VEGETARIAN FOOD BLOG: HUNZA PIE

Hunza Pie

I can't believe this recipe is not already here. It's such a stable, I assumed it had long ago joined the Billie Bites collection.

Searching it for the other day to remind myself of the quantities, I discovered the poor hunza pie had been overlooked.

This is reminiscent of my very popular Spinach Torte - definitely an established part of the Billie Bites scenery. The key differences are: The Hunza has pastry, silver beet, brown rice and cheddar. The Torte has arborio rice, Parmesan and no pastry.

Great straight from the oven. Best after it's cooled a little. Tasty cold the next day. Especially outside on a park bench overlooking the ocean.

This is adapted from a recipe by Steve Manfredi, published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

HUNZA PIE

220g wholemeal flour

110g cold salted butter

cold water

1/2 cup brown rice

Bunch silver beet

butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

salt and pepper

nutmeg

Place rice in small pot with 1 cup water. Bring to boil with lid on and then turn right down. Simmer until water absorbed - takes about 30 minutes total. Don't stir at all while cooking. Instead tip pot on angle to see how much water is left. Once done tip into large bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, make the pastry. If you have a food processor, place flour in food processor and drop lumps of butter in one at a time while pulsing. Once the mixture looks crumbly, gradually add a tablespoon or three of water while processing, until the mixture forms a ball.  If sans food processor, simply place flour and butter in bowl and use a knife to combine. Add the water gradually and finally use hands to knead into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in fridge for 20-30 mins.

Preheat oven to medium high. 

Wash silver beet - keeping most of the stems. Place a chunk of butter in a large pot with the silver beet. Cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes. Shake the pot regularly and stir occasionally. Once fairly well wilted remove and cool on chopping board, before slicing up and adding to rice.

Roll out pastry on a floured bench and use it to line a well-greased flan tin. I use a ceramic one. Any pie dish will do though. Prick centre with a fork and place in oven to lightly cook the pastry shell - about ten minutes is enough.

Combine eggs and cheese with rice and silver beet. Salt and pepper to taste. Add grated nutmeg - a few pinches.

Pour into pastry shell and bake for about 25 minutes, until cooked through and crispy on top.

MAGIC ROLLS

I have not yet found anyone of any age who does not fancy these vegetarian 'sausage rolls'.

Pastry is of course one of the magic ingredients - we all love it, even if we won't admit it.

But the often-ridiculed TOFU and the charming PECANS are really the stars of the show.

This is a recipe from my mother, Elaine Allely, who is famous in Auckland for her cooking, particularly for these rolls, especially among my friends.

I need a good excuse to make them - being puff pastry and all they're kinda party food - so Australia's General Election on Saturday seemed appropriate. Billie's first sampling was her also her first TV dinner - she did love the rolls but was a bit distracted by a bowl of green olives (not pitted) and her 3.5yr old friend Charlie Moore's plate of tofu pecan rolls.

Seeing as this election is the election that keeps on giving - Australia has a hung parliament while we wait the slow count of postal votes in a couple of marginals - I thought it was appropriate to press repeat on the roll action at home last night.

Back home without the distractions of election commentary, Billie scoffed back roll after roll.

So here's the magic recipe (very easy and healthy actually, it just takes a few words to explain):

PECAN TOFU 'SAUSAGE' ROLLS

1 small onion

1 medium block tofu (pref hard)

1 generous cup pecan nuts

3/4 rolled oats

1/4 cup tamari

2-3 sheets frozen puff pastry

tomato or sweet chilli sauce to serve

You need either a food processor or a stick blender. If you have a large, fast processor just use that. If you have a smaller one like me, do onions and pecans in processor and then tofu in bowl with stick blender

 Preheat oven to 220c. Generously grease a large flat oven tray, or two smaller ones.

If using food processor, chop onion in quarters and then mince in processor. Add nuts, and mince with half of tamari. If you have a stick blender, place tofu in large bowl and use stick to blend. Stir through nut mixture and then oats (don't blend). Taste, and then add rest of tamari. You could use a little less tamari, but not too much less as it's an essential part of the flavor. Avoid soy sauce if you can, especially if includes sugar.

Remove pastry sheets from freezer. Place two sheets flat on bread board and use sharp knife to slice down middle. Each sheet will make two long rolls, which can then be cut into 8 pieces each. Brush edges facing you with milk, including along the cut.

Now use a spoon and your fingers to spread mixture along the edge closest to you and the edge furthest from you. Place the mixture in a long roll, but leave about 1cm before the edge so you can roll it tightly. Brush with milk, cut into halves, then halves again, until you have 16 little rolls from each pastry sheet. You can make them fatter - uses two sheets - of a little smaller - and use three sheets. Depends how much pastry you feel like eating.

Place on oiled trays, evenly spaced, and bake in hot oven for 15 mins or until well browned. If making ahead of time, cook for just ten minutes and then cook for another 10 when ready to serve. Dip them in tomato or sweet chilli sauce. Billie was fine with hers just straight.