French Meat Pie (Tourtiere)

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook.  Thank you Ernie MacPhie for posting this French Meat Pie (Tourtiere).  

Makes 2 pies.

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground pork

2 lbs. ground beef 

¾ cup finely diced celery

1 yellow onion, finely diced

5 cups hot water

2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon chicken base

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

½ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

salt and black pepper to taste

2 Homemade or store-bought pie crust (for 9-inch pies)

1 large egg – beaten (for egg wash)

Stuff you will need

2 x 9" pie pans

Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Cutting board and sharp knife

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Dissolve the Better Than Bouillon chicken into the hot water. Set aside.

Add one Tbsp. of olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven (I prefer using cast iron), and heat over medium heat.

Cook the onion and celery for about 5 minutes to slightly soften. Stir with a wooden spoon.

Add the ground pork, ground beef, and poultry seasoning. Cook over medium heat until the meat is fully cooked, about 20 minutes.

Add the breadcrumbs, allspice, ground cloves, and black pepper, then add the chicken stock. Stir to combine. Let cook another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add salt to taste. You should only need a pinch of salt because the bouillon and breadcrumbs already have salt.

Let mixture cool completely.

Add to unbaked pie shells. Top with the pie crust.

Roll edges under and pinch around the entire pie. Use a sharp knife to slice a slit in the top of each pie.

Brush with egg wash.

Bake in preheated oven until the crust is nicely browned. About 30 to 45 minutes.

Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.