Many of us have favorite meals for Christmas Eve. My family pays homage to my French-Canadian sister-in-law with Tourtière, a famous Québécois dish. Other recipes have come to me over the years from friends near and far.  All serve 6, generously.

Originally this French-Canadian specialty was prepared with passenger pigeons, tourtes in French. Since the disappearance of these birds, fresh pork or a mixture of different kinds of meat is used—each region has its own preference.

1 1/2 pounds ground lean pork

1 small onion, minced

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large potato, cut in small pieces

Enough pastry for a two-crust 9-inch pie (or from the recipe that follows)

1 egg, beaten

Salt (optional)

Combine first group of ingredients (pork through cinnamon) in a large, heavy frying pan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until meat loses its red color and about half the liquid has evaporated. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, boil and mash potato. Stir into pork mixture. Cool. Add 1-2 tablespoons water if mixture is dry.

Roll half the pastry and line a deep-dish pie plate. Fill with cooled meat mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the pie; flute and seal edges. Brush with egg and sprinkle with salt if desired. Slit the pastry several times to ensure steam escapes.

Bake 40 minutes at 400ºF (375ºF if you’re using glass), or until golden. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve with ketchup, chili sauce, or HP Sauce.

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable shortening, lard, or combination

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

Combine dry ingredients, then cut in shortening until well blended. In a small bowl, beat egg and divide. Put one half in a measuring cup, add vinegar, and add enough water to make 1/2 cup (set aside other half). Add to dry ingredients and mix to make a moist dough. Separate into 2 clumps; cover and refrigerate for an hour.

After filling pie plate with half the dough, adding the meat mixture, and covering with the other half, brush before baking with the remaining half of the beaten egg.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, and sliced

2 cans (15 oz. each) chopped tomatoes, undrained

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed basil

1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 bottles (8 oz. each) clam juice (or more, as needed)

1 cup dry red wine

12 mussels, scrubbed and debearded

12-16 small clams

1 pound skinless, boneless white fish such as cod, haddock, or halibut (or use all three to             make this a true “seven fishes chowder”)

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

16-24 bay scallops

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; add onion and fennel, and sauté, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Do not brown. Add tomatoes, red pepper, orange rind, thyme, basil, parsley, rosemary, clam juice, and wine. Bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

In another pot, steam mussels and clams in 1 cup water until they open, 5 minutes or more. Discard any that don’t open. Remove from pan to prevent further cooking.

To the tomato broth, add fish, shrimp, and scallops and simmer 5-7 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and the scallops are opaque. Add extra clam juice if more broth is desired. Remove from heat and add mussels and clams. 

Ladle into large bowls and serve with a hearty bread.

12 small Belgian endives

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups grated gruyère cheese, divided

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

12 slices of cooked deli-style ham

Place endives in a pot of boiling water and cook until softened, 5-10 minutes. Drain well.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and whisk in flour, cooking gently for a few minutes. Whisk in milk and stir constantly until thickened and bubbling. Add 3/4 of the cheese and still until blended well.  Stir in nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Spread a light layer of sauce in the bottom of a greased baking dish. Roll a slice of ham around each endive, and place side by side in the dish. Cover with the rest of the sauce, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400º F oven for 30 minutes or until a golden crust forms. Serve with potatoes or rice, and/or a tossed salad.

 

 Pat Orr has been a resident of The Pinehills for 12 years since she and her husband moved from central New Jersey to the sunny shores of Plymouth. Decades ago, when there were such things, she was an accredited home economist, and her love of cooking was reinvigorated during Covid. Currently, she satisfies that urge each month by preparing dinner for guests of the Plymouth Taskforce to End Homelessness, and asks all of you to help out this very worthwhile organization—they accept cash donations as well as dinner offerings!