Lentil Tourtière

Tourtière is a traditional savoury Christmas pie. There are many variations and the meat version we use is found here. I made this vegetarian pie today and it turned out very well. It was similar in taste and texture to the vegetable samosas we buy at the local Indian market.

Served with chutney, pickled beets and stir fried vegetables

1 double pie crust

4 cups cooked brown lentils
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 chopped onion (cooked)

1-2 cloves of garlic (cooked)
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. cumin

other seasonings to taste- sage, thyme, ginger, dash of turmeric

Salt,  pepper

Cook lentils until soft or used canned lentils. Dice the onion and garlic and cook until softened in a little oil.

Boil 1-2 large potatoes in water until soft.

Mash lentils and potatoes together leaving some chunky pieces. Add onions and seasonings. Adjust spices to your preference. We like lots of spice in our food. I added a little more potato to make the ingredients stick together well.

Roll out pastry. Line the bottom of a 9" pie plate with pastry. Add filling and cover the top with pastry.

Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and cook for another 30-40 minutes until crust is nicely browned.