Smoked Tofu & Cheese Pie w Gluten-Free Herbed Crust

Phoebe Thorburn -

I honestly didn't think I could make a quiche or pie (whatever you want to call it) with a gluten-free crust that tastes this good! This is savoury, comfort heaven! Completely nostalgic, considering I ate a lot of pastry-enclosed numbers growing up. This hits all the notes, smokey, herby, cheesy, unami-ee deliciousness. The perfect lunch in my opinion hehe, served with a chutney and salad.

The crust in this recipe is inspired by The First Mess, who was first inspired by Moon and Spoon and Yum.

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
  • 1/4 cup polenta (cornmeal)
  • 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/2 cup cold vegan butter
  • dribble cold water
    Filling
  • 1 onion, diced small
  • olive oil
  • 100g smoked tofu
  • 120g (or as much as desired) nut based vegan cheese, sliced/crumbled (I used Sprout & Kernal Tree Nut Cheese from Woolworths)
  • 150g silken tofu, drained
  • 1/4 cup plant milk
  • 3 tbsp chickpea flour (besan)
  • 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • pinch turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp black salt
  • pinch pepper

Method

  1. Make your pastry first, by adding the chickpea flour, polenta, mixed herbs, nooch, salt & pepper to a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the cold vegan butter (in chunks) and pulse to form a dough. Add a dribble of cold water (if needed) to bring it together. Wrap the dough up and chill while your oven pre-heats to 200C. Once pre-heated, take your pastry out of the fridge and grease a 21cm (8 1/2 inch) pie dish (or similar). Roll out into a circle slightly bigger than the dish, then transfer to the dish, pushing it down nice and snug, ensuring there's an even covering. Pierce the base a couple of times with a fork and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Set aside and turn the oven down to 180C.
  2. Start your filling by caramelising the onion in a glug of olive oil over low heat. While that's doing it's thing, prepare your other fillings by dicing the tofu into bite-sized pieces and slicing/crumbling your vegan nut-based cheese.
  3. Make the egg mixture by blending the silken tofu, plant milk, chickpea flour, rice flour, baking powder, garlic powder, turmeric, black salt & pepper together in a blender until smooth.
  4. Construct your pie by laying/crumbling the cheese over the base then topping with the smoked tofu. Gently pour in the eggy mixture, then finish by sprinkling over the caramelised onions. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set and golden brown. Tuck in.