All Fo Food: On the last day of the Olympics...A tribute to Grandma and Canada

I love the Olympics! And, with Canada as the host country, I'm reminded of my Grandma, who in her old age loved nothing more then to lock eyes and serenade you with the entire "Oh Canada" in french (this is not a short song and she wouldn't let you look away!). My Grandma also claimed that despite her 4'10, rotund stature she could have been an Olympic ice skater had it not been for that one time she fell on the ice as a child. Okay, I know I'm not one to poke fun here since I have claimed to anyone that would listen that USA would've won gold this year had I been on the curling team. But anyway, the story here is that in honor of her and Canada I made tourtiere this weekend. What, you say? Translation - pork pie!!!

The final product - Just in time for the Olympic Closing Ceremony

My entire family looked forward to the few times a year that my grandma would make pork pies. If I had to pick one food from my childhood that I loved the most, this would be it. Now, there are conflicting opinions here on the best way to eat a pork pie. I prefer it cold with a layer of ketchup on top, my aunt swears by a hot pork pie, and some of my relatives scoff at the amount of ketchup I smear on my slice. Whatever way you slice it, it's my definition of comfort food. Who knows...maybe it's the reason that I worship all things pork.

The recipe couldn't be easier, but the process is time consuming. The hardest part is making the pie crust and if you skip the homemade crust and go with store bought you've got it made. If you're looking for a pie crust recipe, I've had success with this all butter Martha Stewart one (she also has a good step by step rundown of the whole rolling process that you can search for on her website).

Some people put more spices (such as cloves) or potatoes in their tourtiere. This version is very plain, but it's what I grew up with and what I love. You HAVE to use pork shoulder...no other pork cut will suffice, because it won't have the proper fat content. Most butchers will grind pork shoulder fresh for you. Sometimes, I substitute 1/2lb ground veal for 1/2lb of the pork , which produces a little bit richer of a flavor and is worth the extra cost if available. If you have leftover pork after making two pies, this is cause for celebration. Get a piece of wonderbread and make yourself what just might become your new favorite sandwich. We actually used to cross our fingers that there would be leftovers!

Pork Pie Recipe
Makes 2 pies
(You can freeze one...bake it, cool completely, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil and freeze. When you're ready to eat it, defrost it completely and bake it for about 30 minutes at 350 or until warm in the center).

3-1/2 lbs of ground pork shoulder or 3lbs ground pork shoulder and 1/2lb ground veal
1 large onion finely diced
1 stalk of celery finely diced
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
water to cover meat

Once you chop up the onion and the celery, mix them and the salt and pepper with the meat. Put this in a large pot and just cover with water. For this amount of meat this is usually about 1-2 cups of water but could be more depending on your meat.

I know this looks rather gross, but I wanted to show you how much water to put in. And I promise, it looks better when its done

Stir in bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir well. Add more water if necessary. Cover and turn down to low. Simmer for 3-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally (once the pork is brown, taste to see if it needs any more salt and pepper). Take out the bay leaves and chill for about 20-30 minutes.

See, I told you it looks better!

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, fill the first pie crust with some of the pork (don't strain out all the moisture as you put the pork in the crust, because you want the pork to retain some of the moisture. But don't include too much liquid in the pie).

Filled pie before top crust is added

Brush the edge of the bottom crust with egg wash so that you can form a seal with the top crust. Put the top crust on and seal the edges with a fork. Cut three vents in the top of the pie crust.

Bake for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes until the pie crust is completely cooked and is nicely browned. Serve hot or cold with ketchup.