When selecting these recipes, I tried to pick popular dishes and ingredients that are readily available and frequently served in their respective countries. I was inspired to experiment with many dishes, and I read various recipes of the same dish before I began cooking. My preferences to customizing recipes are to use a lot of vegetables (fortunately, there is only one vegetable that I am not crazy about), add natural sweetness through the use of fruits (I’ve got a sweet spot for natural sweets), go light on spices (which makes it easier for kids to try new foods), substitute low-fat ingredients (making it healthier), include easy-to-follow steps (making it easier for kids to tackle), present some fun facts or history (which makes food interesting), and present the dish beautifully. I also try to select economical foods so that my recipes are budget-friendly, too!
“Real food doesn’t have ingredients. Real food is ingredients.”
—Jamie Oliver
North America has the fourth largest population among the continents and has the third largest land mass. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. Twenty-three countries make up North America. The United States has the largest population, Canada has the largest land mass, and Mexico City is the most populated city. This continent also has the largest island, Greenland. Let’s begin our travels around the world with the northernmost country we’ll be visiting on this continent.
CANADA
Canada is the second largest nation in the world, right after Russia. Over half of Canada’s residents have college degrees, making it the world’s most educated country. Yonge Street, the longest street in the world, starts at Lake Ontario, and runs to the Minnesota border, a distance of about 2,000 km! Approximately 77 percent of the world’s maple syrup comes from Canada.
Tourtière is a meat pie that originated in the province of Québec. This French-Canadian dish is often prepared with a combination of two or sometimes three meats, such as beef, pork, veal, chicken, or wild game like rabbit. The dish is primarily meat prepared with some kind of binder such as potatoes, oats, or breadcrumbs. Spices like cinnamon and allspice are in most, if not all, tourtière recipes. In French-Canadian homes, this dish is a must during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Tourtière with Sweet and Spicy Ketchup
Prep time: 20 minutes • Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion (medium dice)
½ cup celery (small dice)
1½ lb. ground chuck (lean)
½ cup carrots (medium dice)
1 large Yukon Gold potato (unpeeled)
1 cup beef broth
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley (sliced)
1 Tbsp. sage (finely chopped)
1 recipe double crust pie crust (prepared)
1 egg (white only)
1 Tbsp. water
½ cup ketchup
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Sriracha
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare all of the ingredients as directed. In medium pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion, celery, and ground beef. Sauté until the meat is no longer pink. Drain if there is excess grease. Add the carrots, potato, broth, allspice, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat. Cook until the potatoes are just crisp but tender. Additional broth or water may be needed to keep mixture moist while cooking. Add flour and stir until combined. Add parsley and sage and then mix well. When cooking is finished, cool the mixture completely before putting the pie together.
Prepare the pie pan by lining it with the crust and then fill with the beef mixture. Finish the pie by adding the pastry top and crimping the edges to seal the pie. Cut 3 or 4 slits to allow for the steam to escape. Mix the water with the egg white and brush the top of the pie with the resulting egg wash. Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let the pie rest for 15 minutes before serving. While the pie is cooking, in a small bowl combine the ketchup, sugar, and Sriracha. Heat the ketchup blend the in microwave before serving. Serve the ketchup with the pie as a condiment.
Remmi Notes: Cottage pie, which is another meat pie, is one of my all-time favorites, but when I finally settled on my personal version of the tourtière, it became my favorite! No matter what, this pie makes for a beautiful presentation. I also added veggies to make it healthier. Serve the dish with the spicy ketchup for a bolder flavor. I have given you an easy recipe, but there are recipes you can use to make ketchup from scratch, which is for sure superior to this quick version. Serve the pie with a salad for a complete meal. Hope you enjoy this!
MEXICO
From Canada, if you go south and skip over the entire United States, you will land here. Mexico is the fourteenth largest country in the world. Fútbol is the most popular sport, but it is what is called “soccer” in the United States. One of their most well-known holidays is El Día de Los Muertos, which means “the Day of the Dead”; it is celebrated from October 31st to November 1st. On those two nights, many go to cemeteries to set up altars bearing photos of their kin who have passed. They bring their loved ones’ favorite foods, burn candles, and play games with the children. The true spirit of the holiday is the prayers and remembrances of family members and friends who have died. A favorite holiday dish is pan de muerto, translating to “Bread of the Dead.” It is a type of sweet roll, usually with bone-shaped decorations.
Corn, beans, rice, and tomatoes are Mexican staples found in many of their dishes. Jícama is a root vegetable that originated in Mexico; it is almost always served raw, and is usually served with a salad like this one. I substituted apple for the jícama, as they are often hard to find; the apple brings a sweeter profile to the salad. Mexican cuisine is full of flavor and spices and includes a lot of heat, meaning spiciness. Albondigas, which was brought to Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors, is the embodiment of Mexican comfort food. It is a warm broth served with miniature meatballs, creating the perfect balance of flavors. You can choose to add extra spice. It often includes many fresh vegetables—whatever is in season works! Serve albondigas along with this chopped salad for a healthy take on Mexican cuisine.
Prep time: 15 minutes • Cook time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cup romaine lettuce (1” dice)
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