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Happy Friday everyone!

I'm SO excited to introduce to you all the gorgeous Nadia!  She's the writer of the fabulous blog A Culinary Education and her recipes are absolutely to DIE for.  Some of my favorites that I can wait to try are her tiramisu, sweet potato gnocchi and she shares a super informative biscotti series that is really helpful {not to mention delicious!}  Growing up in a family with a wide variety of culinary taste, she has grown to really appreciate all types of food from different cultures and this is evident in the recipes that she shares.

She also studied the Culinary Arts in school, so you know she's legit!

But don't just take my word for it, she's has an amazing dish to share and I know you'll just adore her!

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Hi!  Food is a big deal in my world.  I am lucky enough to have come from a family which has instilled in me a love of quality, healthy and tasty foods from all over the world.  My blog is about all things culinary and an education in Culinary Arts with George Brown College in Toronto through their Continuing Education Department.

Here's one of my favorite recipes that I learned in one of my classes...

Quebec Tourtière

I am a big fan of the Tourtière.  It's savoury, comforting and wonderful on a cold Canadian winter day.  Below is the recipe which I've used a number of times to make Tourtière (or 'meat pie' as one of my friends would call it...he thinks the word 'Tourtière' is too fancy for what it is). 
 
This is adapted from the Tourtière recipe that I learned in the Culinary Arts II class at George Brown College.  I've increased the spices (cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, bay leaf) and the amount of garlic - because I like food that is über flavourful.  I've also added Sambal hot sauce, because I truly believe that hot sauce makes everything better.  I've included my ‘tried and true’ pastry recipe below.

Here are your ingredients:

560 g ground pork; or 2/3 ground pork and 1/3 ground beef

1 medium onion (finely diced)

1 stalk celery (finely diced)

1/2 leek (1/2 of the white/light green part of the leek - finely diced)

1 medium carrot (grated)

6 garlic cloves (minced)

1 Tbsp parsley

1/2 potato (peel and submerge in water until ready to use)

1 oz. oil (for sauteing meat)

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. allspice

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1-2 bay leaves

2-3 tsp. Sambal Hot Sauce (this is not authentic to the traditional Tourtière recipe, but adds an incredible kick of flavour - can find at most well-stocked grocery store)

4 oz. beef stock (if not using homemade, try to find a low sodium beef stock at your local grocery store)

1 egg (for egg wash)

Pie pastry (recipe to follow)

Directions:

1. Make pastry (recipe below).  Put in fridge for at least 1/2 hour before ready to use. 

 

2. Prepare vegetables: dice onion/celery/leek, grate carrot, mince garlic, peel potato and submerge in water.

3. Heat oil in a large sauté pan or skillet, sauté meat until it's no longer pink (optional - season with salt and pepper while sautéing).

4. Incorporate onion, celery, leek, carrot, garlic, parsley, spices (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaf), Sambal sauce and stock with the meat.  Simmer on medium, uncovered, for about an hour (can do for less if in a hurry, but this is one of those cases where the longer you simmer it, the better it's going to taste).  Stir occasionally.

5. Taste for salt and pepper, adjust spices.

6. Grate 1/2 of the potato into meat mixture.  Stir to release the starch (This will help to thicken up meat mixture - Don't worry if it doesn't look thick while it's hot....it will thicken as it cools).

7. Remove meat mixture from heat and let cool.

8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (if your oven takes a long time to warm up you might want to do this step a little earlier).

9. Roll one half of the pie dough out to fit the bottom of your 9" pie pan, allowing a 1/2” over hang.

10. Remove bay leaf(s) from meat mixture; Pile meat mixture into pie pan.

11. Roll out the second crust and decorate the top of the pie with a lattice top or any special way you like (if covering the top of your pie completely with the top crust, make sure to cut slits in the top to allow the steam to escape).  Decoratively crimp the edges.

12. Mix egg yolk with 2 tsp water; lightly brush pastry with egg.

13. Bake on a tray for an hour at 375 degrees (You'll know it’s finished when the crust is golden brown and pie filling is sizzling). 

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Flaky Pastry (makes 1 double crust 9" pie):

2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cups vegetable shortening

4-6 Tbsp ice water

Place flour and salt in a shallow mixing bowl and cut in shortening with dry clean fingers or pastry cutter until mixture resembles a coarse meal (large breadcrumbs).  Make a well in the middle of the mixture.  Sprinkle one tablespoon in well and mix in lightly and quickly with fingertips, adding one tablespoon of water at a time until pastry just holds together.  Shape gently into a ball.  Wrap with wax paper and place in fridge to chill for at least 1/2 hour before use.  Continue with step 2 above.

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Once the Tourtière has completely cooled, it can be frozen.  To Reheat - Place in oven at 300 degrees until its heated through. 

I especially enjoy eating Tourtière with Heinz baked beans (Yup...the stuff from the can...why mess with a good thing?). 

 

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