I’ve mentioned quite a few times how lucky I got when Mothers-in-law’s were being passed around.  Our Jeanne was a jem for many reasons and is sadly missed still.  She had a way of making everyone feel welcome and warm from the moment they entered her home and always had something fantastic to serve.

One of my favourites was her tourtierre and my sister-in-law was kind enough to share the recipe with me.  Tourtierre is a fabulous meat pie that is usually served for Christmas Eve in a French Canadian household.  Each family will have their ‘special’ version, here’s ours.

Salt & pepper to taste, savory, thyme and cloves – about 1 Tbs each.
2 lbs. each of ground pork and ground veal (this is actually the only time ever that I use veal), 1 chopped onion and 1 minced garlic clove.

Mix and let sit overnight so that all of the flavours meld together.
Start to cook over a medium heat. 
Start to add water as it cooks.  Adding a bit of water, letting the meat absorb and then adding a bit more.  You’ll use 1 1/2 cups in the end.
It’ll turn a rather unappetizing greyish colour.  Spoon into a nine inch pie plate, lined with pastry.
Add the top and crimp the edges.

Poke holes in the top to let the steam escape.
Bake in a moderate oven until the pastry is a lovely, browned colour.
These freeze really well but we don’t tend to have them hang around long enough to do so.
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