Potato-crusted tourtiere

Here’s a gluten-free tourtiere you can enjoy for Christmas Eve. The only difference between this pie and a traditional pie is the pastry.

To make this dish gluten free, I made a thin roasted-potato crust for the bottom of my deep-dish pie plate and used creamy mashed potatoes for the top crust. I flavored the potatoes with some caramelized onions but this is an optional suggestion.

Easy tourtière, a traditional meat pie

Family traditions are especially important at Christmas. Tourtière is one of them. Vinny just wouldn’t feel right without this savory meat pie for the holidays.

Adela’s Norwegian meatballs, WHO style

Traditional cooking, with a healthier outlook

The WHO’s stand on meat

The World Health Organization (WHO) has just sent shock waves through the earth’s stratosphere. What they said was something that anybody who has been following nutrition news in the past few years already knew.

WHO news:  Processed meats cause cancer. And red meats probably cause cancer.

But unless you are genetically predisposed to the disease, the increased risk according to most experts is relatively low. Nevertheless, it’s real.

The main attraction: Ancho sauce and caramelized onions adorn Spanish pork loin

Pork with Sardinian fennel and mushroom risotto on the side

Now that you’re nicely warmed up with a pleasant cocktail and a savory appetizer, we’ll move right along to the star of the meal. Vinny rubs a large, lean pork tenderloin with a blend of dried ancho chili pepper and other spices.

Food Surprises… A Pocket Full of Rye

Vinny made this tourtière from pork, not pigeons

Remember that song about a pocketful of rye? The king cuts into his pie, and surprise… a blackbird nips off his nose! This nonsense isn’t as silly as it first seems.