This week I spent some time looking into meat pies as I’d like to make one for next week’s grand finale post. When I think of meat pie, what comes to mind is steak, mushroom and maybe some stout. This seems to describe the British classic, along with its Irish cousin (steak and Guinness), and decedents in Australia and New Zealand as British colonizers brought their culinary traditions with them.
Despite the standing of French cooking within western traditions, they aren’t known for pie. Given that pie’s been around since the dawn age, of course the French have made a pie or two, such as this fourteenth century mushroom pie. Interestingly, French-Canadians are known for pie. Tourtière were likely adapted from the British and combined with local ingredients by French colonists in early Canada. A number of regional variations exist, differing in the types of meats used and the coarseness.
Circling back to a recipe for next week, Jamie Oliver has a solid looking steak pie that even includes a few vegetables:
