Eskasoni kiju's holiday dinner pick — traditional Mi'kmaq meat pie - TheChronicleHerald.ca

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ESKASONI, N.S. —

Each Christmas, New Year's Day and Easter there is one dish to be found on many tables in Eskasoni: meat pie. 

Made with stewed pork meat and a crust that's more dough-like than pastry, it is a staple holiday meal because it's hearty and feeds a lot of people. 

Sheila Morris, 69, learned the recipe from her mother and like her teacher, the kiju (grandmother) of 13 doesn't measure her ingredients exactly. 

Sheila Morris scoops out the stewed pork meat filling for the pies. After they are filled, she uses some of the left over broth which cooks into a gravy. NICOLE SULLIVAN/CAPE BRETON POST

Using soup spoons for baking soda and her palm to measure salt, Morris talks about growing up on her grandfather's farm and the livestock they raised to feed their family and Eskasoni. 

"Back in centralization, we were poor, you know, very poor. And we never had the luxuries of knowing what a grocery store was, right?" she said, mixing the dough. 

"So my grandfather, he was from Newfoundland and married my grandmother from here. So they got married, and they settled in Castle Bay where the gas bar is right now in Castle Bay. And the government gave him pigs and gave him sheep, I think it was, or a goat. And a cow. And a horse. And some chickens. So my grandfather, he was given all those for him to share with the whole community."

Sheila Morris spread broth onto the top crust before baking for about an hour to help it brown and for flavour. NICOLE SULLIVAN/CAPE BRETON POST

Pork meat from her grandfather's farm was used for the meat pies and some families would mix partridge into the mixture. Morris said some people add vegetables as well but she leaves hers plain because that's the way people like it. 

"The main menu for Christmas was the meat pies," she said. "Back in the day, this was our main meal. People love them. And people that come in Christmas Eve and what not, there it is. My grandmother, she made it with pride and love."

INGREDIENTS: CRUST

• Flour 

• Baking Soda

• Salt

• Shortening

INGREDIENTS: FILLING

• Pork roast

• Onion 

• Salt 

• Pepper 

DIRECTIONS

• Cut up pork roast into bite-sized cubes 

• Put in large pot with one chopped onion, salt and pepper

• Cover with water, about an inch above meat, bring to a boil

• Simmer for 3-4 hours, until meat is tender and falling apart 

The uncooked pies, before the top layer to added flour is sprinkled on the filling to thicken the broth into a gravy. NICOLE SULLIVAN/CAPE BRETON POST

DOUGH

• Mix dry ingredients

• Knead in shortening until flour mixed to lumpy consistency 

• Add water to bind, it shouldn't be sticky 

• Flour counter, take half dough to finish kneading

• Don't over knead

• Roll out and lay bottom layer

OVEN READY 

• Layer pie dish with bottom crust

• Scoop meat, drained of broth, into crust, filling mostly to top 

• Add broth to pie, covering to almost top

• Sprinkle flour over meat and broth, 2-3 tablespoons

• Roll top layer from crust, making slits on one side 

• Place on top of pies

• Brush with extra broth 

• Cook for about 1 hour 

The finished Mi'kmaq meat pies. Each large pan in this photo feeds 15 people. After the pies are cooked, they need to sit before being served to let the juices set. CONTRIBUTED

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January 02, 2021 at 12:27AM
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Eskasoni kiju's holiday dinner pick — traditional Mi'kmaq meat pie - TheChronicleHerald.ca

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