(This Urban Forager column ran in Calgary’s Avenue Magazine)

By CINDA CHAVICH

When the days grow short and the holidays are upon us, the time crunch of the season calls for easy entertaining, heat-and-eat dishes to pick up or pull out of the freezer for casual dining.

Meat pies fit the bill – from the classic British shepherd’s pie to French-Canadian tourtiere, ‘tis the season for pot pies. It’s the kind of home-style fast food you can pick up from chefs, markets and butchers around town for a casual winter meal anytime, but meat pies are especially convenient for busy days when you don’t have time to plan ahead. They’re perfect after a day of skiing, or for a festive and traditional holiday celebration.

THE FOOD

Tourtiere is the real Canadian meat pie – a Quebec tradition that’s spread across the country and morphed into a regional specialty.

In Quebec, the Christmas Eve Reveillon feast starts after midnight mass and a traditional dish that’s always served is tourtiere. This hearty French Canadian meat pie is usually filled with a savoury mixture of ground pork and mashed potatoes, but depending on the region, it might be a deep dish torte filled with layers of wild game, from rabbit to pheasant or partridge, even moose or elk. Creative Quebec chefs now make their tourtiere with all manner of fillings – chicken, lamb, seafood – and versions across the country include, Alberta beef, prairie bison and even soy protein for vegetarian pies!

Tourtiere is a double crusted meat pie, made with a flakey pastry, just like a fruit pie. The classic recipe includes pork, seasoned with summer savoury, and perhaps a touch of cinnamon or cloves. The pastry that encases this meaty filling is usually made with lard – it makes for a really crisp and savoury crust that browns well.

Of course, other cultures have their own versions of this French meat pie, from the British Melton Mowbry pork pies or steak and kidney pie, to South African bobotie and classic Canadian comfort foods like chicken pot pie or shepherd’s pie.

While there’s no French in my background, growing up on the prairies, we always had tourtiere for the holidays. In a book called Pioneer Kitchens, compiled by the Southen Alberta Pioneers in Calgary, there are two versions of tourtiere in the “North American” section of the book, and a very similar pork pie recipe in the “British Isles” section. So tourtiere may well be that truly Canadian dish that describes our country’s original roots – a little English, a little French, tossed together in a pie and enjoyed by families of every ethnic persuasion.

THE FIND

There are several places in Calgary to take out real artisan meat pies and tourtiere, both full-sized pies and individual pot pies made from scratch and sold frozen or ready-to-serve.

A truly Alberta-style tourtiere is the game pie from Wapiti Ways elk farm near Pigeon Lake, made by ECOcafe chef Tim Woods. Woods’ pie is made with ground elk and potatoes, finely spiced and encased in a classic crust, with an artful elk motif on top. He also makes a classic shepherd’s pie with elk. You can buy both fully baked and frozen at the Wapiti Ways booth at the Calgary Farmer’s Market. www.wapitiways.com

Also at the Calgary Farmer’s Market are the various savoury meat and poultry pies from Little Jack Horner, and the individual pot pies from Simple Simon Pies, their version of tourtiere made with ground beef, pork, potatoes and carrots.

For an upscale take-out tourtiere, try the bison or game meat tourtiere created by the chefs at Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts and available from their CRMR at Home shop in Calgary. Pick up some of their pickled yellow heirloom beets or mustard melons to serve alongside.

Local butcher shops are a great source of home-style meat pies, too. The butchers at Bonton Meats near the Foothills Hospital make their own single serving meat pies, and at MacEwan’s Meats on Elbow Drive, you’ll find steak pies, steak and kidney, and chicken and mushroom pies, classic British pies in a shortcrust pastry. Second to None Meats has MacEwans Meat Pies in their freezer section.

For something less traditional, try the creamy seafood pot pies created by Brian Plunkett, the chef-owner of Blu’s Seafood. Or look for South African lamb currie pie and bobotie pie at SA Meats on Kensington Road. (www.sameatshops.ca)

In Canmore, you can pick up full-sized meat pies, made by the Griesor brothers, from the freezer at Valbella Gourmet Foods, or at their own Railway Deli, a combination gourmet food store and casual café on a busy corner along resort row. There are various versions, including chicken or vegetable pot pies, and the real Rocky Mountain-style venison tourtiere – hearty and healthy après ski fare.

THE FIX

The great thing about a meat pie is its versatility. For a casual meal for family or friends, simply heat the pie in a hot oven and serve big steamy wedges with cabbage slaw or a chopped salad on the side. Double crust pies like tourtiere are especially good with sweet gherkins, bread and butter pickles or pickled beets, something to cut the richness of the pastry.

Full-sized pies are perfect to tote along to the cabin, to a holiday pot luck, or to serve as part of a buffet dinner. Or buy a selection of individual meat, chicken or vegetarian pot pies and keep them in the freezer for busy weeknights, when kids and parents are running in different directions and need a quick heat-and-eat meal.

To make your own tourtiere for the holidays, just follow the pastry recipe on a box of Tenderflake lard – you’ll have enough for three double-crust pies, and the easy recipe works every time. For that many pies, you’ll need to make a lot of filling. Just sauté up a big chopped onion, three cloves of minced garlic and four stalks of celery, finely chopped (you can chop it all together in the food processor), with two pounds of ground pork and a pound of ground beef. When it’s all nicely browned, drain any excess fat, season with summer savoury, sage and a pinch of cinnamon and cloves, salt and pepper, then mix in three cups of hot mashed potatoes and a good handful of chopped parsley. Refrigerate the filling – it should be cold when you make your pies – and chill the pastry dough before rolling thinly, to fit three pie plates. Fill each pie crust with the cold filling, seal a second piece of pastry over top, then bake immediately or freeze the pies, unbaked. Thaw frozen pies in the refrigerator and bake as usual, at 375ºF for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is nicely browned and the filling is hot. Let the pies cool for 20 minutes before cutting to let the filling set up.

When you get back from church at midnight, or anytime you want a fast, comfortable meal, it’s easy as pie!