Cipaille anyone?

There’s nothing quite like a meal that takes all day to make. The satisfaction of all those hours of prepping, assembling and/or cooking something coming together in that first bite is a real treat. Especially when it’s one of our dishes. So how about a Cipaille? Yes, cipaille; that “other” savory meat pie that we start to hear about when the temps start to drop. A long affair to make? Check. A heritage recipe? Check. Delicious? Check. An amazing aroma left in our kitchen? A satisfying end to a long experience? Bragging rights? Checks all around. 

So what the heck is this? One could argue it’s Tourtiere’s little brother (yes, cipaille is a masculine noun). The distinction of being the “little” sibling is usually placed on the younger and therefore smaller of the siblings. But there's also the case for the titles of “big” & “little” being based on social standing or popularity. The “little” sibling might be the hulking offensive lineman who toils in social obscurity, while “big” is bestowed on the sleek, high profile quarterback on everyone’s invitation list. This is a great way to think about Cipaille. Physically, most recipes have a cipaille around twice the size, both weight and volume, of a tourtiere. But wow, does this thing take a back seat to the smaller, much more commonly made tourtiere. That doesn’t have to be the case. So let’s season up some meat, break out the “cocottes,” and get busy!

Precursor to cooking: Cipaille is ours. Or perhaps, our version is ours. A quick search will bring into reality the many variations of this dish including the English “Sea Pie” that started showing up in the 18th century. However, what our ancestors perfected, and we’re cooking today, is meat, potatoes and onions*. 

Now let’s cook! This thing’s probably closer to a casserole than a pie, but let’s mix the same crust as we do for our pies. Meat: This was an “everything but the kitchen sink” type pie in the early days, but most today call for a trio of seasoned beef, pork and chicken in cubes or chunks rather than ground. Traditionally, most recipes call for the same warm/sweet spices that we see in our tourtieres (I prefer more savory spices, and those recipes aren’t hard to find, but I’m keeping it basic here). Potatoes and onions- nothing complicated. Most call for chopped onions and cubed potatoes, but we may find one that calls for them to be sliced. Still sounding like our tourtiers. Broth or liquid- oops, there’s an addition! This thing will cook low and slow for the better part of the day, so liquid is necessary to prevent drying out. Most recipes will call for chicken or beef broth, and some variations call for the addition of red wine.  Assembling the layers. We’ll talk a little later about what a layer is, but for now just know that the top layer has to be the crust. Careful-we need to leave room for a lid (also a variation from our tourtiere). But we’re not done there. Making a hole through the center of the assembled pie, all the way to the bottom of the dish, will allow us to add the liquid and have it permeate through all the ingredients. Now the all-day part: Most recipes will call for a high temp for the first hour or so, followed by a reduced temp for another 4-5 hours. During this time, you’re mostly free to move about, but you’ll probably have to return to the scene every hour or so to lift the lid. This will allow some steam to escape, thus allowing the top crust to form. Not difficult, but time consuming. During this time, we can simply enjoy the way your kitchen starts to smell. 

So the basics of tourtiere and cipaille are the same: Meat, spice, onion, potato, crust (and of course, the debate on specifics). What’s different? Most tourtiere recipes today call for ground meats, usually limited to pork and beef. Cipialle calls for chunked meats, and usually includes the addition of chicken. The filling in our touriere is precooked and added to the crust, while in cipaille, the meats and vegetables are added raw and cooked in the crust. In a tourtiere, the onions and potatoes (and any other veggies) are mixed in with the meat, while in Cipaille, they’re layered. And, of course, our Cipaille has the liquid added. 

We could debate what exactly a “layer” is, which would determine how many layers we have. For simplicity, most recipes will call the meat layer 1, the veggie layer 2 and crust layer 3. Repeat twice and you’ll be fine (and understand the naming variation “six-pates”).

So, there you have it. It's worth repeating the part about everyone’s recipes being different and acknowledging the fierce pride most people have in their version. But in the end, this is one of those heritage dishes that belongs in all of our kitchens. Sure, tortieres are easier and quicker to make, but I’m sure you’ll find the “little brother” was worth it in the end. It’s a healthy sibling rivalry, so let’s make sure it’s alive and well!

*Yes, fish and seafood still exist in many family recipes, as does the variety of wild game in others. Just like tourtiere, we can easily start an all-day debate on what goes in this thing. I simply apply my "pizza theory" that no matter what toppings are applied, it's still a pizza.