Yippie Pie Yay!

By Marcelle Bienvenue

CRAWFISH PIES

When I was a youngster (in the 1950s), my father often boiled crawfish for supper on Friday nights during the spring. Back then, crawfish was mostly caught in the Atchafalaya Basin, and it was sometimes referred to as “the poor man’s meal.”

A fisherman caught the freshwater crustaceans in big nets and brought home his catch, keeping enough to feed his family, then selling the rest out of the back of his pickup truck for as little as 10 cents a pound. Daddy, always a kidder, often teased us, saying that we were so poor we had to eat crawfish at least once a week during the spring season. Boy, we were so lucky to be poor!

During the 1960s, Mama often ordered a crawfish pie from a friend of hers who made them in her home, then sold them to the locals. They were superb: juicy crawfish tails smothered down with the usual onions, bell pepper, celery and a handful of tomatoes, then poured into a pie crust and baked. But sadly, the lady became so overwhelmed with orders, she quit making them.

Not to be deterred, Mama announced that she could make her own crawfish pies. Her method was simple and easy. She used a pre-made pie crust, and the filling was much like her étouffée (with the addition of tomatoes).

-------------------

CHICKEN POT PIE

The winter winds will be blowing soon enough and, while gumbo seems to be the go-to dish for those cold winter nights, there are other cold-weather dishes I like to prepare to enjoy in a warm, cozy kitchen or in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace.

Fortunately for me, I had an aunt who married a Pennsylvania Dutchman. For years, she lived in Pittsburgh and learned how to make both savory and sweet pies from her in-laws. Whenever Aunt Claudia visited us in Acadiana, my mother would beg her to make her delicious pot pies. She had a grand repertoire that included a hearty beef pot pie with Yorkshire pudding that was chock-full of chunks of potatoes, rare roast beef and onions, jolted with horseradish mixed with heavy cream. It took the better part of an afternoon to put together, but oh, was it worth it.

Her chicken pot pies were Papa’s favorites, and I must say I agreed with him.

-------------------

NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIE

The town of Natchitoches became a household name when the hit movie Steel Magnolias was filmed there in 1989. Natchitoches predates the 1718 founding of New Orleans; according to the Natchitoches Historic Foundation, “Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, in an effort to establish trade with the Spanish in Mexico, commissioned the building of a small fort on the west bank of the Red River near a village of the Natchitoches Indians in 1714.”

I was introduced to the local delicacy called Natchitoches meat pies in the late 1960s, when my parents took us to the quaint Central Louisiana town located on the Red River to attend the annual Christmas Festival of Lights, which began in 1927. Our visit would not have been complete without enjoying the famous Natchitoches meat pies (believed to have been around since the Civil War — or as early as the 1700s, when legend has it street vendors sold them along Front Street). The pies are served at just about every eatery in the area.

However, it’s Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant that resurrected the local delicacy in 1967, and continues to crank out thousands of the handmade meatfilled crispy pastries. We happily feasted on a couple of dozen in the restaurant and purchased some to take home with us.

According to the locals, there is some discussion regarding the amount of beef and pork that should go into the meat pies. Lasyone’s still use their original recipe with a 4-to-1 ratio of ground beef to ground pork, but most other outlets use equal parts beef and pork. I always say, make it to please your own palate!

Just so you know how important the meat pies are to this town, the Louisiana legislature declared by unanimous vote in the summer of 2003, at the initiative of Representative Taylor Townsend (a native of Natchitoches), “There shall be an official state meat pie. The official state meat pie shall be the Natchitoches meat pie.”

I’ve tried several versions of the meat pie, and finally decided this is the one that tickles my taste buds.