Québec Pork Pie (Tourtière) →

This recipe was developed in memory of my French Canadian grandmother, Pauline Mason, who was born in the late 1800s near St. Albans, Vermont, but spent the majority of her adult life living in the Italian immigrant community in and around Providence, Rhode Island working as a mid-wife, reading cards, telling fortunes, and doing what she needed to do to survive difficult times during the Great Depression. It was Pauline who instilled the love of cooking in me. Québec Pork Pie is traditionally served at Christmas with Green Ketchup, but like meat-filled pastries from so many ethnic cuisines (eg. empanadas, Cornish pasties, and other British meat pies, samosas, Nigerian and Ghanaian meat pies, etc.) it should be eaten and enjoyed anytime. Much like Italian red sauce, every Quebecois family has its own tourtière recipe which is believed to be “the best”. Unfortunately, my grandmother didn’t write down the meat pie recipe I remember from my childhood, but after researching numerous recipes, this comes close to what I remember. Because I prefer apples or pears with pork, I serve my tourtière accompanied by a Green Apple Chutney in place of the traditional green ketchup. Served with a green salad, it makes a satisfying lunch or light dinner. Bon appétit

Classic Tourtière or Québec Pork Pie
Servings 4-6 (a 9-inch pie)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork ideally organic & local

• ¾ cups cold water or chicken stock (I use chicken stock)

• ½ cup finely chopped onion

• ¼ cup finely chopped celery

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ teaspoon dried savory

• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• Salt

• a small potato diced

• Pastry for one double-crust 9-inch pies

• 1 egg beaten, for glaze

Preparation:

1. In a large, heavy frying pan, sauté the onion and celery until translucent

2. Add the meat and brown; when brown, add the stock and the rest of the ingredients (onion, celery, pepper, bay leaf, savory, rosemary, nutmeg, and cinnamon). Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 30 minutes; stir often. Add more water if the mixture dries out.

3. Halfway through cooking time, season with salt to taste.

4. Remove bay leaf and allow to cool before assembling the pie

5. After assembling the pie crust, lightly brush the top of the pie with an egg wash comprised of a well-beaten egg and a tablespoon of water. This will give the crust a shiny golden sheen when it comes out of the oven.

6. Preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 45-50 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Adapted from:
https://simplebites.net/how-to-makeclassic-tourtiere-qubec-pork-pie/
https://www.davidlebovitz.com/the-joy-of-cooking-meat-pie-recipe-tourtiere/

Wine pairing: light to medium-bodied red wines like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais; Zinfandel or Primitivo from southern Italy or French Grenache from the Rhone Valley, and Garnacha from Spain; not overly minerally white wines like Dry Riesling and Viognier will also complement this dish.

Cuban Style Grilled Pork with Cranberry Orange Sauce →

Pernil is one of my favorite pork dishes. I love the Cuban/Puerto Rican marinade used for slow-cooked roast pork shoulder (pernil) so I decided to use it to marinate boneless, country-style ribs and grill them. The sweet-tart orange-cranberry sauce is the perfect complement to the pork. Optionally, you can baste the ribs with the sauce the last 5 minutes on the grill. Serve topped with sauce or with a bowl of sauce on the side. Black Beans and Yellow Rice are the natural companions with this delicious pork dish. Buen provecho!

1. Marinate the Pork:
Ingredients:

• 3 pounds boneless country-style ribs about an inch thick

• 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice

• 9 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 small onion chopped

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped oregano

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt Pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a large plastic bag and marinate at least 4 hours up to overnight.

2. Make the Sauce: Ingredients:

• ¾ cup all-natural orange marmalade

• ¼ cup dried cranberries

• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar

• ½ teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

• 2 medium cloves fresh minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

• 1/16-1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (or to taste)

• ¾ cup chicken broth

Combine the first seven ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring back to a simmer and reduce for another 10 minutes. Set aside to bring to room temperature.

3. Grill the Pork

1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in charcoal grill; medium-hot gas grill.

2. Remove the ribs from the marinade and wipe off any herbs sticking to the meat.

3. Place ribs on grill over medium heat, close the lid and sear for 2-3 minutes per side.

4. Move the meat to indirect heat and cook 5 minutes per side. (10 minutes) Check doneness with an insta-read thermometer. Finished temperature should be 140-145 and the juices of the meat should run clear or very slightly pink when pierced with a fork. The finished meat should be barely pink and juicy.

5. Remove from grill and let rest 3 minutes.

6. Serve topped with sauce, or with sauce on the side.

Wine pair: a medium-bodied red wine from the Rhone Valley; Merlot; medium-bodied Rioja; or red wine from the Portuguese Douro Valley. Avoid heavy tannin wines.