The perfect vegetable pie.

It's pie time.

Delicious wintery goodness pie time.

I made this pie and then saw many many other bloggers make pies quite similar.. I guess this is just what the Northern Hemisphere's Winter does to us all! (makes us fat)

Sometimes you don't want to toot your own horn.. But seriously guys - this pie was amazing.

Do you know what happens when you make an amazing pie and then leave to go adopt 2 kittens from the animal welfare?

Well, you have to message your boyfriend and tell him to bake the pie himself. And then you get home and realise that he's not like you... and *GASP* he hasn't photographed it. 

And then you feel like a bit of a psycho as you say

"you didn't take any photos of the whole thing?" 

to which he says 

"no... sorry, I was hungry. I guess I should have known.." 

And then you say 

"no no no, it doesn't matter" whilst you consider making another pie just so you can photograph it in all its glory. 

THUS. No photos of the whole beautiful pie ;)

Springish Vegetable Pie:

shortcrust pastry:

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold cubed butter

1/4 cup cold water

1 Tablespoon butter

1 large onion, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

3 carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 zucchini, roughly chopped

1 cup broccoli florets, roughly chopped

1/2 eggplant, roughly chopped

1 cup cooked spaghetti squash (or pumpkin)

1 cup peas

1/4 cup flour

2 big sprigs rosemary

3 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon capers

1 Tablespoon horseradish

1 Tablespoon herb and garlic cream cheese

2 cups stock

s+p

eggwash or oil

sesame seeds

Pastry:

Pulse all ingredients in a processor until they pull away from the sides. 

Pour out and form a disc.
Wrap in cling wrap and set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Mixture:

Heat butter and fry all vegetables (except peas) with whole rosemary sprigs in a large pot until cooked. When browned, add flour and mix until combined.

Add bay, capers, horseradish, cream cheese, stock and season with salt and pepper. 

Cook until the desired consistency, you want it too be a little too runny as it will firm up once it cools.

Add peas at the last minute. Ideally leave mixture to cool, but if you must you can use it warm.

Preheat oven to 180°C

Remove pastry and cut in half. Using a rolling pin, roll in to two 10" circles, the dough will be quite thin. 

Line bottom of 8"springform pan with 1 circle of pastry. Remove rosemary from vegetable and add vegetable filling to the pie. Top with second circle and tuck in edges, forming a seal.

Eggwash or oil and top with a sprinkle of salt and sesame seeds.

Bake for 45 minutes until golden.

EAT IT!
(it's pretty good)