A Flaky, Savory, Nostalgic Experiment
I had my first pumpkin pie of the season this week. It was delicious and sugary (and free): the Chocolate Pumpkin pie from Hoosier Mama Pie Company in West Town. Their pies are excellent, but after eating it, I realized that while I was craving pumpkin pie, I wanted something deeply savory and nourishing.
While my vegan self from 2 years ago would have loved this pie, it is also flavorful and filling enough to satisfy most meat eaters. The recipe is simple and made with ingredients you probably already have on hand and works for any meal. I, in fact, had it for breakfast this morning.
As always, let me know if you make this recipe. Enjoy!
Savory Vegan Autumnal Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie
Ingredients:
For the crust
250 g of all-purpose flour, unsifted, plus extra for shaping the dough
3/4 cup of water, room temperature
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt
For the filling
1 medium squash or pumpkin
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion sliced
3-4 stalks of celery finely diced
1 bunch of kale, chopped with stems removed
1/2 - 1 tsp smoked paprika (depending on how fresh it is)
salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the crust:
Mix the flour and salt together. Add the oil and most of the water (about 80%)
Combine adding more water as needed to bring it together into a shaggy dough
Turn mixture out onto floured worktop and kneed for about 10 minutes until the dough springs back when poked adding flour as needed
Divide into 6 balls, wrap in plastic wrap or damp towel, and leave in fridge for at least an hour
For the filling:
Peel and cube the squash, drizzle in olive oil and some salt, and roast at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool
In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Once warm add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper—cook until caramelized. Add the celery and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.
Add the kale, paprika, and a little more salt and sauté for another minute. remove from heat and add the squash.
Assembly:
On a heavily floured work surface, roll out one ball of dough until you can read newsprint through it, or as thin as you can possibly get it without tearing. Place into a greased pie or cake tin, brushing the top with oil.
Continue with two of the remaining balls of dough making sure to add oil between each layer.
After the third layer, add the filling
Continue layering the remaining dough on top of the filling. Once the last crust layer is laid, crimp and trim the edges and brush the top with oil.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes. If it is too brown on top, cover with foil for the rest of the bake time.
Cool for a minute and then enjoy! Preferably topped with a quick tahini sauce.
Notes
Taste every step of the process to ensure proper seasoning.
Keep the dough that you are not rolling out covered in the fridge. This will make it easier to work with
My favorite tahini sauce is super simple: 1/2 cup tahini, 1/2 lemon juiced, pinch of salt and pepper, with a clove of minced garlic. Just mix it all together.
