When I was vegetarian, my grandparents bought me a veggie cook book. I made this recipe one night and it was one of my all time favourites. I altered the recipe a bit because we had certain things and not others, but I will give you the recipe in the book and tell you how I altered it in brackets.
Whole-Wheat Vegetarian Pie
Crust
1 cup whole-wheat flour (I used white flour for this)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup solid shortening
5-7 tbsps cold water
Filling
2 tbsps vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 small-or about 1 cup-zucchini, chopped
3 ribs celery-or about 1 cup-chopped (we didn't have this when I made it, but I'm sure it'll be good)
2 medium sized carrots, shredded--about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms-cremini, shiitake, or plain button (I only used the button)
1 small-about 1/2 cup-sliced green pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1 can-about 15 oz-tomato sauce (I used a jar of spaghetti sauce which give it added flavour. Either will work fine).
1/2 cup 1/2 inch pieces of green beans (I think I omitted this too because we didn't buy fresh beans at the time. They would taste great in it though, of course!)
Seasonings:
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup-about 4 oz- shredded young Italian Asiage cheese or Gruyere (I simply used marble chedder and it was excellent! If you have chedder, there is no need to rush out and buy anything fancy!
)
The Wash:
1 egg slightly beaten
1 tbsp water
Place a rack in the lowest position in your oven, then preheat it to 400 degrees.
Prepare crust:
In a sizable mixing bowl, stir together the two cups of flour and the salt. Use a pastry blender (or 2 knives held together like scissors) and cut in the shortening until the pieces are the size of small peas. Add the water, tossing with a fork, just until the dough comes together in a bunch. Divide in half. Shape one half into a disk shape on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into an 11 inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit the circle into a 9 inch pie pan. Trim the edge, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Refrigerate while making the filling.
Making the filling:
In a roomy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, celery, carrots, mushrooms, green pepper and garlic. Sauté until just tender-about 8 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, green beans, and all of the "Seasonings" ingredients EXCEPT for the cheese. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Spoon into pie shell. Sprinkle the top with the cheese. Brush edges of the pastry with water.
Roll out remaining pastry into 1/8 inch-thick round, 10 inches in diameter, and place on the pie. Trim the overhang, and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in the top for the steam to escape.
The Wash:
Stir together the egg with the tbsp water. Brush over the crust.
Bake the pie on the lowest rack in oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 20-25 minutes. Let the pie stand for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Serves 6-8.
This may seem like a lot of reading, but it is actually a lot simpler than it sounds and WELL WORTH IT!! I hope you like it!
