In Our Summer 2018 Issue
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
Summer is a bountiful time in Connecticut. The leafy greens of spring give way to summer’s abundant and colorful fruits and vegetables, and just about everyone is eagerly ...
A great way to dress up your summer veggies and keep them interesting is to wrap them up in dough. Summer vegetables provide a diverse palette of colors, textures, and nutritive properties — and they’re all good! Have fun trying out new pairings and seasonings in this oil-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free dish.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: Makes one 9" pie
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups chickpea flour (besan)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of white pepper
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot (araroot)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 cup firm tofu (omit for soy-free)
- Plant-based milk, minimal, as needed
Cheesy Custard
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1/3 silken tofu
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon Indian black salt (kala namak)
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Pinch of white pepper
Vegetables
- 3 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
- Sprigs of fresh thyme, tarragon, or marjoram
- 2 cups basil leaves
- 4 bell peppers, red/yellow/orange mix, seeded and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- Vegetable broth (no sodium) or dry white wine or vermouth for deglazing
- 1/4 lb. of mixed colored baby potatoes, quartered
- Pinches of salt and freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
Preparation
Dough
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine all crust ingredients in a food processor; pulse until blended well. With food processor running, add half the plant-based milk and wait ~30 seconds. Incrementally add only as much additional milk as needed for dough to gather into a ball. (Be patient — it takes 1-2 minutes and is easy to overshoot. The resulting dough should be soft, but not wet.) Remove dough; wrap in plastic.
Cooking
Lightly pepper tomatoes, then roast with thyme (or other savory herb) for 30 minutes at 375°. Remove from oven and set aside. Heat potatoes in microwave for 1-2 minutes or steam until partially cooked and set aside.
Sauté onions dry in a skillet over medium-high heat until softened. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 1 minute. Deglaze pan. Add potatoes and peppers and cook until softened but not mushy. Chop roughly. Combine all in a bowl and season lightly. Finally, add crumbled tofu.
Combine custard ingredients in food processor; blend until smooth. Heat in saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking until thickened. Add to vegetables and mix until thoroughly coated.
Raise oven temperature to 425˚. Sprinkle a board with chickpea flour, roll out, flipping and flouring, to desired thickness. Shape to pie pan, trim and crimp edges. Roll out scraps to cut decorative shapes, if desired. Fill with vegetable/custard mix. Top with shapes. Bake for 30 minutes or until just bubbly and golden. Cool for 10 minutes (if you can wait!). Dig in!
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