipes, she didn’t have to pre-cook anything—simply dump and go. The fact they slowly blurbled away in cola before quickly painting them in sauce and tossing them on a grill won me over.

As a fan of Coca-cola ham, I know how tasty pork braised in cola can be. The fizzy drink’s mildly acidic qualities tenderizes meat; it’s caramelly clove-spiky flavour has a natural affinity with pork. In case you need yet another reason to avoid diet pop, I’ve read it works with any brand of cola, but only “regular” versions as diet versions can just ruin the dish.

I adapted this recipe as I wanted more flavour imparted into the meat during cooking, and mixed the cola with some of the barbecue sauce. The meat was tender-sweet and spicy. Grilling caramelised the sauce and left the ribs sticky and slightly smoky from the flecks of char. Needless to say, I was more than happy with my supper.

Quite honestly, after eight hours in the slow cooker, I couldn’t bring myself to toss the flavourful liquid or the cooked onions, so while the ribs were finishing on my stovetop grill, I simply tipped the liquid, onions and a spoon or two of barbecue sauce into a pot and reduced the liquid to a thick, burnished sauce that clung to the onions. A perfect accompaniment with the ribs or for later use as a topping for burgers or other hot sandwiches.

Barbecue sauces are as varied as the regions they come from. Teryaki and hoisin sauces are used on grilled meats in some Asian countries while Chimichurri is popular in South American countries such as Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay. The US has several distinct regional sauces South Carolina mustard sauces and mayonnaise-based Alabama White sauces. My sauce has no true regional provenance, but combines Kansas City’s thick, sweet tomatoey sauce with a bit of Texan heat.

Barbecue sauce
Yield: approximately 1.5c

1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
250ml (1c) tomato ketchup
3Tbsp apple cider vinegar
30g (3Tbsp) brown sugar
3Tbsp molasses
0.5 tsp pepper
0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp rib rub or chili seasoning mix
2 dspn (4 tsp) Worcestershire sauce
0.5 tsp salt
1tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Soften the onions and garlic in the oil. Mix in the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temp before using.


Cola has been used in cooking in the southern US for ages. Sweet, spiky and slightly acidic, it pairs well with pork and adds to the rib’s smoky-sweetness. Use your favourite shop-bought barbecue sauce or make your own. After spending most of the day on low in the slow cooker, the ribs will be succulent. Serve with a warm onion relish by simmering the braising liquid until thick with the cooked onions and some extra barbecue sauce.

Slow cooker ribs in barbecue sauce
Adapted from Canadian Parents’ Crock Pot BBQ Ribs

1.3kg (3 lbs) baby back or side ribs
rib rub
125ml (0.5c) cola
375ml (1.5c) barbecue sauce, divided
1tsp liquid smoke (optional)
one onion,
sliced into 1cm rings

Remove silverskin and any excess fat from the ribs before slicing into ifour or five-rib mini-slab portions. Massage rub into the meat and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Mix the cola, half the barbecue sauce and liquid smoke together. Brush each of the slab sides with the sauce before spreading a couple of spoons’ worth of sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer some onions on top of the sauce, place a slab or two (depending upon the size of the cooker) over the onions, and then continue to layer the onions and the slabs. When done, pour the remaining sauce over top and set the cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hrs.

About 15 minutes before the the ribs are done. Heat up a grill pan or barbecue or oven (350F).

Brush the cooked ribs with plain barbecue sauce and grill each side for 8-10 minutes or roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. Serve with additional sauce for dipping, if you wish.

Notes:

Here's my recipe for rib rub, but you can certainly use whichever recipe or brand you wish.

I've tried these ribs a couple of times, once with my homemade sauce and again with a commercial hickory sauce; and both worked well.

cheers!
jasmine

I'm a quill for hire!

Patriotism in a pork chop

Mob mentality is fascinating.

I'm not talking of hoisted pitchforks and torches. Not mentioning the great unwashed's chants and slogans for the monster or the politician or the monstrous politician.

I refer to what I can only parse as subtler, fear-based deeds. No protests, no egg-throwing...just simple avoidance and whispering, often without any real concern for what I call "facts."

A couple of years ago spinach eating slowed because Californian green leafies were salmonella-tainted. Well...that would be fine if all we had available was Californian in origin. We didn't: we had Ontario spinach. Little pleas reminding consumers of the safetly in locally-grown stuff filtered through the news, but I fear those cries may have fallen on temporarily deaf ears. To that mob, at that time, all spinach was poisonous and shouldn't be eaten (and I'm sure some children were very grateful for that). It didn't matter what info you threw at them, the meme held.

So in late April when "Swine flu" filled slop buckets, I waited for restaurants and cafeterias to pull bacon, sausage and other pork products from the menus. I wasn't disappointed. It didn't matter that, for the most part, the meats they cooked weren't culled from infected piggie herds (okay, they may have been Maple Leaf products which, as recent history proves, could bring its own set of health issues, but if so they should have pulled those foods yonks ago).

It doesn't matter that those poor, curly-tailed creatures boar the grunt of epidemiological nominclature. How many times did we hear that people generally can't catch porcine apoplexy? How many times were we told that pork meat, when properly cooked, poses little to no harm to us?

Apparently not often enough. The piggie sniffles was renamed (or "rebranded" in marketing speak) as H1N1. About as melliflous as the dots and dashes of Morse Code, many people I know kept "Swine Flu" on their tongues, perpetuating the lingering fear that a glorious market lunch of a back bacon and cheddar sandwich with grilled onions could signal a greater commodal bonding.

The entire incident really didn't help an already suffering pork industry. Our local pig farmers (yep, I'm in piggie country) didn't have a great 2008 and being tied to a WHO Level Five pandemic meant that 2009 wasn't looking much better.

At the apex of flu coverage I found myself craving pork chops. Really. It's part of the entire "my little grey cells are about as porous as Swiss cheese and allow far too many thoughts to macerate to the point of drunken obsession" thing.

I admit that I struggled with this particular craving.

I knew I wouldn't catch something horrendous. It's just that apart from bacon and sausage, I don't really like pork. For the most part I credit My Dear Little Cardamummy with my usual avoidance as her habit of turning juicy chops into splintered slabs with the moisture content of graphite tattooed itself on my palate memory.

Oh well... the craving became intense...as intense as a palate worm. Yeah. That's pretty intense. It started telling me I had to have lemon...and garlic...and oregano with my pork. It also said something about olive oil too. Gosh. It's as if the palate worm had just come back from white sand beaches and amazing blue skies...without the bottle of Ouzo. Well I'm glad it did.

I went off to, while not singlehandedly save the Canadian or Ontarian pork industries...I thought I could do my bit to buy a local farmer a large double-double or two. My favourite butcher was more than happy to be the payment conduit.

There are many variants of this particular marinade. Use it as a guideline and adapt it to your own taste. Let the pork rest in it, at room temperature for about 15 minutes, before searing those lovely slabs of meat on a hot grill or pan.



Greek-style pork chops
(for four nice pork chops)

I dspn oregano
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
pepper


cheers!
jasmine

What I'm reading: The Children's Book by A.S Byatt

I'm a pen for hire!