I think that everyone should have a vegan recipe or two in their repertoire. Not only are more people choosing veganism, a lot of people have food allergies and dietary restrictions. With my son having food allergies, I am always appreciative when people have something for him at the buffet.
One thing that is hard for me to replicate for Gabriel to experience in food is the creamy texture that dairy and eggs can give a dish. Soy cheeses does not melt as well as my beloved artisan cheeses. They certainly do not have that luscious mouth feel that I crave. I have a passion for quiches and tarts, but they are layered with cheese and eggs. I just want my son to experience this as well, so I decided to challenge myself to create a tart that I liked and Gabriel could eat as well.
So instead of trying to replicate a tart that has to compete with a food memory I have of it, I set out to create something new that has a luscious filling within a flaky crust. The bonus was that it is vegan and heart healthy. That is how my Mushroom & Pea Tart was born. My son ate a huge piece of this tart while telling me the entire time he was pretty sure he did not like mushrooms. I served it the next day for lunch to a friend along side some poached salmon. Huge hit.
Just a few notes:
When I bake potatoes, I always make extra because I can use then later in salads, make hash browns, etc. When I grate them on a box grater, I do not even peel them. Somehow the peel seems to come right off and I am left with the soft grated inside of the potato. Pretty cool.
You can, of course, substitute the vegan butter and the soy sour cream with the more traditional versions. Beef broth for the vegetable broth.
Serves 6- 8
- 4 tablespoons olive oil + 1/2 cup for brushing on filo dough
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter such as earth balance
- 20 ounces assorted mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 6 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh marjoram, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons AP flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 cups grated baked potato. Approximently 2 medium baked potatoes
- 4 tablespoons soy sour cream
- salt &pepper, to taste.
- 1 cup fresh or thawed peas
- 16 sheets of filo dough
- In large saute’ pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms, celery, onions and garlic. Cook until tender.
- Stir in fresh thyme and marjoram.
- Scatter flour over all the vegetables and stir. Cooking for a few minutes, so that the flour has a chance to cook.
- Stir in wine and stock, then lower temperature a bit. Stir occasionally while the sauce thickens up.
- Stir in soy sour cream. Start adding salt and pepper. The amount will vary according to how salty the stock is and/or what your palette likes. Make sure to taste it along the way.
- Turn off heat and stir in grated potatoes and peas. Adjust seasoning again if necessary. Set aside to cool while prepping tart crust or place in fridge until ready to assemble.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Brush sides and bottom of tart pan with olive oil.
- Place first sheet of filo dough across tart pan, then brush with oil. Make sure to brush the dough that is on the side of the pan. Rotate placement of the next sheet slightly down from the last sheet. Brush with oil. Like it is the minute hand going around the clock face. Continue with all eight sheets around the tart pan. Make sure that the bottom, sides and edge of tart pan are all covered with filo and oil.
- Place filling in tart pan. Cover tart with the next 8 sheets of filo in the same manner as the bottom layer. When finished, use kitchen scissors to trim edges, leaving a 1/2 inch over hang. Then go along edge and tuck edge into pan all the way around.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until filo is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool a bit.
- When cool to the touch, release edges from tart pan with knife. Then invert on to a platter. Cut into wedges with a surrated knife.
Pour yourself a glass of wine. Make a simple mixed green salad with a lemony vinaigrette, which is a perfect compliment to this earthy creamy tart. You have been good to yourself today… both in your body and soul.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
