Tortiere

My mother, being French-Canadian, made something she called "Tut-kay" (phonetically spelled) every New Year's Eve. Apparently, I didn't like it growing up. It is a traditional meat pie. Being vegan, I won't eat it now. However, in the interim, the husband and I started making it. For whatever reason, Mom wouldn't give me her recipe. But we found this one on the internet.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lbs ground pork
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp pepper
1 cup water
medium onion, chopped
6 potatoes
2 9-inch pie crusts, with top

Directions:

1. Cook the potatoes and mash them until smooth.
2. Combine ground beef, ground pork, onion and garlic in a large pan or skillet. 
3. Cook on high, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through (no pink).
4. Add the spices and seasonings, and water. 
5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and simmer another 10 minutes
7. Remove the cooked meat from heat and mix in the mashed potatoes. Set aside to cool.
8. Preheat oven to 425F.
9. Once the mixture is cool, spoon mixture into your pie shells and cover each with their top crusts. 
10. Slash each top crust, making a small hole.
11. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 and back for 25 minutes more.

Notes:

• Recipe make 2 pies.
• Time to make is approximately 2.5 hours, including prep and baking.
• Pies may be prepared and frozen, but freeze before baking. Thaw before baking or increase baking time to accommodate being frozen.

Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes

This is another recipe I grew up eating. When my kids were growing up, I probably made it about once per week. 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

1 ½  teaspoon salt

¼  teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons flour

1 can (10.5 oz) chicken broth

6 pork chops

6 cups thinly sliced potatoes

1 dash paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. 
2. In a sauce pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.  Add salt, pepper, and flour.  Pour in chicken broth.  Cook and stir until mixture boils.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a skillet, brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon butter.  Grease a cooking dish with remaining butter and layer potatoes.  Pour mixture over potatoes and place browned chops on top.  Sprinkle with paprika.
4. Cover and bake for 1 hour.  Uncover and bake for an additional 30 min.

Notes:

• Serves 6.
• You can half this recipe for 3 servings. 
• Prep: 30 min.  Cook 1 hr 30 min. 
• You can use thick-cut, regular, bone-in, or boneless pork chops. Cut does not make a difference.

Seasoned Thyme Pork Roast

I've made this a couple times now. The second time, I made a smaller roast than was called for, so it was a little dry. Lesson: don't cook a 2 pound roast the same length of time as a 3 pound roast. The prunes and apples are delicious, by the way, and make a great side for this.

Ingredients:

1 pork loin roast (3 lb.)

2 onions, sliced

3 tablespoons oil

½  cup brown sugar barbecue sauce

¼  cup apple juice

2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves

6 apples, sliced

½ cup pitted prunes

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º.  Brown pork and onions in hot oil in large ovenproof pot on medium-high heat 3 min., turning occasionally.
2. Combine barbecue sauce, apple juice and thyme.  Pour over ingredients in pot; cover with ovenproof lid.  Simmer an additional 10 min., then place in oven.
3. Bake 2 hr.  Add apples and prunes; bake an additional 30 min. or until pork is cooked through and apples are tender.

Notes:

• Serves 10.   
• Prep: 15 min  |  Total: 2 hr. 45 min.

Teriyaki Meatballs

Full disclosure: this recipe has mixed reviews at my house. 

Ingredients:

Meatball
1 lb. ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger
1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 whole green onions
10 - 15 cranks freshly cracked pepper

Glaze 
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 inches fresh ginger
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the ground pork in a large bowl. Peel the ginger and then grate it using a small holed cheese grater into the bowl. Mince the garlic, slice the green onions, and add them to the bowl. Also add the egg, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, and black pepper. Mix these ingredients really well until it is all evenly combined (clean hands work best).
2. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Roll the meatball mixture into small balls, about one tablespoon each. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet as you roll them. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown (about 35-40 minutes). Turn them every 10 minutes or so.
3. While the meatballs are in the oven, make rice to go with the meatballs.
4. While the meatballs are in the oven, also prepare the teriyaki glaze. In a medium pot combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Peel and grate the ginger into the pot. Heat over a low flame until the brown sugar is dissolved (just a few minutes).
5. Add the cornstarch into the pot with the glaze ingredients. Turn the heat up to medium high, stir and cook until thickened. It should thicken as soon as it begins to simmer.
6. When the meatballs come out of the oven, transfer them from the baking sheet into the pot with the glaze. Stir to coat.

Notes:

• Yields about 30 meatballs.

Entree: Quaker Oats Meatloaf Enhanced

This has been our go-to meatloaf for years. I modified the ingredients and baking procedure over the years to the current recipe. This is a good one. This is the second of three meatloafs in our recipe codex.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef 
½ lb ground pork
¾ cups oats (uncooked)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 egg beaten
½ can corn/peas/mixed veggies (drained)

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients together. 
2. Pre-heat oven to 350^o. 
3. Shape mixture into loaf on rack of broiler pan. 
4. Bake one hour.

Other Details:

• Can freeze up to 3 months wrapped in aluminum foil. 
• Serves 5.
• Original Recipe 
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Entree: Teriyaki Pork Roast

Fall is coming. It arrived here the week after Labor Day. Cooler weather means slow-cooker aka crock pot.  One of my projects in this digitization of recipes is going through recipes in my recipe box that were not on my previously prepared recipe cards. These recipes must be made and cleared past the judges. This recipe was one of those.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), halved
7-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water


Directions:

1. In a greased 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first seven ingredients. Add roast and turn to coat. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
2. Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with meat.

Other Details:

• 8 servings. 
• Prep: 10 min. 
• Cook: 7 hours + 10 min.
• Nutritional Analysis from original recipe card: One serving (prepared with light soy sauce) equals 292 calories, 212 mg sodium, 101 mg cholesterol, 9 gm carbohydrate, 36 gm protein, 12 gm fat, trace fiber. 
• Diabetic Exchanges: 4-1/2 lean meat, 1/2 starch
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