We often think of food as single entities and not as part of a bigger regional story, thus we wanted to showcase food that is grown in Alberta with a regional twist with Wheatland County. Wheatland County is a municipal district in south-central Alberta, Canada, east of Calgary. To make this pie we used the following:
Ingredients:
- One pound of ground bison from Uncle Bernie’s All Natural Meats
- One pound of ground elk from Uncle Bernie’s All Natural Meats
- One pound of ground magalitsa pork from EH Farms
- One package of leaf lard from EH Farms
- 500g unbleached white flour from Grainworks Organic Tillers and Millers
- Two lbs of Agria Potatoes from Poplar Bluff Organics
- Two lbs of beets from Poplar Bluff Organics
These ingredients in mind, we asked Chef Paul Rogalski from Rouge Restaurant to create a dish that can be made at home, and thus the Wildrose Region Tourtière was created.
With the help of Rocking R Guest Ranch, Wheatland County and beverage partners, Origin Taproom and Field Stone Fruit Wines.
The Recipe
Wild Rose Region Tourtière
Makes 8 portions
By Chef Paul Rogalski / Rouge Restaurant
You’ll need a large bowl, a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, and a 9” wide and 2” deep glass or ceramic pie plate to make this recipe. A pastry scraper is also handy.
Ingredients
For Pie Crust:
- 3 cups Grainworks Inc. flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup Eh Farms Mangalitsa leaf lard, chilled
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 6 tbsp cold water
For Filling:
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
- 6 oz Uncle Bernie’s Natural Meats bison, ground
- 6 oz Uncle Bernie’s Natural Meats elk, ground
- 6 oz Eh Farms Mangalitsa pork, ground
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Poplar Bluff grated potato
- 1 cup Poplar Bluff grated carrot
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of clove powder (optional)
- Pinch of dried thyme
- Pinch of dried rosemary
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- Pinch of salt or your favourite steak spice
- Touch of cracked black pepper
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
For pie crust: Sift flour and salt in a large bowl, add the leaf lard. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut lard into flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl whisk egg, vinegar and water together. Mix with the flour mixture using a fork until a ball forms. If the dough is too dry, add a touch of water a teaspoon at a time, knead slightly if necessary. If it is too wet, add a teaspoon more flour and knead again slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and let stand a minimum of 1 hour before using or refrigerate overnight.
For the filling: In a large skillet or Dutch oven, over medium heat, sauté onions in canola oil until light golden brown, add garlic and continue cooking until golden brown. Add the ground pork, elk and bison, and continue cooking for five minutes stirring occasionally. Add the thyme, rosemary, clove powder (optional) and water. While that is cooking, potato, carrots and bay leaves. Add to skillet and bring to a simmer stirring occasionally. Cover with a lid and cook for ten minutes over low heat. Remove lid and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Mix in oats, cover with the lid and let stand for ten minutes. Stir in breadcrumbs and season with salt, pepper and steak spice to your personal taste. Remove from heat, allow to cool for ten minutes then refrigerate for a minimum of one hour before using.
Assembly: Pre-heat oven to 375 °f. Cut the pie dough in two pieces and roll each piece on a well-floured surface to a size where one will fit the pie plate bottom and one will fit the pie top. Press the one fitted for the pie plate in the plate carefully and evenly, allowing the rough edges to remain. Add the meat filling, pressing it in evenly. Mix the egg and milk together until smooth and use it to brush the edge of the pie dough. Carefully place the top lid and pinch to the base. Cut off excess dough from the outer edge of the pie. Brush the top with a generous amount of the egg wash and season with your favourite steak spice. Using a fork, prick to make many small holes to allow moisture to escape while cooking. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Cut into 8 even pieces and serve with your favourite chutney, pickle or fruit compote. Enjoy!
About the Wildrose Region
The region is rich in agriculture and multi-generational producers and processors who are passionate about agriculture. The region has a long-standing history with food as Strathmore is host to the original CP Demonstration Farm and access to Irrigation. These foundations allowed the region to flourish not only in agriculture but also the people that it attracted to live, work and visit for many generations.
Food brings people together where we can share meals, share our culture and heritage and we can use food as a way to educate people on the importance of knowing where your food comes. Eating together allows us to remain connected with our loved ones where we can share stories about lives. There is so much fun in sharing recipes, eating different foods and learning about cultures in a very unique way. Learning about food and where it’s grown allows us to support our local economies and strengthens communities, increases nutrition awareness and teaches generations who have been removed from the farm where the food comes from and the connection to the producer.
