Traditional Canadian Food Recipes

Canadian cuisine differs significantly from one region to another in terms of ingredients and dishes. Among the delicious cuisines of the world, the traditional Canadian recipes are worth mentioning. They are influenced by a number of foreign cuisines, indicating the multicultural makeup of Canada. While speaking about traditional Canadian recipes, it is categorized into two viz. the English Canadian cuisine and the French Canadian cuisine. The former resembles the British and American cuisines, whereas the latter is related to French food.

The most commonly used ingredients in the traditional Canadian food are wild blueberries, rice, mussels, caribou, salmon, beef, pork, beer, wine, maple syrup and cheese. As a tradition, lamb or ham recipes are cooked in the Canadian thanksgiving festival. Following are some delicious traditional Canadian recipes.

Poutine

Ingredients:
5 medium-sized potatoes (cut into slices)
2 cups yogurt cheese
1 quart vegetable oil
1 (10.25-ounce) can beef gravy

Procedure:
Preheat a deep-frying pan and pour the vegetable oil in the pan. Add the sliced potatoes and fry till they turn light brown. Meanwhile, warm the sauce over a medium heat. Take out a slice and check whether it is cooked well by inserting a fork. If required, fry the potatoes in batches. After frying the potatoes, make sure to drain them by using tissue papers. Transfer the potato fries in a serving plate and sprinkle with cheese on the top. Ladle the gravy over the potato fries and cheese toppings and serve it hot.

Tourtiere

Ingredients:
pound ground pork
pound ground beef
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 (9-inch) pie crusts
cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon ground sage
teaspoon ground allspice
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients except mashed potato and pie crusts. Bring the mixture to boil, simmer and stir occasionally. Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes till the meat are cooked well. Remove the saucepan, add mashed potatoes, mix well and allow to cool it down. Then stuff the filling into the pie shell; you can cover the filling and crimp edges by using pastry. Create a hole at the center and bake at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes. Remove tourtiere from the oven and serve with beef gravy and sweet peas.

Canadian Butter Tart

Ingredients for the Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons cold water

Ingredients for the Filling:
1 egg
cup corn syrup
cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup raisin (optional)

Procedure:
For preparing pastry, mix well flour and shortening. Take a separate bowl and mix the remaining ingredients - egg, vinegar, salt and cold water. Add this mixture to the mixture of flour and shortening. Blend the ingredients together to mix well. You can make a ball out of dough, cover with a cellophane and keep in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This will help you in easy rolling of the dough. Remove the dough from the freezer and roll out. Make circular cuttings out of dough by using a cookie cutter; place the cut pieces in a muffin pan.

Now let's make the filling. Mix egg, corn syrup, brown sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Stir well and add vanilla and raisins. Place filling in the pastry shells; bake them at 400 F for about 10 minutes or till they turn golden brown. Remove the tarts from the oven and serve. You can also store them in an air-tight container.

These are some of the delicious traditional Canadian recipes, which you can try at home. If you are conscious about the calories intake, you can limit the use of shortening and/or replace it with other low-calorie ingredients.