Russian Vegetable Pie
Our family lovingly calls this dish, “Barnfloor Pie”. This is one of my Mom’s all time greatest recipes, except she makes it with dairy products. Being the resourceful kid I am, I decided to make a vegan version one night, and it turned out beautifully. If you can’t find a non-hydrogenated vegan “cream cheese”, try a layer of hummus, tofu “sour cream”, or just slices of soft tofu instead.
1 double pie shell, whole wheat (you can find a recipe in the Sweets section of this website, or just make your own favourite pastry)
1 1/2 cups vegan cream cheese
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups green cabbage, finely grated
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced into thin half-moons
1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
sea salt and pepper to taste
Prepare the pie crust and roll out one half so that it will fit a 9″ pie plate. Place this into the pie plate and press down so that it fills it completely, with some left hanging over the edges. Spread the soft tofu (traditionally cream cheese) into the bottom of the pie shell. Set to chill in the fridge.
In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil. Add the cabbage, mushrooms, onion and dill and fry until veggies are tender. Stir in the salt and pepper to taste, the pour the veggies into the tofu-lined pie shell. Roll out the other 1/2 of the pastry and top the veggies with it. Crimp the edges of the pie shell, cut off excess dough, and with a sharp knife make a few decorative slashes in the top crust.
Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is browned and crispy looking.
Serves 4-6