My relationship with Karelian pies: connection to my Finnish heritage

There are very few Karelian pies in the USA. When I eat them, I am reminded of my favorite parts of my Finnish heritage – time, love and dedication.

Living in New York, I always keep on hand the dishes of world cuisine. But what’s missing from the New York food scene is Karelian pie, or karjalanpiirakka, a small, savory Finnish pie I ate as a kid. Once a year my dad makes a huge batch of them for my family and I relive that childhood joy.

I lived most of my childhood in Helsinki, Finland. Although I moved to the United States when I was 6 years old, I often think about the time I spent in Finland as a child — playing outside in reflective vests to account for the early sunsets and eating Karelian pies after school.

Karelian pies are a staple food in Finland. They are widely available in grocery stores and bakeries, and often bake at home. They consist of a thin rye dough and a soft filling – usually white rice milk porridge, potatoes, or a combination of carrots and rice. The crust of the rye dough is thin and crispy, while the filling is soft and melts in your mouth. They can be served hot or cold and are often topped with egg butter. what it looks like, hard-boiled eggs mashed together with butter and salt. I myself am more a supporter of the Karelian pie, but to each his own.

I’ve often wondered where Karelian pies got their name from when I was younger – I didn’t know any city called Karelia, at least not near where I lived. Only a few years ago I learned that pies got their name from the former Finnish region of Karelia, which was divided between Finland and Russia since World War II. During the war, over 400,000 Finns fled Karelia for mainland Finland, bringing their culinary culture with them.

When my dad makes Karelian pies, he makes his own version, which uses sweet potato as a filling, which has become my favorite variety. I had a hard time finding them anywhere in the United States – even in New York, one of the culinary capitals of the world.

I have a feeling this is due to the same reason my dad only makes them once a year – they take a very long time to build. It takes preparation of all the fillings, enough time for the fillings to cool, and considerable effort to roll out the rye dough until it is thin but still thick enough to accommodate the filling. For this reason, I consider Karelian pies as a symbol of love, family and devotion. Whenever I have the opportunity to eat them, I know I’m in a safe place – in Finland visiting my grandmother or in the comfort of my childhood home, 20 minutes from Boston.

While part of me hopes others can enjoy one of my favorite delicacies, I also selfishly enjoy the fact that Karelian pies and their associations are all mine, at least for now. But I’m not a gatekeeper – if you want to enjoy them at home, here’s my dad’s recipe:

Karelian potato pies

Cooking time: about an hour

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Difficulty level: not difficult at all, just tiring.

Ingredients

rice filling

1 cup uncooked white rice, uncooked or instant

1 teaspoon salt

6 glasses of milk

2 tablespoons butter

potato stuffing

2 cups boiled potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup hot milk

Salt to taste

Sweet potato filling

2 cups boiled sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

Crust

1 glass of water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil

1 ½ cups white flour

1 ½ cups rye flour

rice filling

Combine rice, salt and milk in a double boiler. Cook over boiling water, stirring occasionally, for two hours or until the milk is absorbed and the rice is creamy. Stir in the oil, then refrigerate.

Sweet potato filling

Roast two or three sweet potatoes until caramelized. Peel them, then rub them with butter. Let cool.

potato stuffing

Bake two or three potatoes. Peel, then beat the potatoes with milk, butter and salt until smooth and fluffy. You want them to be fluffy with peaks, as stiff as whipped cream. Let cool.

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.

2. To make the crust, mix water, salt and oil in a large bowl.

3. Add white flour, beating until smooth.

4. Follow the rye flour, mixing once more until everything is combined.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth, about two to three minutes.

6. Shape the dough into a roll about 2 inches in diameter, divide into 12 equal portions and dust with flour.

7. Shape each flatbread into a small round flatbread, then roll into a 6″ to 8″ circle, trying to make it as round as possible.

8. Take 3-4 tablespoons of the filling of your choice, fold the two sides of the filling dough to form an oval shape, leaving an inch-wide strip of filling exposed.

9. Pinch the edges of the dough.

10. Prepare a mixture of milk and melted butter in a small bowl. Postpone.

11. Place pies in hot oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned, basting twice with light milk-butter mixture during baking. Brush them again after you take them out of the oven.

12. Cover the patties while still warm with a clean towel to soften the crusts (or wrap the entire batch in foil).

13. Serve hot or cold.

Contact Anya Westuse in [email protected]

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