Wild Garlic and Ground Ivy Tourtière (Holiday Pork Pie)

Wild Garlic and Ground Ivy Tourtière (Holiday Pork Pie)

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea, also known as Creeping Charlie or Gill Over the Ground, is one of the first edible weeds of the season, first showing up in Middle Tennessee in February.  It is pervasive and the bane of many a lawn care company.  It is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), though it does not have a mint flavor.  The flavor is a mild cross between sage and rosemary.  My husband, not a fan of sage or rosemary, says it is far superior to those familiar herbs.  To get the full flavor, gather a handful and dice up and take a whiff. It is certainly a complimentary flavor in this dish.

Ground Ivy found at the woods at our local Franklin, Tennessee Recreation Center

Ground Ivy has a kidney shaped leaf with scalloped edges and a square stem (like all mints).  It has a purplish to blue flower that arrives in March.  It creeps along the ground as it grows and plants roots along the way which makes it difficult to eradicate. It thrives in shady and moist areas.  If you have it in your garden, it repels cabbage worms, cucumber beetles, and tomato hornworms.

Here’s fine rosemary, sage and thyme.  

Come, buy my Ground Ivy.

Here’s featherfew, gilly flowers and rue.

Come buy my knotted marjoram, too!

Roxburghe Ballads (1740-1804)

It has historically been used as a tea, as cooking greens and in place of hops for beer making prior to the 16th century.  Additionally it has a long herbal remedy history treating a variety of ailments including ringing in the ears, sinusitis, kidney disorders, indigestion, constipation, sciatica, tuberculosis and coughs. In large quantities it has been noted to be toxic to horses but no such reaction has been recorded in humans. Alternatively, it has also been recorded as being used as an addition to feed for livestock supposedly for good health and for increasing milk production.  Common sense requires anything remotely approaching excessive use is unwise.

Ground Ivy contains iron, potassium and vitamin C.  It also has tannins which give it a slight bitterness.  Laboratory and animal studies indicate that ground ivy may be useful for anti-inflammatory and antibiotic qualities.

This recipe also uses another early edible weed, wild garlic.  I discuss wild garlic and wild onion here.  Wild garlic is often confused with wild onion.  Actually it is more prevalent than wild onion and many who believe they are using wild onion are actually using wild garlic.  The way to tell the difference is wild garlic's stem is round and hollow, while wild onion is flat and solid.  Both are edible.  The main rule is that if it looks like and smells like wild onion/garlic, it is.  If it does not have a telling scent than do not eat it. It has been my experience that wild garlic shows up earlier in the spring than wild onion.

Wild Garlic at the Rec Center

Tourtière has traditionally been a French Canadian holiday pork pie. It is a comfort food with a unique blend of spices.  If you feel intimidated by the use of cloves and cinnamon in a pork pie, do not.  It produces a wonderful result. While I am not French nor Canadian, I love this dish!

Wild Garlic and Ground Ivy Tourtière (Holiday Pork Pie)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground pork
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground ivy, minced
1 teaspoon wild garlic bulbs, finely minced (about one large handful when picked)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into six pieces each
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock

Pastry for a double crust pie
1 egg white for glaze

Directions:

Wash and cut vegetables.

Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic Bulbs From Above Garlic

Chopped Ground Ivy

Combine all ingredients except pastry and egg white. Blend thoroughly. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook until mixture is tender and moist, but not wet. Remove potato and mash with a fork. Return to meat mixture and mix well. Check seasoning.

Mixture Simmering for 30 Minutes

Remove Potatoes, Mash and Return to Mixture

Roll dough and line a deep 9 inch pie pan or cast iron frying pan with 1/2 of the pastry. Add the filling. Brush edges of crust with egg glaze. Roll out top crust and arrange on top. Seal, make vent holes to allow steam to escape and brush with egg glaze. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until crust is browned.

Filling in the Pastry

Pie Before Cooking

Hot Out of the Oven!

Stolen by my son before I could eat it!

Recipe all together:

Wild Garlic and Ground Ivy Tourtière (Holiday Pork Pie)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground pork
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground ivy, minced
1 teaspoon wild garlic bulbs, finely minced (about one large handful when picked)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into six pieces each
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock

Pastry for a double crust pie
1 egg white for glaze

Directions:

Wash and cut vegetables.

Combine all ingredients except pastry and egg white. Blend thoroughly. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook until mixture is tender and moist, but not wet. Remove potato and mash with a fork. Return to meat mixture and mix well. Check seasoning.

Roll dough and line a deep 9 inch pie pan or cast iron frying pan with 1/2 of the pastry. Add the filling. Brush edges of crust with egg glaze. Roll out top crust and arrange on top. Seal, make vent holes to allow steam to escape and brush with egg glaze. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until crust is browned.