Tourtière from Saguenay
On this page, we're sharing our most beloved French-Canadian, Acadian and Québécois dishes : classics from grand-maman. This is our classic tourtière from Saguenay.
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Tourtière du Saguenay
Recipe courtesy of Louise Gilbert
Tourtière could be the most classic of Canadian dishes. Each French-Canadian family has their recipe, whether they live in Québec, Acadia, Ontario, or even New England. Tourtière is almost always part of Christmas or New Year's Eve supper.
The word “tourtière” is a generic one that simply refers to any “pâté en croûte”, or pâté cooked in a crust. Classic tourtière usually includes pork, veal or ground beef, and potatoes. That said, there is a wide variety of tourtière fillings. Some include wild game, or even fish.
Here is a classic version from the Saguenay region. It is normally paired with ketchup (regular or homemade) and “salade aux câilles” (a salad with sour milk dressing).
Photo courtesy of Caroline Meilleur
Photo courtesy of Caroline Meilleur
Photo courtesy of Caroline Meilleur
Makes one tourtière.
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
In a large bowl, combine the meat, onions, potatoes and pork drippings. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Take a roasting pan and line the bottom of the pan and sides with one of the pie crusts.
Add the meat, onions and potatoes and fill the pie with enough water to cover the mixture.
Add the second pie crust on top and close the sides together.
Cook uncovered at 400˚F for 30 minutes, then put cover and reduce the heat to 300˚F and cook for about 5 to 6 hours.
Ingredients:
5 lbs (2.3 kg) of potatoes, pealed and diced
1.5 lbs (680g) of pork filet, cut into small cubes
3 chicken breasts (boneless skinless), cut into small cubes
1.5 lbs (680g) of stewing beef, cut into small cubes
2 medium onions, finely chopped
200g of pork drippings (roast pork fat)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Water
2 large rolled-out short crust pastry