Although I went to Chur often as a child (shopping at the Manor and having lunch at Merz) and grown-up (admiring the old town and trying to find restaurants that serve Capuns), I never encountered their meatiest offering, the Fleischtorte.

To some, the Churer Fleischtorte belongs in Wähe category of Swiss cuisine, though unlike most other tarts both sweet and savoury, this meaty dish from the city of Chur has a lid. It also has a filling of milk-soaked bread, bacon and ground meat of your choosing, plus a healthy splash of red wine.

It’s not the prettiest, but it sure is delicious.

Recipes online vary mostly in their flavouring, sticking to over a pound of ground meat, a liquid (broth, milk, cream, red wine), and some leftover bread to soak it up.

This Lieblingsrezept from a woman in Chur flavours with chili and parsley, while others, like this one from Tourism Graubunden, uses marjoram. Betty Bossi uses red wine, and Swissmilk too (only much less).

I typically make my own dough, a simple enriched version like Wähe dough, though you could also use two packages of the ready-made stuff. I like the ground meat to be pork, and I leave out the parsley. Many recipes use Salsiz from canton Graubünden, a kind of salami—you can add some too, if you like.

For the dough:

400 g flour

2 tsp salt

150 g butter

250 ml cold water

For the filling:

200 g leftover bread, cubed

200 ml milk

100 g bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

700-800 g ground meat

100 ml red wine (or water)

salt and pepper to taste

Egg wash:

1 yolk

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until you have small flakes.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix this gently until a dough forms. Try not to overwork the dough or it will become tough.

Split the dough into two discs, wrap with plastic, and let cool in the fridge for about an hour.

Roll out one disc of dough and line a 26 cm (10 inch) round springform pan. Keep the tart shell cool (preferably in the freezer) until you have the filling ready. 

Filling:

Heat your milk until simmering.

Put the bread in a medium bowl and pour the milk over top. Let sit until softened, about 10 minutes.

In a large pan over medium heat, cook the bacon. Once it has browned a little, add the onions and cook in the bacon fat. Then add the ground meat and brown for about 3 minutes. Pour in the wine (or water), and take off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the milky bread and mix well. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 220 C / 450 F / gas mark 7.

Roll out your second disc of dough into a circle the size of your pan, reserving a little for decorations (if desired).

Get your prepared tart shell, and add the meat mixture.

Place the disc on top and decorate using the reserved dough. Brush with egg yolk.

Bake in the bottom part of the oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the tart is nicely browned.

• To save time, you can use two packages of store-bought dough like Kuchenteig / pâte brisée / pasta per crostate to line your pan.

• I used ground pork in this recipe, but you could use ground beef or veal, or a mix.

• Replace the bacon with Bündner Salsiz for authenticity.

• I decorated the top with triangles, just for fun. If you don’t have the time (or inclination) leave off the decoration altogether and it will still taste delicious.

• Start checking on the tart at around the 30 minute mark and if it is browning too quickly, cover the top with foil.