Last week’s recipe and pairing honored our Fourth of July holiday. This week, though we honor our neighbors to the North with a homage to Canada Day.
Canada Day is not the anniversary of its independence, but it marks the moment in which each of the provinces united under English rule to form what is the Canada we all know today. And, though they already celebrated (July 1), we can’t help but share a traditional dish from Canada paired with our choice of wine.
Ingredients
1 lb of lean ground pork
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken stock or water
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried savory
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
salt to taste
1 pie crust (9” unbaked deep dish crust with top)
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp water for brushing top pie crust
1 egg white for brushing unbaked pie crust
Directions
Mix the ground pork with the cornstarch and a generous pinch of salt. Heat the oil in a non stick pan until hot and brown the pork on medium high heat until no longer pink (break up the meat as you brown it, so it will not be lumped together). Drain off the fat. Return the pork to the pan, add the garlic and onion and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add all the vegetables and spices, chicken stock or water and cook until the vegetables are just soft. Salt to taste. Set the filling aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush your unbaked pie crust with the egg white to prevent the crust from getting soggy. Fill the pie shell with the cooled filling. Top with top crust; cut a few slits in the top crust for steam to escape. Brush the top crust with the egg yolk and water mixture. Bake for 15 min on the bottom rack of the oven, then reduce the heat to 375 F and bake for another 25 min until the crust is golden. Serve warm.
Pairing
Robert Mondavi ‘Napa”
Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Robert Mondavi Winery — California
It’s unfair to describe this dish as simply as a meat pie, because the resulting flavor is far from simple. So, we’ve paired it with this red from Robert Mondavi. The hints of blackberry and wild berry compliments the dish so well. But, should you choose to grab a beer, stick to the theme and go with something from Labatt’s or Molson.