Tourtiere Pies, Meat pies

One of the things I like to have in my freezer is frozen mini Tourtiere Pies.  These little pies were always sent uncooked with my daughter when she attended university.  All she had to do was vent the pie to allow steam to escape as she baked a pie for 30 to 40 minutes at 350.  She said by the time she could smell the pie baking, she was ready to enjoy her supper.  Gravy is traditional served with meat pies but Fresh Salsa is delicious and not as heavy as gravy!  

A French Canadian friend who grew up in French Canadian village talk about this dish always been served after midnight Christmas Eve mass.  

There are many versions of meat pies in Quebec using different meats and spices depending on the area. 

The ground meat is cooked first and then layered into an uncooked pie pastry.  I use a combination of beef and pork along with sautéing a small finely diced onion. 

I used 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 tsp dry mustard and tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce as the spices.  It is a fragrant pie while baking. 

Since this was a complete meal for my daughter, I liked to add peas to the meat pie which she liked or never complained about it! 

From the standard pie pastry recipe, I am able to make six very packed meat pies.  It occurred to me that I have never baked these pies in a mini size so do not have any pictures of a baked mini meat pie.  I have prepared these pies for my new son in law's birthday this week,  who also loves these pies.   These pies are ready to be packed into a ziplock bag once frozen.