Sometimes you just have to make it yourself
If it’s a regional food, it has probably been discussed in Taste of the Town over the years. Today the subject is minced pork pie, a dish with French-Canadian roots that’s popular in New England. Claudia Pollard had emailed on behalf of friend Pat Quinn, who was looking for a restaurant that served it or a recipe to make it. We didn’t find the former, but here’s the latter — from Yankee magazine, which is about as New England as it gets.
TOURTIERE
(PORK PIE)
For pastry:
2 cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup Crisco shortening
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons cold water
For filling:
1 large potato, boiled and mashed
¾ pound ground pork
¼ pound ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (to taste)
1 small garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons water
To make pastry, sift together flour and salt. Cut in Crisco and butter. Stir in egg with cold water. Shape dough into a ball. Chill at least 30 minutes; roll out. Make upper and lower crusts for pie.
To make filling, combine ingredients and brown in large skillet. Do not overcook. Drain fat. Fill bottom crust with meat filling, cover with top crust, and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes; then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes more.
— Recipe adapted from Yankee magazine
MORE READER FINDS
For Richard Aulino, who’s looking for a bakery that sells prune Danish, Roberta Shulman emailed that she has bought it at Bagel Cafe, 301 N. Buffalo Drive, but she advises calling ahead to check availability. …
For Patty Jacobs, who’s looking for spumoni ice cream from a local market, Louette Payne emailed, “It’s not a store, but the absolute best spumoni is at Maggiano’s at Fashion Show mall. An order is three good-sized scoops, and it’s full of chocolate chunks, cherries and pistachios. We get orders to go all the time — just take a little cooler to bring it home if you have a long drive.” …
For Barb Cowan, who’s looking for barley egg noodles, Ann Brown emailed that she can find them in the Kosher Experience section at Smith’s at 2211 N. Rampart Blvd.
MORE READER REQUESTS
Rita Levin is looking for fresh turkey necks, which she uses for soup and which she used to get at Food 4 Less. …
“Buffalo” Bob Rusnock is looking for peameal bacon, which he used to get in — of course — Buffalo, N.Y. …
Harriet Rosenberg is looking for egg foo yung similar to that which the now-closed Full Ho used to make, and Great Earth tea bags — adding that the company’s website listed Wal-Mart, but she didn’t find them there. …
Pat Roberts is looking for a local source for dry or fresh pappardelle pasta, and for Portuguese linguica or chourico, preferably in the northwest part of the valley. …
And Jo Anne Crain is again looking for hull-less popcorn, since two businesses where she had found it (and which had been suggested by readers) have gone out of business.
Readers?
Submit information to Heidi Knapp Rinella, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070. You also can send faxes to 702-383-4676 or email her at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.
