A crunchy shell, one rich and delicious filling, good both hot and cold, cornerstone of buffet and picnics. What am I talking about? Of the quiche, to put it in French, or savory pies.
You can't face the month of April without a nice pie to take to a picnic. I also love the vegetarian versions, a fun opportunity for children to eat vegetables and a rich "side dish" for grilling (if the weather is nice, we will be honored to be with us!)
The vegan savory pie dough
Every self-respecting savory pie must have a wrapping to stuff. If you want to prepare one 100% veg savory pie, therefore also suitable for vegans, you can prepare a base of Crazy pasta: just knead (even in a food processor) 250 g of flour with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and one of white vinegar, a teaspoon of water and about 130 g of water. Let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes before using it and then roll it out with a rolling pin. The advantage? Vegans, vegetarians and lactose intolerant can enjoy a slice of savory pie without worries.
Vegetarian savory pie: the filling
When it comes to the filling, things get greedy … If you want a vegetarian savory pie, similar to a French quiche, prepare a batter with three eggs, 130 g of milk, 130 g of cream, salt and nutmeg. Add to this batter mushrooms; sautéed leeks; zucchini; spinach (I recommend well squeezed) with pine nuts and raisins; artichokes and eggs or your favorite vegetables. The only limit? Fantasy is what you find at the supermarket. Another vegetarian option that always achieves excellent results is to use ricotta cheese – perhaps mixed with an egg and a little Parmesan for a more compact filling – mixed with asparagus and saffron; fresh or dried cherry tomatoes and oregano; peas, broad beans and mint. Other greedy ideas, with a less creamy, but no less greedy filling, are potatoes and scamorza cheese that spins; black cabbage and cream; sautéed aubergines and parmesan,
Vegan stuffed
A solution to replace the creamy component of the fillings of rustic pies is blend the tofu – a soy "cheese" – with a little vegetable milk or use directly del tofu silk, a variant reminiscent of cream. How about trying with radicchio and artichokes or chard and walnuts? Lovers of simplicity will not be disappointed by tomatoes and basil; slices of zucchini and carrots arranged concentrically to form a spiral and completed with ground hazelnuts and rosemary or basil; peppers, capers and breadcrumbs.
You can too blend one of the vegetables which will make up the filling, perhaps with a little nutritional yeast flakes to give flavor. A veg pie with broccoli cream and sautéed pumpkin cubes, carrot and rosemary cream, potato and artichoke cream or leeks doesn't it entice you? If the surface is sprinkled with chopped almonds and a drizzle of oil to form a crust, it becomes irresistible.