“Roasted Root Vegetable Slab Pie with a Gluten-free Corn Flour Crust”
Purple & deep red sweet potatoes, white parsnips, turnips shaded from lavender to white, onions of all sorts, beets from golden to deep purple, variegated fingerlings potatoes, tri-color carrots……..I am obsessed with the abundance piled gloriously in the farmer’s markets. They glow as the sun sets and I choose a few of each to roast for this pie.
One of the things I love about photographing food for my blog this time of year is the soft blue cast that seems to be ever-present. It reminds me of North Sea light or a bright snowy day.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Cornflour was the base for this crispy crust. Some Gruyere shredded, softened herb goat cheese dollops & thyme leaves added to the mix. Very easy dough to make in the processor & simple to press into a baking sheet pan while the vegs are roasting.
People often ask me if I do a lot of cooking at home. Although I am surrounded by food every day in my job as a food stylist we still eat at home most nights. I cook very simple foods like this pie that can be eaten for a couple of nights with a change in the salad to accompany it. This is the sort of recipe I make on a Saturday or Sunday for supper. Easy & quick using fresh vegetables with a bit of cheese baked in a very simple crust. Salads and more salads at least 4 nights a week as the stand alone entrée. One day I will blog on our “variations on the salad” which are the basis of most of our meals.
Parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic cloves & baby red potatoes slightly roasted & scattered across the bottom of the cheese topped dough.
Baked with slices of Feta cheese on top. Freshly ground black pepper & crunchy sea salt.
Cut into slabs, eaten warm with a simple green salad & a glass of wine for a November supper.
Roasted Root Vegetable Slab Pie in a Gluten Free Corn Flour Crust
Ingredients for crust:
- 2 cups gluten-free corn flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
- A pinch of sea salt
- 2 tsp thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere Cheese
- 1/2 stick butter cut into small pieces & frozen
- 1 egg
- ice water
Ingredients for roasted vegetables:
- 2 parsnips, peeled & cut into chunks
- 1 carrot, peeled & cut into chunks
- 1 sweet potato, peeled & cut into chunks
- 6 baby new potatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper cut into thick slivers
- 4 garlic cloves
- a few tablespoons of olive oil
- Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere Cheese (divided)
- 4 ounces softened herb goat cheese
- 4 to 6 ounces Feta cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place all the chunked vegs & garlic cloves on a sheet pan. Drizzle on a few tablespoons of olive oil, black pepper & sea salt. Toss well.
- Bake vegs just until al dente. About 12 minutes. Remove from oven to cool a bit. Turn oven down to 375 degrees.
- While the vegs are roasting make the crust. Put the corn flour in the bowl of a food processor along with the pinch of sea salt & thyme leaves. Pulse a few times to mix.
- Add 1/4 cup of the Gruyere shreds & cold butter pieces to the bowl and pulse until the mixture becomes grainy.
- Add the egg & pulse a few times. Drizzle in the ice water until a soft dough forms. Scrape dough from the processor bowl. Form into a flatten dough ball, wrap in plastic and chill while vegs are cooling or for about 15 minutes.
- Press chilled dough into the bottom and up the sides of a baking sheet pan using your fingers.
- Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese over the bottom of the crust & top with dollops of the softened herbed goat cheese.
- Scatter the roasted vegs over the cheeses & top with pieces of Feta cheese.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the crust browns & vegs are softened. Serve hot or warm with a side salad of arugula or baby kale & a glass of your favorite wine. A good way to end a November weekend, with some leftovers for later in the week.
Note: This would also be great cut into smaller pieces to serve as an appetizer during the Holidays. Add chunks of butternut squash or pumpkin.
This was my first time using corn flour to make a savory pie crust. It is like a shortbread crust rather than a flakey crust which was really great with the roasted sweetness of the root vegs.
