Don says this recipe should only be sold it is sooooo good. So feel lucky today, here it is. Otherwise known as a French Canadian Meat Pie. This recipe was his Mom’s recipe and boy, is it tasty.
Makes 3 pies
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped, better yet – grated
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 lb. each ground pork, ground beef and ground veal
- 3 tsp. cloves
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. Jamaican allspice
- 1/2 tsp. sage
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- 5 medium potatoes
- 3 boxes of pastry (trying to make it easy for you)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat butter in large pot and saute the onions until translucent. Add the meat and cook until brown thoroughly eliminating any large lumps.
Add the seasonings and the water. Simmer this for twenty minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks. Put in a sauce pan and cook until tender. Drain and mash the potatoes.
Add the potatoes to the meat mixture and cook another twenty minutes. Cool down.
Make the pastry according to the directions. Fill the pies equally and cover with pastry. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes, then lower the heat to 375 and bake another one-half hour .
Note My husband makes about twelve of these pies on the 11th of November when we do our Christmas baking and because we have children who are not married, we also make smaller pies for them. When they come home from work; they just pop it in the oven to heat through and have a great dinner, just add a salad and veggie. They are so spoiled!
We like ours with a mushroom gravy….the kids…ketchup. Well, there is no accounting for good taste, is there?
Don’s Tuscany Spice Ribs
These are the ribs Don worked so hard to perfect. Try them, they are award winning, to say the least.
Serves 4
- 2 racks of baby pack ribs 1 1/2 lbs. each
Dry Rub
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. dried thyme
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
- * 2 tbsp. of this dry rub goes into the sauce.
Sauce
- 1 cup Diana Gourmet original sauce
- 1/8 cup light soy sauce
- 1/8 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Tuscany spice rub (dry rub recipe above)
- 2 tbsp.Dijon mustard
Mix all ingredients and set aside. This can be stored in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Remove bottom membrane from bone side of ribs. Generously coat and rub the Tuscany spice on both sides of ribs and marinate, covered, in the fridge overnight.
Set one side of barbecue at 275 degrees. Place ribs on the non-fired half of the barbecue and cook for three to four hours. Be sure to check after two hours to ensure they are not cooking too fast. After four hours (this will depend on the thickness of the meat and the size of the rib rack) the meat will be done when about to fall of the bone, remove from the grill and tent with tin foil.
Prior to serving, put grill on medium-high and baste ribs with the sauce. Grill ribs until sauce becomes sticky and finger licking good. Serve and enjoy.
Again, this recipe can also be served with the goat cheese potatoes or the garlic mashed potatoes with attitude….both on this site.
Don made this one up while preparing for a rib contest. It is finger licking good.
Zucchini Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
I was asked the other day if I had a recipe for zucchini cake. After looking through a box full of recipes, I finally found it.
You will need:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 3/4 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch springform pan and at least 2 inches up the sides with parchment paper that has been lightly buttered.
Mix all the dry ingredients together and whisk in the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Carefully fold the flour in and then the zucchini and nuts. Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the cake comes out clean when tested with a toothpick. Place on a wire rack and cool for a couple of hours.
Loosen the cake sides and remove the paper. Invert on a cake plate and peel off the paper from the bottom.
To make the icing, you will need:
- 4 oz. regular Philadelphia cream cheese
- 3 tbsp. room temperature butter
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.
After beating the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, add the vanilla and cinnamon. Can be made a day ahead. Just keep covered and in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Did you know?
When I read something in a magazine that really opens a few brain cells, I have to share the information.
Borrowed from a magazine article, a “Gourmet McCormick” advertisement says:
1 tsp. cinnamon contains as many antioxidants as 1/2 cup of blueberries or 1 cup pf pomegranate juice.
1 tsp. Oregano contains as many antioxidantsas 1 cup of red grapes
1 tsp. Thyme contains the same amount of antioxidants as 1 carrot or 1/2 cup of tomatoes.
Wow! Who knew? Hey, this is pretty good seeing it is Saturday morning of a long weekend and is only 6:20 a.m. Have a great one. Later.
Lemon Scones
Sometimes we wrack our brains trying to find something different, either for breakfast or afternoon tea, and this might just hit the spot. They are not difficult and will raise a few eyebrows when they take that first bite.
You will need:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. each of allspice and cloves
- pinch of salt
- 8 tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup yellow raisins
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. grated lemon zest
- 2/3 cup milk.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly stir the flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until butter is blended into small granules. Add the raisins, sugar and lemon. Now add the milk and stir to form a soft ball.
On a lightly floured board turn out the dough and knead about 10-12 times. Form into a ball and lightly flatten out on a cookie sheet that has parchment paper on it. Score with a sharp knife so that 8-10 triangles are marked. Bake about 15 minutes (watching it doesn’t get too brown) and cool on a wire rack.
When ready to serve, cut in half and put a generous spoon of lemon curd inside and replace the top. Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy.
This is just one of the treats served at the B & B.