Theme Recipe

I though about putting something rather funny here, like the Canadian love of a dish called Potene (or Poutine), which in it's simplest form is (literally) French Fries and Gravy (and by "gravy" they don't mean catsup!  It's gravy!).  Endless versions of this can be found in bars all across the country.  A lot of different types were featured on Tony Bourdain's trip to Montreal on his Travel Channel show No Reservations...check it out.  Well I thought giving recipes for Poutine would a bit of low blow, so I'm going for something more respectful.  Although, many Americans have trouble with the concept of meat pies,  despite that we eat a lot of pot pie.

Tourtiére de la Gaspesie (Canadian Three Meat Pies)

1 chicken about 3 1/2 lbs.

4 cups water + additional 1 1/2 cups more

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Dough enough for 2 pie crusts (these can be bought)

Sauce:

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cold water

2 1/2 cups broth 

1.  Cut chicken into pieces, and stew in 4 cups of water until done.  Cook for 2 hours.  Remove chicken to cool and save the broth.

2.  Meanwhile, stew the ground pork & beef with onion and 1 clove or garlic, sliced, in the rest of the water for 15 minutes.  Drain and save this broth as well.

3.  When cool remove the chicken from the bone, and grind and add to the simmered meat and onion mixture.  Chop the remaining garlic and add to mixture. Season with salt and pepper

4.  Put 1.2 the pie dough into a pie plate, spoon in the 3 meat mixture and 1/4 cup broth. Seal the pie with remaining pie crust.  Cut slits or decorations into the crust.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Cover with foil if pastry starts browning too fast.  Remove from oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

5.  For the sauce, heat the broth.  Combine the flour into the cold water and whisk well.  When the broth is at a slow boil, slowly whisk the flour slurry, whisk well and simmer for five minutes.  Cut pie into wedges and serve with sauce

This pie is traditional for Christmas in the Great White North.  Served with a green salad for a complete meal. It can be served cold.

WEIRD FOOD IN CANADA

This is Poutine!!!

I found the following on the web.  It's native, but it's still a bit odd.

Seal Flipper Pie (Canada)

Newfoundland Cuisine Catching On: ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. (CP) Move over brie and quiche. Bring on the bang belly and damper dogs. And leave room for seal flipper pie. Newfoundland cuisine has come into its own. Once restricted to the kitchens of the island's outport folk, food like brewis and figged duff is finding its way to Toronto or any big centre in Canada where transplanted Newfoundlanders are found. The only thing that might be tricky to obtain nowadays is seal flipper pie. With the collapse of the seal hunt due to lobbying by environmentalists, there are fewer flippers to be had, but independent sealers still steam into St. John's Harbor every spring and sell flippers off the wharf. In April, community clubs all over the city hold flipper pie dinners. The flippers are tender and tasty but it's said few mainlanders acquire a taste for them. Seal Flipper Pie 4 Seal flippers 1/2 Cup diced pork fat 1 tsp flour cold water 2 onions, chopped 1 tsp soda 1 tsp salt 1 tsp worcester sauce Soak flippers in water and soda for 1/2 an hour. Trim excess fat. Dip the flippers in seasoned flour and pan fry in the pork fat until browned. Add the chopped onion. Make a gravy of flour, 1 cup water, and Worcester sauce. Pour over the flippers. Cover and Bake in a moderate oven (350f) until tender.. which should be two to three hours. Cover with pastry and bake at 400f for 1/2 an hour. From: Rachel M. Brodie.