TOURTIÈRE (Pork Pie)
(French-Canadian classic)

Quebec Tourtière Pastry
4 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup lard
4 tablespoons hard butter
2 eggs, beaten
6 tablespoons cold water
Sift flour and salt into a bowl; cut in lard until mixture resembles fine oatmeal, then cut in hard butter coarsely and stir in eggs and water mixed together. Chill dough for 30 minutes before rolling out.
Makes two 9-inch tourtières.
Note: Rich and flaky. Before baking, place a cupped square of foil on rack below rack holding the pies to catch fat drips.

Filling
1/4 lb salt pork, diced (or streaky bacon)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic, crushed (2-3 cloves of
the bland stuff from the grocery)
3 lbs shoulder pork, minced
2 teaspoons salt (old recipe, before diet Nazis)
2 teaspoons chopped celery leaves
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon each, mace and chevril
1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves
Pinch cayenne
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 - 2 cups bouillon or meat stock

Sauté salt pork until crisply browned. Add onion and stir-fry until onion is transparent, then add remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 35-40 minutes. If you plan to serve the tourtière hot, crumble one or two slices day-old French bread into it to absorb juice and keep the meat from spreading when you cut the pie.
Roll out pastry to line 2 9-inch pie pans. Add the meat mixture. Dampen the rims and roll out the top crusts. Seal the edges and bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and continue baking for about 30 minutes.
Note: Frozen unbaked tourtière turns out crisp and piping hot if baked at 400 F for 25 minutes, then at 350 F for 40 minutes.

There are many variations depending upon the cook. You may choose to leave salt out of the mixture if the bouillon or stock is salty.

A wonderful dish on a cold day. This recipe from the Canadian "The Chatelaine Cookbook," 1965 edition.

The following simplified Quebec Tourtière recipe from Madame Jehane Benoit, "Encyclopedia of Canadian Cuisine," 1963, is for one pie.

1 pound minced pork
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon savory
1/4 teaspoon celery pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup water
1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Place all ingredients in saucepan except bread crumbs. Bring to a boil and cook 20 minutes, uncovered, over medium heat.
Add a few spoonfuls bread crumbs, let stand 10 minutes. If the fat is sufficiently absorbed by the bread crumbs, do not add more. If not, continue in the same manner.
Cool and pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Cover with pastry. Bake in a 500 F oven until top is well-browned. Serve hot.
Optional
For gravy, heat a can of undiluted cream of mushroom soup (or your own gravy favorite).