Inspired by the Canadian Food Experience Project
Hands up. How many Canadian people have heard of one of our Canadian iconic dishes: Traditional Québécois Pâté Chinois? Me, either. Yet, it has become very obvious that if one spends anytime in Quebec or with a French Canadian family, they will know this dish. Our French Canadian food culture is vast and rich, yet I haven’t experienced much of it as a prairie gal my entire life.
However, I yearn to understand what home tastes like in French Canada, too. After all: I am Canadian. I must experience as many fundamental aspects of Canadian food culture as possible. Participants shared their most cherished Canadian food recipes in The Canadian Food Experience Project: Challenge Four and Lindsay Wells of The Kitchen Witch shared a captivating story of living with a family in Quebec and loving Pâté Chinois. What was it? Isabelle and GG and Nathalie (Francophone participants of The Canadian Food Experience Project) had also written about it within their project posts, in passing, so I had “heard” of it. Chinese Pie. Chinese Pie? There is more than a little somethin’ somethin’ lost in that translation! The short version: it is a version of our Canadian iconic dish: Shepherd’s Pie.
The longer version: cooks for the Chinese railroad workers in Quebec would make this dish as it was tasty, economical and easy to make for a crowd. It was favoured by the immigrants, and as the railroad was completed, and the people moved on and found their place within new communities, this recipe kept rearing its head and became known as “Chinese Pie” or Pâté Chinois. The Canadian prairie version of Shepherd Pie is quite different. Much the same, but quite different.
Different because Shepherd’s pie is a dish that creatively uses leftovers from the meal the day before: roasted meat layered with leftover vegetables and topped with a mashed potato crust. The strong British influence across Canada had most households having roast meat for dinner on Sundays that left plenty of boiled potatoes to mash, meat to mince and mix with the gravy and vegetables to layer in between the two. Interestingly, we rarely had it at home as my mom never had enough leftovers. I had it at the neighbours a few times, or saw it in restaurants. Nostalgia changes things. Nowadays families do make Shepherd’s Pie from scratch and it has become the star of the table, instead of a remodel of the leftovers from the night before. 
This is a simple dish. Excellent ingredients are key. Lean, grass-fed, know-your-farmer hamburger is the only beef for any home cook these days. I usually use fresh garlic, but there is a time and a place for powdered garlic, and this seemed like one of them.
Meat is browned. Vegetables are chopped. Pan is de-glazed with wine in the meat, and again with wine in the vegetables.
From a trip to California last year, above. Meat and vegetables tossed together.
Fresh sweet corn stripped from the cobs and sautéed in butter with fresh thyme, then creamed.
Corn could be layered or added to the mix. While peas or peas and carrots are the vegetables in the classic Shepard’s Pie, it is corn that is the characteristic vegetable in Pâté Chinois. Usually, creamed corn.
Lindsay added oven roasted tomatoes to her recipe, instead of ketchup, as is tradition. I did, as well. But, as my oven roasted tomatoes are roasted for a day, sometimes, two, they overpowered the dish and it was not tasty, at all. Lesson learned. Take two: my homemade ketchup. I made the best homemade ketchup and it was perfect for this recipe. Heinz would have made the meat sweet. If that is what one is used to, it would be scrumptious. The flavour of this dish with my homemade ketchup and these gorgeous fresh ingredients was all I could have hoped for: home food at its best. A snuggly hug.
The potatoes were cooked just right and riced.
Freshly grated Parmesan makes all the difference.
I like a lot of pepper, and it is still hard to taste, but so important to get potatoes seasoned properly. And that is what proper seasoning is. One should not taste with the salt or the pepper. The flavour of the food should (not-so-simply) be significantly enhanced.
Perfect for slathering over the meat layer. Which, I must add, contains very little meat and a lot of economic nutrients.
The sun was setting, but is this not gorgeous in its simplistic glory?
Where is the glory in this dish? It is really in the story. It is with the memory each person holds of the family around the kitchen table sharing stories of the day, giggling, and digging in, bite after bite, year after year. The taste and texture of this dish is worked into the vivid memories of a happy family life. That is where the glory is.
That is why Pâté Chinois is an iconic Québécois dish, just as Canadian Shepard’s Pie.
Thank you for the motivation and inspiration, Lindsey. Now, would my French Canadian readers please chime in and let the discussion begin. Whose mother’s is the best? How do you make Pâté Chinois at your house?
Traditional Quebequois Pâté Chinois
Ingredients
- 1 pound organic , grass fed, know-your-farmer ground beef
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup wine
- extra virgin olive oil (amounts within instructions)
- 1/2 cup each diced zucchini , chopped onion, diced red pepper, diced button mushrooms
- 4 ears fresh corn
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup homemade ketchup (recipe here)
- 1.3 kilo potatoes , boiled and riced
- 100 g Parmesan cheese , freshly grated
- 1/3 cup butter
- salt and freshly ground pepper (amounts within instructions)
Instructions
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Brown one pound of extra lean ground beef in a large non stick skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a half teaspoon each salt and pepper and the garlic powder; add half of the wine to the bottom of the pan with the beef to de-glaze the pan
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Boil the potatoes at the same time, watching carefully to ensure they are cooked properly (instructions follow)
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Remove beef; in the same pan, sauté onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and red pepper over medium high heat in 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent and the mushrooms begin to release their water; season with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
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De-glaze the pan with the remaining wine; simmer until the alcohol has evaporated and set aside
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Add the ground beef back into to the pan and stir to combine
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Meanwhile, remove the kernels from four ears of fresh corn, add the tiny leaves from the 3 sprigs of fresh thyme; sauté for 8 minutes in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, stirring well; add 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt with a tablespoon of all purpose flour and continue to sauté another minute
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Add the cup of milk over medium heat; stir until thickened
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Preheat the oven to 350°F
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Combine the corn mixture with the meat mixture; add the one cup of homemade ketchup (or oven roasted fresh tomatoes)
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Pour into a 9 x 13 oiled baking dish
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Boil potatoes in their skins until tender; using a potato ricer, rice into a bowl
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Add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated pepper and 1/3 cup soft butter; using a wooden spoon, mix to combine well
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Spread evenly over the ground beef and vegetables with an off-set spatula; poke holes into the surface to allow steam to excape
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Bake in a 375°F oven for 50 minutes, until bubbly and golden
Instructions for Potatoes
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Clean potatoes, leave whole (select ones similar in size so they will cook at the same rate)
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Place into medium stainless steel pan with tight fitting lid; cover with water
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Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water; turn the burner on high and bring to a boil
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Reduce heat to medium-low; cover with a lid
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Cook gently boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes for smaller new potatoes
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Drain the potatoes in a colander; cool to touch and rice, one at a time
Recipe Notes
Some people will layer meat with the vegetables on the bottom, then the corn, topped with the potatoes and dusted with paprika.
My homemade ketchup is not as sweet as commercial ketchup which is often used in traditional home recipes.
That turned out AMAZING!! And I’m very excited to try your homemade ketchup – YUMM! Feeling hungry now… xoxo!
Being French Canadian this is one dish I plan on making I do know it is a dish that Peter will enjoy It has everything he loves. I will use beef broth instead of the wine, one thing I have never use to cook with and our home is none alcohol also.
Beef broth is an excellent idea! Did you have this as a child and was it similar to this recipe, Germaine?
🙂
Valerie
I am Quebecoise, and I have to say this recipe , although looks amazing, is not at all traditional style pate chinoise.
Christina!
Will you share your traditional style pate chinoise with us? I would LOVE to try it!
🙂
Valerie
I agree with Christine, this is not traditional. In it’s most simplistic forme Pâté Chinoise is “Steak (beef), blé d’Inde (corn), & pâtates (potatoes). These ingredients are layered in that order and in my experience it’s usually ground beef, canned or fresh but not creamed corn, and potatoes mashed with an egg yolk in them. My family has always put condensed cream of mushroom soup in with the beef, but I’ve had other versions made with beef consommé, sour cream, or nothing at all mixed into the beef.
Jen!
Thank you EVER so much for the clarification. It sound delicious and so much like our Sheppard’s pie it is almost scary. Pretty much the same, just exchange the corn for the peas, but love the idea of the yolk in the potatoes. I will have to definitely try this.
🙂
Sincerely,
Valerie
The red peppers, mushrooms and zucchini threw me. Not traditional at all. I grew up with hburg, creamed style corn and mashed potatoes. Some diced onion in the meat, cinnamon, then it was layered. Since I had always known it as pate chinois, I had never heard of shepard’s pie.
Thanks for chiming in, Don!
🙂
Valerie
While I am sure this is a delicious and interesting reiteration of a cottage pie, it is NOT Pate Chinois. I will make this recipe but if I dared call it Pate Chinois my grandmere would roll in her grave!
HAHAHA! I have heard this from so many, DDrolet. Did you read the post and learn how I came about this recipe? The comments have certainly been colourful and a great lot of learning within each, so I don’t for a minute regret posting it. Send me your grandmother’s recipe?
🙂
Sincerely,
Valerie
I like your version Valerie with all of its fresh veggies. I have always made it with creamed corn since that what I was taught, but they don’t call it “pate of my house” for nothing.
Well, I think that was what Lindsay’s version was made with, too – creamed corn… so she made the creamed corn fresh…
🙂
V
This looks so delicious and all of a sudden I am starving!!!!! 🙂
Your recipe is so different that what my family, friends make. We don’t include all these vegetables but use corn only. We usually brown the meat, top it with the corn and then the last row is mashed potatoes. It sounds like a good recipe that you have developed 🙂
Hi, Helene,
To me, I only used corn, too. The aromatics flavour the meet, and you don’t use them? Interesting. How about the ketchup or any sauce on the meat? Just the corn, potatoes and meat? Seasonings? I researched this recipe and there are as many varieties as there are mothers that make it, but how you have it seems to be the most classic elements across all recipes I found. No doubt about that.
🙂
V
We don’t brown the meat with onions, salt and pepper. Top with corn and mashed potatoes. That is how almost all families do it in Québec. It’s very popular in Québec. Some people will put ketchup on top to eat it, some don’t.
So, Helene, you just brown the meat with salt and pepper?
V
This sounds wonderful and delicious but it is definitely not traditional Chinese pie. If you think that a wife in the old times would go through all that trouble to make a meal, have another think coming.
Cart!
If you have a recipe for your traditional pie, please do share it! That’s what this is all about. Interestingly, people say the same thing these days: If you think I am going to do all of that to make a meal, you are nuts!” Yes, many do. Many more do not, of course – which may well be your point. Would love to know your recipe!
Cheers!
Valerie
Bravo! Excellent recipe! Just got the thumbs up from all three kids! 😉
Maggie! That is great news!
😉
V
LOL, I’d rather take the time to make a simple dish more flavourful than simply browning beef, cover with corn and layer with mashed potatoes. Can anyone really call that a ‘recipe’.
Hey, Green_sleeves,
Thanks for Chiming in.
Controversial topic here – but there must be flavour as the dish is a Canadian Staple… I hope for more authentic feedback and some complete recipes to try.
🙂
Valerie
Hi there. My hubby and I are both French Canadian, but I grew up in the US. In my house we regularly ate a meal we called “Junk”–a meal I never invited friends over for because it was an odd name for a meal. We browned ground meat with onions, topped with creamed corn, and mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic and salt. We also added poultry seasoning to the meat. When my husband joined us for junk, he called it “Pate Chinois” which can be translated as junk. So traditional is the dish, that it never varies in Quebec or in families with strong Quebec ties. Junk is still his favourite meal, but I have since moved away from meat and use mushrooms and assorted, on the verge of going off, veggies with potato or cauliflower mash on top.
Bonnie,
That must be only your family’s pet name for the Pâté Chinois which when translated literally means Chinese Pie. There is a lot of history around this name and why it is called this. I sincerely appreciate your story as this simple dish, as you and so many readers have described it, clearly resonated and still resonates through traditional Quebec family life.
🙂
Valerie
This looks like an amazing recipe that I’ll be trying out very soon. But it fits the definition of Cottage Pie much more than Pate Chinois. I’m not French Canadian, but I have lived in Quebec all my life and have been making Pate Chinois for around 30 years. Traditional Pate Chinois is simply a layer of beef (sometimes with onions), a layer of creamed corn topped with mashed potatoes. That is a true traditional Pate Chinois.
Very interesting, Brigitte!
First time I have heard that Cottage Pie is a different recipe.
🙂
V
I was chatting with a family member and we started talking about Pâte Chinois, my mom used to make this when I was a kid. Though my parents came from Québec, I was raised in California, but we kept our french language and cuisine Québecoise alive at home.
From my memories, no, never made with creamed corn, regular corn only, not a lot of other veggies either. The “frosting” was mashed potatoes but finished under the broiler which creates crispy bits that is the source of my reminiscences.
I have heard about the creamed corn from many! Thank you so much for also chiming in. I so appreciate it – the under the broiler trick sounds brilliant as a finish!
🙂
Valerie
Pate Chinois holds it’s name from the days where chinese workers were building the Trans Canadian rail system.
As they were travelling through the Country building railways, Chinese (Chinois in French) were fed sustainable meals comprised of whatever the land would provide !
Therefore, Beef, Corn and potatoes were quite accessible and cheap so the idea of making a meal of these three foods was initiated and became what we now know as Pate Chinois or … The Chinese pate…
Thank you, Richard!
I thought I did put the translation in there, but your explanation makes so much sense, and as I am not fluent in my French reading (at all – even though I took it in school for 12 years!!!), I could not find anywhere why this was called Chinese Pie in French. Duh! Knowing my Canadian history, I could have and should have guessed, but did not. So, your answer resonates with me, but could find nothing on line so THANK YOU!
Sincerely,
Valerie
With East-Coast relatives, I ALWAYS had THE BEST meat pie, Tourtiere, out there….and then one day, my Mother-In-Law introduced me to Pate Chinois! She was about as French as they come!! I’ve made various versions of Pate Chinois, Tourtiere, Cottage Pie…and now with a Scottish husband, Shepherds Pie….in just about as many ways as possible. True comfort food!! I look forward to adding this recipe to my repertoire 🙂 Thank you!
As you see via the comments, so many are upset with me for the non-traditional to their home (or so many others they know) recipe, and I love the chiming in and education that kind of discussion opportunity provides. Would love it if you would share your most traditional family recipe, too!
🙂
Valerie
Don’t worry if people are upset about how you tweeked this recipe. God for you.
I am as french canadian as they come and Pate Chinois is the blandest recipe ever. Really?
Ground beef, corn and potatoes. I’m thankfull for the change and will probably add a few more spices to the meat. Can’t hurt. More people should take a cooking class.
Dear Carole,
Thank you for the great big Canadian hug.
I hope you feel one right back at you!
Valerie
The TRUE AUTHENTIC French Canadian Pate Chinois ( Shephard’s pie) is made in a deep dish pie crust about 4 inches deep. There are only 4 ingredients. The crust, the ground beef, the creamed corn and mashed potatoes. No fancy veggies or spices. Salt & pepper are often added but best to let each person decide if they want salt & pepper.
I have seen so many people claim to have “Authentic” recipes for this and each is different and getting further and further from the actual recipe.
It is simply ground beef, creamed corn, mashed potatoes that are layered in a deep dish pie crust. Modern days has seen even this recipe changed. Most people are making the quick version by leaving out the pie crust. So only 3 ingredients remain. And of course, many people put ketchup on the whole thing in their plate and mix it up.
Pate chinois is delicious but keep it simple as it is meant to be. Do not forget that this dish was meant for big families at the time and people were not rich and used as little ingredients as possible to fill the tummies of their families. Everyone had the ground beef and grew their own corn and potatoes. To know the true history of this dish, you will need to do some research since it was actually fed to the railroad workers in the day.
Thank you, Brenda!
I really appreciate your input and certainly have heard this and am glad you chimed in for my readers to read your comment and learn from your experience.
sincerely,
Valerie
The Pâté Chinois discussion continues! I’m a Quebecer and at first, I thought you had mistakenly posted a Prairie version of this ubiquitous recipe. (Please change the title to “your version”! And correct the spelling of “Québecois”.)
Anyhow, I was feeling nostalgic about making this childhood comfort food and I thought maybe I should have a quick check to see what recipes are currently online these days. I’m not sure what my mother’s recipe was (or if she even had one), but I still swear by my go-to recipe by Pol Martin from the 1980s.
I was surprised to discover that someone has actually uploaded a 3-ingredient recipe (ground beef, creamed corn, mashed potato) with no other embellishments whatsoever! That is certainly the foundation (one might even say “The Holy Trinity”) but I would be really shocked if anyone still made it that way. However, anything beyond that can basically be considered as having been “tweaked”; so the question is, where does this cross the line from being “traditional”?
Adding some chopped onion to the meat? You bet!
Adding some chopped celery? Well, sure!
Seasonings like thyme, basil, rosemary or savoury? Oh yeah!
Creamed corn or kernel corn? I think it’s a matter of taste. I use kernel, my mother used creamed.
Sprinkling some paprika over the top? We’re still in traditional territory here.
Adding a chopped mushroom? I’ve done it but admittedly, we’re now stepping over the boundary of “traditional”.
Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top? You can… but that’s not really traditional.
Zucchini? Bell pepper? Kale? Definitely crossed over the line into a new dish that is most definitely not traditional (however tasty it may be).
Thank you, Brian!
An informed and sensible read! So appreciated!
🙂
Valerie
The big tweak I have have made is adding a bit of beef stock and soy sauce to the ground beef. Probably the first change to the recipe in generations of family!! I also, for some reason, always put the corn on top. This causes so many arguments that if I’m making it around relations I have to relent and put the corn in the middle. We suspect I must have watched someone make it wrong at an early age and it’s the memory that stuck. I love the slightly crunchy texture of the corn though and, since everything is already cooked, I can really just use the oven to warm it through (20 minutes). Always with ketchup at my table 😉
Thanks, Dani!
I cannot learn enough about this recipe, this culture and the food.
Hugs to you and yours!
Valerie
This is NOT traditional Pate Chinois. The way you made it – there is absolutely NO way I would ever eat this as a kid. I don’t know many kids – who would eat it this non Quebecois way.
HAHAHAHAHA Dear Vachon!
I love your passion.
Did you read any of the comments above yours? It has been such a lovely journey meeting my Quebecois friends and learning about their family food, traditions and so much more about this recipe. This recipe WAS shared with me as “the traditional” one. But, I have certainly learned, over the years, that it is not. Isn’t that a beautiful thing? Thank you so much for chiming in! I so love learning about our regional Canadian food, recipes, produce and traditions from Coast to Coast.
Big hug,
Valerie
My english Canadian mother from Montreal would just brown ground beef, cover that with canned cream corn, then cover with mashed potatoes with melted butter coated on top to a golden crisp brown. My French Canadian father from Montreal would add catsup on top when served. This was faster for my working mother…
My French canadien aunt would make it similar to my mothers but would brown the meat with a little bit of onion and spices but also add parsley and oregano to the mashed potatoes… also would serve with catsup condiment and some guests would mix/mash it all together till it was pink – not very appetizing for the eyes!!!
Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories, stories, and ways of your family.
It is deeply moving to me
🙂
My daughter and I visited Quebec City, many years ago. I fell in love with this city and when I saw this recipe, I wanted to bring back a lovely memory. My family really loved this recipe. I chose not to add the ‘ketchup’. But, it was still delicious, very comforting. Thank you.
It’s a very simple recipe for very simple home food and my favourite part of this post is the comments. So many completely disagree with the ingredients in this recipe -which I really appreciate – as, through this discussion, we have all learned so very much. Every home and family makes it different – and the debate about what this recipe includes is very personal and one so many are deeply passionate about – which I also completely understand!
Thanks for sharing your enjoyment!
🙂
Valerie
This is my absolute favorite Pate chinois! My background is Acadian, and I appreciate this blog so much. The only adjustments I make are to use store bought ketchup and canned cream corn – only because it helps save time. I also use any vegitables that I have on hand. It turns out fantastic every time. Highly highly recommend
Lovely to hear Genevieve as you can read that is rare feedback according to all the comments below. It is so clear that each is passionate about the one their mom made. No doubt about that. Lovely to hear from you and I value your feedback and adjustment ideas.
Big hug to you
Valerie
My mom is from northern Ontario, and I grew up in southern Ontario. We had this a lot as kids. All of us kids, adults now, still make it. We always had plain spaghetti noodles as the bottom layer – then corn, ground beef (cooked with cinnamon or allspice) and mashed potatoes, the top buttered and sprinkled with paprika. When I make it now, I do a mix of peas and corn for the veggie layer. I don’t put ketchup in it, but I do eat it smothered in ketchup. Made it last night, actually, and it was as yummy as ever. Mmmm.
Loved your story, RD!
Thank you for chiming in! there is nothing like one of mom’s recipes, is there?
Hugs
Valerie
growing up my father made “chinese pie”. ground beef sauteed with onion, layered with a can of creamed corn and topped with mashed potatoes. I never knew the origin just assumed he made it up or grew up with it. He was French Canadian and grew up in Fall River, MA.
I remember my grandmother, Meme, would make meat pies and I had an aunt that made creton, pork pate, they loved to eat cold on a sandwich. I have never eaten it, but did make my aunt’s recipe for my dad. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
Thank you for sharing YOUR comments, Carolyn!
Love to hear these stories!
🙂
Valerie