101 on Savory pies

We just can’t get enough of a savory pie. It’s really a very simple thing if you have some frozen pie crust. We tend to make a big batch of dough and then freeze in pie sized portions. Sometimes we “forget” to freeze and decide we simply have no choice but to live off of savory pies for the week.

What about the filling, though? The thing is, sure, you can get extra about anything. You can also just put what would otherwise have gone on your plate in the pie and give it a roast. Here’s how we get it done.

STEP 1

Chop veggies, add lard, sunflower oil, olive oil, melted butter or ghee, salt, and seasonings, and give a good roast. About 10 minutes before you’d say it was otherwise done, take out to cool.

STEP 2

Put the pie crust in a pie pan. Use parchment paper for an easy clean-up. If you like a crispier bottom crust, be sure to give the crust a bake before adding the mixture.

STEP 3

Add more deliciousness. In the instance you see above, we smothered the roasted veggies (eggplant, potatoes, garlic) in a can of Magic Masala sauce. You can also just add a bit of broth and seasonings. This is generally the part where folks get more extra -but the key is really just achieving a pasty mixture to keep things moist. Cheese is also a good emulsifier. Tomato sauce works. Miso mixed with water is great. Your favorite salad dressing? Why not? Spreadable salami? Yep. Chili crisp? Yum. We also added some fresh, chopped hakurei turnips to keep things a bit crunchy and soak up some flavors.

STEP 4

Put the mixture in the pie. Have a top? We recommend a top for this one, but if you don’t have a top, just cook for less time. If you do, add the top, give it an egg wash (beat an egg and brush it on top of the pie dough) and bake. We did this one at 350 for 1 hour. It’s ready when it smells like pie and the top is golden-brown.