Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
Chick-less Pie
Here's a classic dish befitting your Thanksgiving table that will entice even the most recalcitrant veggie eater, young or old. It's a classic savory pie with creamy, nostalgic pot pie flavor and mouthfeel (minus the poultry and dairy of course!). Make tasty crackers with the excess dough trimmings.
Prep time 60 minutes Bake time 25 minutes Makes one 9” pie (not deep dish) or eight 3” slices
2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
3 Tablespoons arrowroot
3 Tablespoons flaxseed, freshly ground
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1 teaspoon onion granules
Pinch white pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup Japanese white sweet potato (satsumaimo), peeled, large dice and steamed
¼– ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup aquafaba to brush on dough from one can no-sodium chickpeas
1 medium large yellow onion, medium dice
1 large or two small leeks, whites and tender green stalks, medium dice
1 small tied bunch fresh thyme, sage, marjoram sprigs or 1 teaspoon mix of the dried herbs
1 large carrot, medium dice
2 large celery stalks, medium dice
1 cup small white button mushrooms
2 bay leaves
3 cloves, garlic, minced
1 cup baby yellow potatoes, medium dice
2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
1 cup frozen peas
6 tablespoons white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup no-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon shiro (mild, light) miso paste, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water, or more to taste
Grinds of black pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C
In a food processor combine all dry ingredients. Pulse to blend. Add sweet potato pulp and ¼ cup of the almond milk. Run for 2 minutes or until a dough forms and gathers into a soft, pliant ball. Add a bit more milk as needed to create a soft but not wet dough. Allow to rest, well-covered, as you make the filling.
Heat a large skillet on medium flame. Add onion, leeks, carrot, celery, mushrooms, herbs, bay leaves. Cover and lower heat so that vegetables sweat and do not burn as they release their liquids and cook slowly in their own juices. Cook for 15 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally until vegetables soften. Add ¼ cup broth, stir, as you add garlic and potatoes. Cover and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. When the potatoes are tender but still firm remove the bay leaves and thyme. Stir in the spinach and peas, followed by the flour and cook for 5 minutes. Gradually add ½ cup broth, stirring. Sauce will thicken. We are looking for a creamy but very dense filling to hold the pie together and slice well. Adjust with flour or broth as needed. Remove from heat and season with miso and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle your flour over a large board roll out dough in a large circle about ⅛” for a crisper crust or 3/16” thick for a softer, more tender crust. Dust with additional flour if required to prevent sticking. Fold dough in quarters, center over pie dish, unfold and gently press into dish. Trim. Crimp edges. Transfer the filling, mounding it higher in the center. Reroll dough trimmings 3/16” thick and cut out with your favorite cookie cutter. Decorate top of pie with the dough cut-outs. Brush pie surface with aquafaba.
Set aside the remaining dough scraps until the pie is baked, covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
Bake the pie on middle shelf for 20-30 minutes or until crust and cut outs are golden. Place on cooking rack and rest for 15-20 minutes to solidify before slicing and serving.
Serve on warmed plates. Garnish lightly with fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
Crackers
Roll remaining dough out thinly (1/8”) for crispy crackers, 3/16” for soft crackers.
Cut out with cutters or create rectangles or diamonds with a pizza wheel.
Place on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment. Brush with a thin coat of diluted miso paste if you like, followed by aquafaba.
Sprinkle on sesame, poppy seeds, onion flakes, dried herbs, grinds of black pepper or your favorite chili powder – or whatever seasonings you like.
Bake for around 8-12 minutes or until golden and lightly crispy on edges.