Space History, Cooking Tourtières.

We have just watched A Year in Space about Scott Kelly's stay on the International Space Station. A very interesting programme. I cannot imagine what it would be like to spend a year there. It is not, as I had always thought, one bit like the Enterprise. There is no artificial gravity and there is very little space. It is a series of long tubes all of which are stuffed with supplies and equipment. We watched the programme recorded by the Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, so I knew what to expect when watching tonight. I have often thought I would like to go into space, but I cannot imagine spending all that time away from earth, friends and family living in such an uncomfortable environment. I wouldn't have a problem with the space ships in the Enterprise movies. They never get to sit down or lie flat on a bed. They are floating all the time in 0 gee. They are working almost constantly, either carrying out experiments or possibly effecting repairs in the station. Of course on this mission, two of the supply ships didn't arrive so they were getting very low on supplies. Eventually a Japanese ship got there. Not sure I would like to be a wife either knowing my husband was floating round in space. Or  a mother I guess. There is now a programme about Neil Armstrong.

I told you I had made the filling for my tourtières yesterday. I had only enough pastry to make two pies and it snowed pretty hard last night meaning that Matt did not do his usual early morning stint of going to the grocery store at 7 a.m., the roads being too bad. However, by 10:30 the roads weren't too bad so we both went and amongst other things, I had now got the rest of my pie shells. Then later I realised that I didn't have big enough cookie sheets. I had not long bought new ones. In the end I made the pies and had to cook only 2 at a time. We cut into one for supper, it was very good if I do say so myself. It was a lot easier to do it this way, making the filling one day and then making the pies the next day. Much less tiring. So, as promised, here is the recipe again.

Tourtière

As a change, you can use frozen puff pastry for your pies.

Filling

2 Tbs olive oil
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal
2 cups finely chopped onion
¾ cup finely chopped carrot
1¼ cup chopped fennel
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1½ tsp dry mustard
1½ tsp allspice
1 1/4 cup beef stock (or less) this time I used a lot less and the pies were better.
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs rolled oats
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley per pie
1 Tbs dried breadcrumbs or ½ Tbs semolina per pie
Egg wash
1 egg beaten
1 Tbs whipping cream
4 boxes of frozen pastry - defrosted (2 shells in each) I use 4 deep dish and four regular for the top of the pies.

1. Heat oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Add ground meat and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the pinkness disappears. Drain off fat.

2. Stir in the onion, carrots, fennel, bay leaf, dried thyme, dry mustard, all-spice, cinnamon, rolled oats and salt and pepper. Add enough stock to just cover the top of the meat. Lower the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for about 45 minutes, or until the onions disappear. Check and stir after 30 minutes. Re-season if needed. Cool, remove and discard bay leaf and stir in parsley.

3. Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C.

4. Take out four pastry shells to use as bottoms and sprinkle with breadcrumbs or semolina to absorb any fat. Pile meat mixture onto each pastry crust, leaving a 1 inch border. Brush edge of pastry with water. Top with remaining crusts and press edges together to seal, crimping decoratively if desired.

5. Combine beaten egg with cream and brush over pastry. Cut steam vents into the top crusts.

6. Bake for 15 minutes in lower half of the oven. Reduce heat to 400°F/200°C and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden. Cooking four pies it is necessary to rotate their positions in the oven.

Servings: 6

Source: Food and Drink Holiday 2006

Have a great day

T is for Titmouse and Tourtière

Titmice are certainly a well known variety of bird in England where, I have learned from 10,000 Birds, that their name comes from old English meaning tit, any animal or bird that was tiny, and mase, a small bird. However, they are a well established  bird in the Americas and appear to be spreading north having found their way into southern Canada (possibly due to global warming). Although not a particularly well known bird, they are numerous and always turn up in great numbers in back yard bird counts. We certainly used to get them in large numbers in our feeder in North Carolina and were always a very popular visitor as far as we were concerned.

Some years ago I obtained the current copy of our local liquor board’s magazine, Food and Drink, and one of their featured recipes was their version of Tourtière. Although basically a meat pie, the French influence has raised it above the ordinary and this recipe, with its use of three different meats with unusual spice combinations, is a particularly good one. In the recipe it says ‘serves 6’; however, when I make these they adequately fill four pies (as shown) each of which is more than plenty for 4 people. You can, of course, make your own pastry, but I always use Tenderflake pastry and find it very good, especially not being a particularly good pastry chef. These keep very well in the freezer too and I always make four at a time.

Tourtière

As a change, you can use frozen puff pastry for your pies.


Filling
2 Tbs olive oil
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal
2 cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup finely chopped carrot
1¼ cup chopped fennel
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1½ tsp dry mustard
1½ tsp allspice
1 1/4 cup beef stock (or less)
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs rolled oats
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley per pie
1 Tbs dried breadcrumbs or ½ Tbs semolina per pie

Egg wash
1 egg beaten
1 Tbs whipping cream
4 boxes of frozen pastry, deep dish - defrosted (2 shells in each)

1. Heat oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Add ground meat and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the pinkness disappears. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in the onion, carrots, fennel, bay leaf, dried thyme, dry mustard, all-spice, cinnamon, rolled oats and salt and pepper. Add enough stock to just cover the top of the meat. Lower the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for about 45 minutes, or until the onions disappear. Check and stir after 30 minutes. Re-season if needed. Cool, remove and discard bay leaf and stir in parsley.
3. Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C.
4. Take out four pastry shells to use as bottoms and sprinkle with breadcrumbs or semolina to absorb any fat. Pile meat mixture onto each pastry crust, leaving a 1 inch border. Brush edge of pastry with water. Top with remaining crusts and press edges together to seal, crimping decoratively if desired.
5. Combine beaten egg with cream and brush over pastry. Cut steam vents into the top crusts.
6. Bake for 15 minutes in lower half of the oven. Reduce heat to 400°F/200°C and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden. Cooking four pies it is necessary to rotate their positions in the oven.
Servings: 6
Source: Food and Drink Holiday 2006

Have a great day