Tourtière (French Canadian Meat Pie) Made Magic

I don't know what it is about ground meat and clove in a pie crust, but it's so good.

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My mom hates meat pie.

Hates it. Does not like. Never did, probably never will.

But my dad and I love it. My grandmother (his mother) is actually a healthy percentage French Canadian, as well as Scottish and Italian, and one of the things she used to make is Tourtierre, or French Canadian meat pie. Since mom never made it for me, and I never got a recipe from grandma, I was out looking for one myself, and eventually I found that the only things you really need are a couple pounds of ground beef and a few key spices, namely:

• Sage

• Clove

• Thyme

And it's these three spices that are going to work some hard magic (along with a drizzle of maple syrup at the end to add that extra sweetness).

Before anyone says anything when they get to my ingredients list: I'm not saying I'm sticking perfectly to the concept of Tourtière. Mostly because tradition is great, but not at the expense of actual nutrition and flavor (and availability of ingredients). Old recipes get new life when you make them your way, and that's exactly what I'm doing here today.

So without further ado, let's talk about why I think this here Tourtière will make an excellent dish for sweetening, healing, and fortifying relationships (whether platonic or romantic).

Magic in Tourtière (French Canadian Meat Pie)

The reason I say this dish is so good for healing and fortifying relationships is because these three spices are powerhouses at very key things: love, wisdom, purification, healing, and protection. With these themes in mind, and a little maple syrup adding that sweetness, this dish can help you and your loved ones get in the headspace necessary to either patch things up after an argument, or to simply strengthen the bonds you already share and remind each other that you've got each other's back.

The elements air, water, and fire, with Jupiter and Venus at the helm, are exactly the elements and planets you want here, too. Air is the element of thought and communication, water the element of emotion and intuition, and fire the element of creativity and passion—and with Jupiter's big lucky energy, and Venus's soft, romantic aspect, you can focus on the things that you want for your relationships: good communication, respect, love, enthusiastic support, and a hearty dose of luck and abundance.

Tourtière

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Makes 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2lb ground beef

• 2 medium onions, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 9in pie crusts (store bought or homemade)

• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs or boiled potato

• 2 cups veggies (peas, carrots, etc.)

• 1 1/2 Tbsp sage

• 1 1/2 Tbsp thyme

• 1/2 tsp clove

• Salt & Pepper to taste

• A little water if needed

• Maple Syrup (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop two onions and fry with salt and pepper until browned.

2. Add garlic, frying until fragrant.

3. Preheat oven to 425.

4. Add 2lbs of beef and break apart, then brown it halfway

5. Add your seasonings, breadcrumbs, & veggies, mixing well

6. If mixture is a little dry, add some water, stirring together, & cover

7. Roll out room temp pie crusts, laying one on the bottom

8. Pre-bake bottom crust for 5 minutes

9. Remove from oven and fill with your mixture.***

10. Cover with the second pie crust, seal & prick with a fork.

11. Bake with metal pie crust shield for 20min, then uncovered 15-20min.

12. Let sit for 10min, then serve with maple syrup!

***NOTE: You'll likely have filling leftover. That's okay! Pop it in a tupperware, or go light on the pie filling and save the rest in the freezer for when you want meat pie but don't want to cook. I do this with my chicken pot pie filling, and it makes those frustrating, don't-want-to-cook nights a lot easier to still get some good food and magic in!

But this meal is everything you want it to be in winter: sweet, savory, hearty, and so comforting. Definitely give it a try!