“If the book is good, is about something that you know, and is truly written, and reading it over you see that this is so, you can let the boys yip and the noise will have that pleasant sound coyotes make on a very cold night when they are out in the snow and you are in your own cabin that you have built or paid for with your work.” ~ Ernest Hemmingway, American author and Nobel Prize Winner for Literature (1899 – 1961)
One of our holiday must-haves includes consuming a slice of a savory pie that heralds from the French-Canadian side of our family. “Tourtiere” is traditionally made from whatever protein source is local and abundant, and most of the time that means ranch fare. In order to not exclude the vegetarians and vegans among us, however, we have changed up the recipe to focus on a rich combination of mushrooms and nuts. It isn’t quick and if you’re making your own crust, it isn’t easy, but we’ve included it below just for those who might want to attack it.
The REAL recipe of this post for everyone is in what we put on top of the pie. Some folks like to lift the top crust of the baked pie and pour on a little maple syrup, while others top with ketchup or gravy. In the longstanding tradition of tourtiere we’ve taken the “local” thing to the US Southwest and pour on a barbecue sauce that is a fusion of Canadian maple syrup, ketchup, and chipotle chili.
Organic barbecue sauce is almost impossible to come by in our neighborhood, so we’ve taken to making our own using organic ketchup, produced with minimal ingredients. It also makes assembling the recipe extremely easy, without any cooking required. You can use all maple syrup as the sweetener, eliminating the brown sugar, but be warned that doing so tends to make the sauce much thinner than we like.
The Garam Masala seasoning blend gives this sauce a chutney influence. If you don’t like it or it is too much trouble, simply eliminate it. For me, however, it is the ingredient that cinches the deal. Clicking on the words Garam Masala in the ingredient list below will open up a past post with instructions on how to blend your own, but it can be found in most grocery store spice racks.
Quick and Spicy Maple BBQ Sauce
Makes 2 cups
Time: 5 minutes, made at least 1 day ahead
1 cup organic ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (anchovy-free variety)
¼ – ½ teaspoon dried chipotle pepper, to taste
Measure ingredients into a jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to combine. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours so that the flavors have the opportunity to marry and intensify.
In case you would like to try out our savory pie… Hint: If you have a food processor, this is the time to use it!
NUTS ABOUT TOURTIERE
Serves 6
Time: 30 minutes active + cooling time + 40 minutes baking time
Pastry for a 2-crust, 8” pie
2 large potatoes, cubed (about 3-4 cups, skin on)
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, diced
3 ribs celery (including leaves), diced
1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried sage
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup cashew meats, finely chopped ½ cup walnut meats, finely chopped
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon tamari or other soy sauce
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
Maple syrup, ketchup, barbecue sauce, or mushroom gravy to top as individually desired
Cook potato pieces in boiling water until they break apart easily when cut through with a fork. Drain, mash, and allow to cool.
Soften the onion and celery in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushroom bits have browned. Stir in the sage and thyme for the last minute of cooking, remove from the heat and stir in the mashed potatoes, nuts, maple syrup, soy sauce, black pepper, and bread crumbs. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, place one prepared crust into the bottom of an 8” pie pan. Fill the pie shell, mounding the filling slightly at the center. Cover with second piece of pastry, seal, vent and bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake about 30 minutes longer or just until the crust has pleasantly browned.
Serve while hot with your favorite topping – and enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
May you find joy in all of your celebrations and gratitude for the small things that really make them what they are.