3 pkgs Yves Veggie Ground Round (original flavour)
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, shredded
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3-4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
salt, only if needed
3 slices day old bread, processed into breadcrumbs

1. Combine all ingredients except salt and bread in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (you may need to add salt, depending on the kind of vegetable stock you use).
2. Add breadcrumbs and stir.
3. Set aside a few spoonfuls in a small dish and let cool. If the mixture thickens up, it’s ready. If the mixture is still too runny, you may need to cook it some more (leave the lid off to let the water evaporate).
4. Ladle the filling into (uncooked) pie shells. This recipe should make enough filling to make two 9-inch double-crust pies.
5. Bake for 10 minutes at 450°F, then reduce the temperature to 325°F and bake for another 30-45 minutes.
6. Let the pie cool slightly before cutting.

I have never made this with real meat! I’m just putting the original recipe here for reference. My vegetarianized version follows. –Kathleen.

4 livres lard haché
1 gros onion haché
sel et poivre
canelle
clou de girofle

1. Faire cuire avec un peu d’eau – environ 1 heure.
2. Mettre environ une livre de viande par pâté, et cuire environ 30 minutes (10 minutes à 450°, plus 20 minutes à 325°).

Notes from Kathleen’s mom: “I add a potato or two to this filling to help avoid having a crumbly filling. It helps bind the meat and thickens it. The amount of potato depends on the size of your batch of filling. Re: the amount of water needed, I would just eyeball it. If you think it’s not thick enough, add another potato and let it simmer without a lid so some of the liquid will evaporate. As for the spices, the old memère always said to measure cinnamon like salt, and measure cloves like pepper.”