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Rappie Pie “It’s cheap, it feeds lots of people and everyone likes it.” story and photos by Jessica Patterson by Marielle Boudreau-Cormier and Melvin Gallant, and, armed with glasses of wine and Great Big Sea playing in the background, we went to work. I coarsely grated five pounds of russet potatoes into long strands with my four-sided box grater, and chopped two white onions and put them into a large pot with a quartered chicken to make stock. While the stock was simmering, I squeezed the juice out of the grated potatoes for all I was worth. They turned pinkish brown, oxidizing like cut apples. Soon, the potato juice was brown too, and a thick layer of starch coated the bottom of the bowl. The next step was to reconstitute the potatoes with the chicken stock we’d been simmering on the stove. I dumped my potatoes into the pot with the chicken and stirred. The potatoes turned a sickly grey colour, but I persevered. I layered pota- toes and chicken into a baking pan, according to the directions, then put the pan in the oven. Two hours later, our finished rappie pie was grey, slimy and glutinous – not what I remembered. My memories were of light, golden, chicken-flavoured potatoes, with a creamy consistency. As I found out from my Acadian friends in Calgary – Cindy Corriveau and her mother Vel LeBlanc – rappie pies are as different from one another as the people who make them. Corriveau grew up watching her parents make rappie pie. Râpure was a traditional Christmas dish in her childhood home in Yarmouth. “They started early on Christmas Eve day, and by the early evening, they put it in the oven, went to mass, and ate it when they got home.” These days, rappie pie is still served as a Christmas tradition in her house, and Corriveau’s mother still makes it. LeBlanc has been making rappie pie since she was old enough to help in the kitchen. “My mom made it all the time,” she says, adding that her mother’s was much better then her own, with a beautiful golden crust. “Everyone’s is different.” After five years of living in Calgary, having had more beef on a Corriveau and LeBlanc invited me to prepare rappie pie with them. They started with bun than I could stand, I recently found myself desperate for the stock, simmering the chicken with the chopped onions, some chicken fat and salt, for about two hours. After an hour and a half, they grated the potatoes. I learned a taste of home – specifically, for one of the dishes I ate with that the potato texture should be mushy and slightly frothy, like creamed wheat. abandon in my childhood. I wanted rappie pie. To my 10-year- They began squeezing the potatoes through cheesecloth to remove the water. old mind, it was chicken and potatoes, but there was some- Then they poured the hot chicken broth onto the potato. (Not dumping the pota- thing different about its slightly sticky consistency, something toes into the broth, as I had in my earlier attempt.) They told me that it’s important to put the same amount of chicken broth back into the ‘taters as the amount of reminiscent of Dad’s chicken pot-pie that made rappie pie one water you squeezed out. The consistency of the potatoes will be like oatmeal. of my favourite dishes. It was delicious comfort food. Then, in a large square pan, Corriveau and her mother layered potatoes on the Now, don’t raise your eyebrows – hear me out. bottom, covered them with onions and chicken, and added another layer of potatoes. I grew up in the Land of Evangeline, also known as Nova Scotia’s Annapolis They placed butter chunks on top, though LeBlanc says the original recipe calls for Valley. There, Acadian culture is as alive today as it was in the early 1600s, when little cubes of pork fat. It turned out beautiful and golden-brown and delicious. the settlers from France first came ashore. In the counties of Clare, Digby and My second attempt at re-inventing flavours from my childhood, with the hands-on Yarmouth, present-day descendants of those early Acadians still hold traditions knowledge I’d gleaned from Corriveau and LeBlanc, turned out remarkably better close, especially in the kitchen. than my first. But it wasn’t perfect, so I turned to Calgarian Zac Ryan. Ryan grew Rappie pie – pâté à la râpure or simply râpure – is the name of an Acadian dish of up in Weymouth, Nova Scotia, which is located between Digby and Yarmouth on grated raw potatoes mixed with meat and vegetables and baked. The protein part the southwest shore. He moved to Calgary in 2002. might include rabbit, chicken, mussels, clams, pork, beef or venison. This savoury Ryan’s father’s family is Acadian, and the transplanted Maritimer grew up eating dish has been popular throughout Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and New Brunswick for gen- rappie pie. “It’s a typical meal in my region of Nova Scotia. We made it for special erations and is unique to that part of the country. In the French-speaking areas of occasions, because it’s cheap, it feeds lots of people and everyone likes it.” the Maritimes, each pocket of Acadian culture has its own unique variations. Rappie pie is a staple in Ryan’s Calgary home. He believes his aunt taught him how Though rappie pie doesn’t exist in Calgary restaurants, the dish is alive and well in to make it just right. He’s been making râpure for five years – he’s a pro at it now. some Calgarians’ kitchens. Ryan’s favourite version of rappie pie is made with quahog clams (bar clams). “I This dish’s culinary origins are shrouded by the veil of time. Some say the concoc- have my family ship me jars of the clams so I can use them in my râpure,” he tion was a way of stretching the family’s meat supply. Others say it was a good says. “I also make rappie pie with chicken, on occasion, but prefer quahog clams. way to get copious amounts of starchy water (from the potatoes) for the week’s I think the quahog thing is regional to Clare county because quahog râpure is the laundry. No one really knew the origins of the dish – it’s simply a cultural mainstay most popular kind.” that’s been passed down through generations of Acadians. For me, rappie pie has again become a comfort food in my home. I am finally profi- Determined to revive childhood flavours by making a rappie pie, I asked my foodie cient at making it, after my third, fourth and fifth attempts. And my inner 10-year-old boyfriend to help. We found a recipe in an Acadian cookbook, A Taste of Acadie is all smiles. continued on page 45 40 CITYPALATE.ca JANUARY FEBRUARY 2013 Rappie Pie continued from page 40 Fresnois all about fresh, local food continued from page 42 Rappie Pie You can make variations by substituting seafood or pork for the chicken. 1 whole chicken, cut into large pieces 1 onion, chopped salt and pepper 10 lb. russet potatoes, or new white potatoes The next morning we woke to an 1/2 sweet onion, like Walla Walla, minced unseasonal rain. We opted to stay dry and visited the Hye Quality Bakery salt and pepper to taste (hyequalitybakery.com), originators of butter America’s first soft cracker bread in Have the following at the ready: a potato peeler, 1980 – the Hye Roller. It’s shipped all two box graters, cheesecloth, several extra basins over the country every day. Its origins or bowls, and an extra set of hands or two. lie in authentic Armenian cracker Preheat the oven to 400 F. Put the chicken into a bread, which the bakery has been large pot with cold water to cover, and bring it to making since 1957. The Hye Roller is a boil. Add the chopped onion, salt and pepper. a soft, white, round flatbread that’s Simmer the chicken until it’s tender, about 2 great for making wrapped or rolled hours. Remove the chicken from the pot and sandwiches. let it cool enough to handle, then pull the meat We watched as blobs of dough were from the bones into bite-sized pieces. Strain the rolled out, baked and packaged, all on- onions from the broth and reserve both. site at the now semi-automated bakery. Peel the potatoes, putting them into a bowl of Afterward, we chowed down on fresh cold water as they’re peeled. baked cracker bread – an instant hit Grate the potatoes, using the shredding side with all of us, especially Annabel. of a box grater. (Note: as potato oxidizes, it We spent the rest of our three days turns pink. Speed is essential at this part of the poking around Fresno’s neighbour- process – you don’t want the potatoes to turn hoods, dining on local produce at every brown.) The potatoes will be mushy and half opportunity. Coming from a place with liquid. Squeeze all of the liquid out of the potato a growing season that’s shorter than through cheesecloth, until they’re quite dry. the Mediterranean Grill’s lunch rush, Measure and make note of the amount of liquid we gobbled up as much fresh, sea- you remove from the potatoes. sonal goodness as possible. Bring the chicken broth back to a boil.

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