People seem to have a hard time coming up with vegetarian main dishes. I feel like the problem is amplified even more during the holidays with long-lost cousins showing up to your house, and surprise, they’re vegetarians! C and I try to eat meatless at every meal, we only eat it in the form of peperoni on cheap pizza or the occasional taco when we go out to eat. Needless to say, we’ve had to come up with some creative main dishes for ourselves to keep things interesting in the dinner department.
This vegetable pie is full of cheesy cauliflower sauce, winter vegetables and the crust is a flaky herb masterpiece (I could eat it on its own any day.). It is definitely a more labor-intensive food compared to yesterday’s quick and easy snack/drink ideas, but most main dishes for the holidays are. I promise you this savory pie is worth it. My husband, the Brit (which means he’s an authority on how pies taste) approved of it, so that’s endorsement enough! It might as well have the Queen’s Seal on it!
If you make this pie, or any of the other treats from the 12 Days of Recipes post a picture of it on Instagram and use #ssebs12daysofrecipes so I can see! Enjoy! See you tomorrow.
Ingredients:
For the crust
2 tsp Onion and Herb Mrs. Dash (which contains mainly dried onion, garlic, black pepper and parsley so if you don’t have this blend you can put in a mix of these four)
1 stick cold butter
1 1/ 4 cups flour
3 tbsp cold water (and more if needed)
large pinch of salt
For the filling
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 tbsp butter
3 inch square of cheese
25 g flour
1 clove garlic
100 g broccoli
100 g cauliflower
1 baked potato
2 carrots
1 / 4 a large butternut squash (1/ 2 a small one)
plain breadcrumbs
Method:
For the crust:
1. Combine flour, salt and spice blend in a medium sized mixing bowl using a fork.
2. Cut cold butter into small pieces and add them to the flour blend. Start breaking down the butter pats into the flour by rubbing them together. Do this until about half of the butter is mixed in well. (If the butter starts to get warm at any point just pop your bowl into the fridge for a few minutes to cool it down.)
3. Add the three tablespoons of water to your bowl and mix into the flour well with your hands. The dough should hold completely together but not be sticky to the touch, if it is, add a teaspoon of flour until it isn’t sticky anymore. If your dough is too dry where it won’t hold together then add half a tablespoon of cold water at a time until it holds together without being sticky.
4. Once your dough is perfect form it into disk which is even in thickness. Wrap your disk in saranwrap and refrigerate at least half an hour and up to seven hours.
5. After it has chilled, unwrap your dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Be sure to turn the dough after each few passes with the pin in order to ensure evenness in the dough’s thickness. The dough should be about the thickness of a quarter, or coin of less value than a British pound. It should end up being a piece of dough larger than a nine-inch pie tin.
6. Place dough in a lightly greased nine-inch pie tin. Cut edges to be about the length from the tip of your thumb to just passed your first knuckle. (Yes, I realize everyone has different sized fingers, but it’s fine. ; )) Press the dough firmly against pie tin to ensure it will stay in place.
7. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Place in the freezer for five minutes, then remove, tuck excess dough under at the edges, working all the way around the crust. Crimp edges if desired.
9. Place in freezer another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes use a fork to prick the dough all across the bottom.
10. Place enough parchment paper to cover the inside of the crust and put dry beans inside in order to weigh down the dough while baking. Bake for 15 minutes.
11. Take parchment paper and beans out and bake for another 15 minutes.
12. Let completely cool.
For the filling:
1. Dice carrots and butternut squash into about one inch pieces. Place on a greased baking tray salt and pepper the veggies and add a drizzle of olive oil on top the vegetables. Roast in an oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
2. Let cool.
3. Peel and slice garlic then put into a medium saucepan on medium heat with the butter.
4. When the butter is melted stir in flour to make a paste. Gradually add the milk whisking as you go until smooth.
5. Add broccoli and cauliflower and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through. Grate cheese into sauce and put the mixture into a blender and mix until it’s the consistency of a thick pudding.
Putting the Pie Together:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place roasted vegetables and baked potato, peeled and diced, into the prepared pie crust.
3. Add broccoli/cauliflower cheese sauce mixture on top of vegetables, in the pie crust.
4. Take about two tablespoons of breadcrumbs, put into a small cup or bowl and add about one teaspoon of olive oil to it. Mix together using a fork, then sprinkle it over the top of your filled pie, covering the surface. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of the whole thing.
5. Bake for 60 minutes.
6. Let cool slightly and enjoy!
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