Pot Roast With Loads of Veg and Zing

It's the time of the year for many things: for warming foods, for a frugal approach to cooking, for upping your veg intake, for cooking more from scratch, <insert your own take here>. As a Holistic Nutritionist, I often share meal plans and recipe ideas along with my food recommendations in order to best support my clients in improving their current health status. This is a recipe I have long been wanting to document, in order that I may do just that: Share. Share. Share.  It also regularly appears in my weekly meal plans and is one of our family's favourites. This is all about the good food, my friend!

Pot Roast with Loads of Veg and Zing

I love this pot roast because I can prep it the morning of, or the night before and it will still taste delicious. I find the rush between after school and dinner can sometimes feel like a crunch. (Let's go sledding! The skating rink is ready! Come over for a cup of tea! Oh and errands.) This is the meal for that kind of day.

I started making gravy similar to that found in this recipe after my daughter's dayhome caregiver shared with me that it was how she prepared sauces for the children in her care. I think you'll find it's truly genius. Nary a flour to be found, glutinous or non.

POT ROAST WITH LOADS OF VEG AND ZING
You can prepare everything the night before or the morning of, keep in fridge until ready to cook. I sometimes partially defrost the meat and prepare the morning of, and tuck in the oven and set the timer in order that it may be ready by dinnertime. Frees me up for important skating dates with my kiddo. And really, please don't be swayed by the anchovies. Give it a try; if you'd really rather not include them, you can add 2 tbsp of fish sauce instead, ensuring the fish sauce has no added sugar. *If you are following a GAPS diet, I have indicated where substitutions should be made.

THE PLAYERS:
3 tbsp solid cooking fat (bacon fat would be divine here, but butter, ghee, lard or tallow works)
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 anchovies, rinsed
3-4 lb roast of beef (I opt for the cheaper/tougher cuts like chuck roast, brisket, top or bottom round roast, bottom round, rump (I just love this word – RUMP), sirloin tip)
6-8 carrots, chopped
3-5 celery ribs, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
few sprigs of fresh thyme
handful of mushrooms
1 rutabaga or turnip, peeled and chopped
1 small winter squash, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped (substitute with 1 celery root for GAPS legal)
3-4 yams, peeled and chopped (omit for GAPS legal)
3 cups meat stock (I used chicken stock as it was what I had on hand; beef or bison would be divine)
3 tbsp pomegranate molasses (omit for GAPS legal) (find at a Middle Eastern grocery, like Shaganappi Grocery in Calgary)
4 tbsp vinegar (white wine or apple cider vinegar works and are GAPS legal; I used a pomegranate quince white balsamic vinegar from Blue Door Oil & Vinegar which is not GAPS compliant)
3 bay leaves
2-4 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 slices of reishi mushrooms (optional – find them here)
Sea salt & pepper (omit the pepper for GAPS legal)

THE HOW-TO

• Set the pot you will be making the roast in on the stovetop and preheat on medium. Add your butter and onions, and saute until softened. Add your anchovies and allow to melt, chopping them up in bits with your spatula or spoon. Toss in your garlic and thyme and saute for 30 seconds. Add your roast and sear lightly on each side. (For true GAPS compliance, forego searing the meat as you do not want any browning of the meat.)
• Remove your pot from the stovetop, and add your chopped vegetables, nestling them next to and around the meat.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the meat stock, pomegranate molasses if using, vinegar, bay leaves, shiitake mushrooms and reishi mushrooms if you are using, along with about a teaspoon of salt and few cranks of the pepper mill if using. Pour this marinade over the meat in the pot, put your lid on, and tuck in the fridge until ready for cooking.
• Cook in a 325F oven for 4 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and just melts. Take the roast out of the pot and set aside in a bowl. Add to this bowl about half of the vegetables: I pull out some of the squash, rutabaga, carrots and all of the sweet potatoes and leave the other vegetables in the mix. (onions, garlic, celery, parsnips, half of carrots, rutabaga and squash) Keep warm.
• Put the pot back on the stovetop, and pull out the reishi mushroom slices (if using) and bay leaves. Using your immersion blender, blitz the veggies and sauce up in order to make a thick gravy. If your gravy needs thinning, add more meat stock or water; if it needs thickening, pull out more of the vegetables you had set aside in order to thicken it up. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. You will have an abundance of gravy, but fret not, I have an idea on how to use it up...
• I use an electric knife in order to slice the pot roast in thick slices, as it yields quite readily to little pressure. Serve immediately, pouring your veggie-rich gravy liberally on everything!

What it lacks in colour, I assure you it more than makes up in flavour.

This is pretty much as nutrient-dense as it gets. My kiddo used to request only hunks of meat with lots of gravy. So happy to oblige. 

Bon appétit!

*Find yourself with a glut of gravy left over? It's the fabulous start to your next pot-o-leftover soup! What I would do: saute some leeks in ghee, toss in more carrots and celery, when soft add your leftover gravy along with some more meat stock so the thickness is to your liking. Add any leftover bits of meat you may still have on hand, some finely chopped greens like kale or chard and if you're ok with grains, toss in a handful of barley or rice and simmer until all is cooked through. The end delicious bit: add some homemade pesto after taking it off the stovetop, enough to make it taste delicious. Voila, Soupe Pistou.

Yeah we went skating...

New Blog Series - MONDAY BASICS. Today: w a t e r

I'm starting a new blog series for this new year, and it's a simple thing, really. It's called Monday Basics and it's meant to be a quick read for your Monday mornings on one manageable thing you can add to your day / your life / your regimen, one simple and effective change in order to help you achieve optimal health. It won't be complicated; there may be some recipes involved at times. Oh sure, some posts may involve a bit more work, but I guarantee you balance with some easier to achieve tasks, some simpler things to make it all work. Most of these posts will delve into food and nutritional things, but I promise to veer off the path to include some simple lifestyle changes that may be of support to you. How much you take in is up to you. So check back here every Monday morning for the weekly post on how to up that nutritional ante.

This week's post is one of the most basic things, one of the easiest things you can add to your regimen and perhaps one of the most over-looked things we can do in order to best support our bodies. Today we're talking WATER.

This is one of the foundations of my practice, recommending water to each and every one of my clients. Adults are 60% water, and newborns up to 80%! Our body needs water for blood, sweat, tears, urine, saliva; it is necessary for digestion, injury repair and getting nutrients to where they need to be, but my favourite part is that we need it for elimination. It helps get the colon rollin (yes I just said that) but also helps to flush out toxins from every nook and cranny of our body: it is a main component in our lymph system, that mysterious part of our body that looks after taking our body's garbage to the curb. Drinking water is a fairly easy and inexpensive thing you can do; there is evidence that we as adults should aim for 2 litres a day. This two litres includes herbal teas and things like meat stock or other beverages you consume, other than caffeinated teas and coffees and alcoholic beverages. To help you get enough in in good time, you may want to download an app that reminds you to have a cup of water every hour on the hour, or use your timer on your phone to give you a nudge to down a glass every ninety minutes. You can fill a glass 1L jar twice a day, aiming to consume the contents by supper hour. You can buy yourself a fancy new water bottle to entice you to carry it with you wherever you go, or if your work keeps you in the air or unable to have a glass handy, a hiking camel-type container you can keep on your back might be of use to you.

The most important part of today's write up is the timing around your water consumption.

In order to best support your digestive system, it is recommended you stop drinking water 30 minutes before a meal and that you wait a whole hour until after the meal to resume your water consumption. Minimize or eliminate beverages with your meal, unless they are filled with protein like milk, or bone broth / meat stock. If you do choose to drink water with your meal, make sure it is room-temperature and don't have more than one cup. Any cold beverage can slow down your stomach's digestive function thus impeding the digestion of protein in your meal. Consuming too much water before or during a meal can dilute the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which can hinder your ability to digest protein and this can have a long-term impact on your body's overall function. (Check out this event if you want to learn more about how best to digest like a pro!)

This is where we start, my food-loving friend. I hope you enjoy this wee series I have dreamed up, and that you will come back for more. Every Monday morning from here until the end of 2016, I promise you one easy add-on or swap in order to best support your sweet self towards optimal health. Let's do this. (Well now, we did do this. Find the full write up of ideas here: The Monday Health Basics wrap up!)

(Oh yes we will talk what kind of water later, and may delve in to other things about water as the year progresses. For now, just work on getting your consumption up, and working on the timing. Bonne chance.)

#mondayhealthbasics

MEALS MADE TASTY (and easy!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! At least this is what happened at my house a few weeks ago when my husband answered the door to greet someone dropping off a bag of flavour goodies for me to play with.

As a Brand Ambassador for the loveliest of local lovelies Blue Door Oil & Vinegar, I get sent a few samples to play with from time to time, in order to come up with recipes and ideas on easy ways to prep nutrient-dense meals, using their delicious products. NOT A HARD THING I assure you. 

And so play I did, and have for you two recipes that will make dinner prep a snap for this busy time of year. Not only that, I will also be giving away one of the products Bruce and Courtney have at the store to a lucky winner! Read on for full details.

Now if your world is anything like mine right now, it feels like things are getting close to being a little too much on the hectic side of things: projects to finish or chapters to NOW WAIT A SECOND. I don't want to add anxiety or tension to the list of things you have on your plate. You know the things you need to look after, you don't need me to remind you.

But know this: good food can still happen in this environment. In fact, cooking food can be a good tool in busier times, as it is a task that requires some pretty focused attention, and one that can involve some of your loved ones, meaning some QT spent together. Or can mean your littlest brings in the colouring book with crayons to sit at the island while you prepare the night's meal. It can also be a part of self-care, choosing good foods and nourishing ways to feed yourself and your family. I know that I tend to think about who it is I'm cooking for when I'm preparing the meal, and that alone brings my anxiety levels down. It's a meditative kind of thing. Giving you respite from the rush. And it doesn't have to be an onerous thing either. Read on for a few recipe ideas, and ways to up the nutritional ante for the meals in your near future. (And maybe a few good ideas for gifts or stocking stuffers for someone in your life you adore!)

My most favourite flavour in this last box of treats is the Baklouti Green Chili Pepper Fused Olive Oil. Out of this world!

This fused olive oil is Tunisian in origin, from the Barbary Coast of North Africa. The baklouti green chili pepper is a fruitier cousin to the hot peppers we may be better acquainted with. It is part of the traditional fare from this region of the world, an essential component in curries, couscous dishes, one of the ingredients in Harisa, a traditional chile paste used to give sauces and dishes a flavour boost. What makes this a flavour fused olive oil, as opposed to an infused olive oil you ask? The flavour fused olive oil means the whole fruit is crushed in with premium harvested olives in order to create an indelible blend of flavours. An infused type of olive oil means the natural flavour essences are combined with a top quality olive oil, and the results are stunning. To me, the fused olive oils pack a bigger punch flavour-wise, and because the whole fruit is used in the making of the product, I am telling myself it contains more nutrients. (*not scientifically proven. Just my musings.)

I am a multi tasker by trade, and a miser I MEAN frugal lady so I like to pull double duty when I can. As I was using the oven to roast something for dinner one night, I decided to prepare a spaghetti squash a day in advance in order to lessen the load of work for meal prep the next night. (My meal plan work on the weekend takes the guesswork out of weeknight dinnertime, and ensures I use all of the produce in my fridge before it goes bad. And prevents me from reaching for quick fix meals, although those nights are ok too. Working on balance, I am.)

My aim was to make a noodle-like side dish for a quick saute I was preparing the next evening. My family loves noodles, but I wanted to increase the nutritional content for us and offer a grain-free version we could all feast on, and so I prepared this spicy roasted spaghetti squash. See, when you slice the spaghetti squash into rounds and roast it, as opposed to cutting it in half, your 'noodles' end up being longer, and more like, well, spaghetti. And so slice it into rounds I did, scooped out the seeds, and set the discs in a pan and drizzled this baklouti green chili pepper fused olive oil on top, roasting at 375F for 45 minutes. Tucked it away in a glass dish after shredding the discs with my fork, storing in the fridge until the following night.

The following night, took that baby out of the fridge, drizzled more olive oil on top (because I love the flavour so!) and popped it in the oven at 350F for about 20-25 minutes until it was warmed up and scooped it out on plates ready to serve. As the stir fry I was topping the 'noodles' with had a sesame-garlic-heat vibe happening, I tossed some sesame seeds on top of the noodles to add some crunch and a bit of calcium. (Oh yes, sesame seeds are a fabulous source of calcium!)

You could easily add just about any flavoured or fused olive oil here to a dish like this, making it an easy side for any meal. Blue Door's olive oils are top quality and are incredibly fresh, and so they are safe to use at higher roasting temperatures while still retaining the beneficial qualities. I roast up to 425F with these oils, and feel ok doing so.

Here are a few flavour combinations that may be pique your interest: Fused Lemon Olive Oil with fresh chopped parsley and chives; Butter Olive Oil with chopped chervil and white pepper; Wild Mushroom & Sage olive oil with re-hydrated dried mushrooms; Chipotle Olive Oil with nigella (or kalonji) seeds; Hojiblanca Mild Olive Oil with sauteed peaches, gorgonzola and prosciutto. Simply add these along with the spaghetti squash when reheating or initially cooking. Use any kind of squash as your side, they are excellent sources of fibre and beta-carotene, one of those liver-loving antioxidant vitamins. It's so good you PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

Another easy meal prep I pull out of my sleeve when I feel we have a busy week is this one-pan roast dinner. In fact, I made it last night and tossed it in the oven on a timer while I went out to enjoy a bit of skating at the local ice rink with my little lady. (How's that for stress-busting!) This is one of those easy peasy one-pot meals that involve little prep (10 minutes of chopping), little cleanup (one pan and a knife), maximum flavour, and just a titch of forethought, providing you with loads of good nutrients to keep you going.

SHEET PAN DINNER

THE PLAYERS:
Sausages, chopped into bite size morsels (I used locally made chicken apple sausages from Paolini's at Crossroads Market)
Vegetables that are about to go bad in your fridge*
Vegetables that are taking up space in your freezer**
Flavour boosting Olive Oil (I used the Cilantro & Roasted Onion olive oil – yum!)
Flavour boosting spices if you need more (I used salt and pepper, and red chilis; you could use a smoked salt, conveniently available at Blue Door!)

THE HOW-TO:
Slather a good fat on the base of your pan. I use the roasting pan that came with the oven, find it works like a charm. I slathered with butter. Because butter.
Toss in everything you've chopped.
Drizzle on your olive oil. This is your major flavour component, so use liberally. (It's also an anti-inflammatory powerhouse. FYI.)
Sprinkle your spices.
Toss in the oven at 375F for 1 hour. (Use your timer on your oven for this if you have a busy night – love this feature!)

Dinner is served.

Pardon the bluriness of the photo. I was so hungry it was hard to take a moment to snap a pic before tucking in.

*Veggies that went in last night's dinner at our house: wedges of cabbage, peeled sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, shallots. You could use yams, parsnips, cauliflower, beets, garlic, onions, leeks, I mean your crisper is the limit here. Use up something that looks like it's about to give up the ghost! Radishes would be yum!

**I threw in some green beans that had been in the freezer for a bit too long. As they roasted, they became crispier and more delicious, so the texture that would have rendered them unpalatable had they been steamed was nowhere to be seen, and crunchy was the end result. Especially because they were on the top layer of this sheet pan, and had some good olive oil on top. You could use peas, frozen cauliflower or broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, any leftovers from previous dinners that you didn't have the heart to throw out and instead kept adding them to that freezer bag you have for just such emergencies. Empty that sucker on this sheet pan dinner, and free up more space in your freezer without wasting your resources!

This is what JERF and Nutrient-Dense is all about. Just. Eat. Real. Food. Nutrient density means every component in this meal is chock full of nutrients that will satiate (Good fats! Olive oil! Animal fats and protein!). This is easy, frugal, and tastes really great as lunch the next day. Just remember to drizzle on more olive oil before you reheat that sucker.

GIVEAWAY TIME

As this is the season of giving, I am pairing up with Blue Door Oil & Vinegar for a giveaway! Their shop -- online and in person at West 85th (8561 8A Ave SW) or at Symons Valley Ranch Farmers Market on the weekends -- is one of my favourite spots to go to for that special gift for your child's school or piano teacher, your most favourite clients or business partners, or for those tasty surprises as I help Santa fill the stockings of grown-ups in our family. We are giving away a jar of yummy Smoked Artichoke Tapenade Spread to a lucky Calgarian! In order to get your name in the draw for this prize, you must comment below. Just a one word comment is all!

I will be drawing the name of the lucky winner the evening of Tuesday December 22nd. You have until 6pm that night to comment here. I will be in touch!

Yes. I'm going to say it. GO PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD.

And many thanks to Bruce and Courtney at Blue Door Oils & Vinegars for bringing such flavours to our dinner table. Support local!

FREE MEET n' GREET!

Getting to know you! Getting to know all about you!

Curious to know what a Holistic Nutritionist can do for you? Why not book your FREE 15 minute Meet & Greet at the clinic. I'm here every Thursday day, the occasional Saturday and Monday night Skype appointments too.

Who would benefit from seeing a Holistic Nutritionist, you ask? The list is so long, we'd be better off to just say listen, if you have a digestive tract, you could benefit from seeing a Holistic Nutritionist.

But to be serious about it, Holistic Nutrition can be a wonderful support for folks who have just received a new diagnosis and aren't sure how to navigate the new waters; what you eat and how you digest has a big part to play in supporting your body towards wellness. People who are suffering with chronic pain, skin eruptions like acne, psoriasis, eczema, rosacea, hives could get some dietary support. Those who have a hard time digesting (and you would know because you are too embarrassed to be in public because of the gases your body emits without your permission). That can also show up as having 1 or less bowel movements a day too. Or that beasty acid reflux comes roaring through most nights. Holistic Nutrition can help! Having a hard time with hormones? This can translate to fertility issues, the need to take three days off life when “Aunt Flo” comes to visit, mood swings or low moods, hands and feet are always cold, slower metabolism, can't shake those last 10 pounds. Caring for a little one who has just been diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, Dyslexia or Dyspraxia? Schizophrenia? Autism? Depression? I assure you Holistic Nutrition can be an ally in supporting a person figuring how nutrition can be of support.

If systemic low-grade inflammation is a part of the picture for you (and the list of conditions that have an inflammatory component are so long but I will try to give a perfunctory list: acne, asthma, allergies, alzheimer's, ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis, autism, cancer, celiac and crohn's, depression, dementia, IBS/IBD, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, CFS, MS, ALS and neuropathy, GERD, gallbladder issues, thyroid problems, lupus, pancreatitis, psoriasis, scleroderma, strokes, autoimmune diseases. As you can see, the list is long and comprehensive; inflammation is certainly a big contributor to many if not most chronic diseases and illnesses out there. Inflammation can certainly be addressed via nutrition, from eliminating those foods that are contributing to the inflammatory picture and putting in those nutrients and foods that will help do that reparative work that needs to happen in order to bring your digestive system back to centre and working optimally to protect you from the outside world. Because, as I like to often say, we are a donut; our digestive tract is a part of the outside world. It is our one-cell-thick barrier called the intestinal tract that protects us from the outside world, and Holistic Nutrition can certainly be a major tool in your toolkit to best protect that intestinal lining to be the guardian of your inner world.

Essentially, you and I will work together to put our digestive detective hats on to figure out what isn't working, and how we can best approach increased health and wellness for you. Oh yes, there is work. But it is good work. And fun work. I mean, you get to play with your food! Sure there are restrictions, but let me tell you, there is liberal use of delicious in all of this. I work to make this a do-able and attainable task, to better manoeuvre through your days and clear up some of those misconceptions about food. I regularly recommend good soups, butter, simple meals, fermented delights, good fats, loads of veg, smart protein choices (oh yes I like meat!) and un-cluttering your life. I support you as we identify your unique needs as a human on this planet, in 2015. Or 2016. Or hopefully, for a long time yet. Think quality and quantity of life. It is my wish for you.

I'm here for you! Let's figure out how we can better navigate you towards improved health and relief from your current health woes. Contact Renewal Homeopathy & Wellness today to book your FREE 15 minutes appointment. 403.202.8507.

I look forward to being your cheerleader!

Tourtière

Tourtière du Lac St-Jean

Our daughter is a student at our local Waldorf school, a school that does things a bit different from the norm you could say. Their intent is to meet the child where they're at based on their development, and each grade has a series of stories or theme to the year. This year being Grade Five, they are in a year of transition, not quite a teenager yet but not feeling like they can relate to the younger kids in the school either. It is a year meant to give them a solid foundation, preparing them for the Middle School and all of the tumultuous things that await them in the coming years. (Hormones! Projects! Realizing the world around them is bigger than their family and friends!) They start with a focus on the world directly around them through local geography and botany, studying how the people adapted to the land and hearing their stories. They start to branch out into the greater world, starting with Ancient civilizations. They learn about history through mythology to see how myths were born out of reality. Their teacher will tell stories and lead them through work on Ancient India, Persia, Mesopotamia, the culture of Ancient Egypt, dabbling in Greek Mythology and ending the year with a tremendous travel themselves to a city in BC to meet up with other same-aged Waldorf school children, at the Greek Olympics. These stories and ways of leading these 10- and 11- year olds through this year is meant to give them that solid base of home and understanding of the outer world, and starting them on their path of figuring out how they fit in to the greater world and just what is their contribution to that world. Diversity is celebrated, and in fact, tonight's dinner was a celebration of that diversity!

Her class teacher organized a Multi-Cultural Night at our school, in celebration of those cultures that are represented in our class families. Each family was encouraged to bring a dish that celebrates their culture, a food traditionally found in their food repertoire. There were delicious offerings of sushi, perogies, samosas, salami and sauerkraut, pastries, bannock, an eggplant dish, empanadas, BBQ pork buns, jambalaya, pea soup, lamb stew, clam chowder, corn bread and green beans; it really was a feast fit for royalty. Countries represented at the dinner included Norway, Canada, England, Afghanistan, India, Ireland, China, Korea, Scotland, France, Colombia, Denmark, Germany. Our family contributed from both sides, we are lucky to be sharing a city with one set of grand-parents. They represented my father-in-law's roots from Mississippi and brought corn bread and green beans. As my ancestry is part French-Canadian, it was a no brainer that our family's contribution would be one of those staples from Christmas time at my house, tourtière. But not just any tourtière, the Acadian version.

I grew up in a home where my Mom was cooking from scratch all the time; we were the lucky consumers of homegrown veggies and meals made by my Mom. My grand-parents lived next door, so it was a regular thing to go over after school to help my Grand-Maman make cookies (she never followed a recipe! She was amazing!), tarte au sucre, or my Grand-Papa's favourite, Tarte aux raisins. You knew Christmas was upon us when you could smell my mom and Grand-Maman making tourtière, the traditional meat pie served at French-Canadian Christmas feasts and Réveillons since the dawn of time I think! Those scent memories still live in me, witnessed by my gut reaction when preparing this pie last night for the celebration tonight. I was misty-eyed, as the flood of memories came; I immediately thought “Christmas is soon! Everyone will be here soon! This must also mean there are Christmas cookies already baked and stashed away in the house somewhere, I should go look!” Sigh.

Tourtière is a traditional French-Canadian meat pie, and most would be familiar with the version made out of ground meat, either a combination of meats or one single type of ground. My dad has gotten into making a ground chicken version these last few years; I refuse to veer away from the ones that were regulars in my childhood. Call me sentimental, call me old school, I just love this version so much better. If done correctly and with enough time to allow the meat to mellow, it just Melts. in. Your. Mouth. The Acadian version uses stew meat instead, 1 part beef to 2 part pork. Onions are also added late in the game. It's really quite a simple process, and one I continue offering in tradition to my family at this time every year.

I'm including the recipe here, as it was dictated to me by my Maman some 10 or more years ago. The colours look bland, and with such a short list of ingredients, do not be fooled. This ain't a bland tasting seasonal treat at all.  I hope you like it.

TOURTIERE DU LAC ST-JEAN (à Grand-Maman Lena et aussi Lorraine)
This amount makes about 2 pies

In a big pot, add 1 lb stew beef cut in cubes and 2 lbs pork shoulder roast cut in cubes. (You might want to remove the fat off of the pork.)
Put enough water in the pot, not enough to cover the meat but enough to see that there is water in there.
Add some salt and pepper.
Stir the meat from time to time as it cooks, breaking the meat up into shreds as it cooks. When the meat is about shredded and is almost done cooking (it will give up its toughness as it cooks), add 4 chopped onions. Let this cook until it's a good consistency. This will take a total of about 5-6 hours, with the onions added for that last hour.
Drain fat or juice if it's too soggy, or add bread crumbs to help absorb those juices in order to make it not leaky. Adjust your salt and pepper. Put in your pie shell, and add your pie lid. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until the top crust is a nice golden brown.

Fleur de lis tourtière

Serve it with a yummy relish, like this Zucchini relish my mom still makes. (I've fermentified it, of course. Scuse, Maman.) 

Wishes to you for a smooth sailing kind of season ahead. Keep chaos at bay, friends. And make some tourtière.

*And truly, this being 2015 and in the spirit of sanity, I opted to use a store-purchased pie shell. I found a quite clean version in the freezer at my favourite local Health Food Store I felt ok using, from Wholly Wholesome. Straight up ingredients: organic wheat flour, organic palm oil, water, organic cane sugar, sea salt. My adrenals were requesting a free hall pass for this one. I obliged.