Christmas Eve Tourtiere

Whenever we get to spend Christmas in Austin, we have the good fortune to dine on Christmas Eve with our dear neighbors, the Fykes. Christmas Eve tradition in the Fyke household involves tourtiere, a meat pie from their native Canada. This year, I was inspired to concoct a vegan version of it.

2 cups cooked farro
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large jar sliced shiitake mushrooms, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons sage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 package refrigerated pie dough (enough for a 9" double crust pie)

1- In a large bowl, combine the farro, beans, and mushrooms and set aside.
2- In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the onions until lightly caramelized (about 10 minutes in medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
3- Add broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch to the onions. Simmer while stirring constantly until the gravy thickens (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Add allspice and sage.
4- Add gravy to the farro mixture and mix until well-combined. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
5- Preheat oven to 425. Assemble the bottom crust of the pie on a greased 9" pie plate. Pour the filling mixture and top with the top crust. Crimp to seal and cut some vent holes (I used a small cookie cutter). Brush with remaining olive oil.
6- Cover the edges of the crust with tents made out of foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil tents, lower the heat the 375, and bake for another 25 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

P. Terry's Veggie Patty Look-Alike

My husband and I love this delicious patty from one of our favorite eateries in Austin, P.Terry's Burger Stand. This was quite easy to reverse engineer, once I found the ingredients on their website. I think the secret is the cheese. It adds great texture and binding.

2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice
2 cups black beans
1 cup old-fashioned oats
10 oz mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine the rice, beans, and oats in a food processor bowl and pulse a few times until beans are roughly choppped. Pour into a large bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet and cook onions and mushrooms on medium heat until onions are transluscent (5-7 minutes). Add to food processor bowl and pulse until roughly chopped. Add to rice mixture in larger bowl.

Add seasonings, cheeses and parsley, and mix well. Refrigerate until chilled.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a baking sheet. Form 8 patties with the chilled mixture and place on baking sheet (I like to shape them with a 6-oz ramekin and flatten them on the baking sheet; makes them really pretty and uniform). Bake for 30 minutes, flipping after the first 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Salsa Ajilimojili

Ajilimojili is a traditional Puerto Rican sauce made with garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. It is used as a table condiment for everything, especially the traditional holiday roasted leg of pork. Of course, when I sit at the Puerto Rican holiday table, I want nothing to do with the pork. Thankfully, ajilimojili elevates any meat-free side dishes (like salad, plantains, and arroz con gandules) to much more celebratory good eats.

My mom's recipe is spectacular, and for hers she uses these really tiny sweet peppers called "ajies dulces", which are readily available in Puerto Rican grocery stores (or in her backyard garden). I have searched for them here in the continental US, with no success. But, the light bulb went off on my last trip to PR, when I studied the peppers closely and decided they reminded me of pepperoncini peppers! I promptly made a batch of the sauce upon my return, and it is quickly becoming a fridge staple.

And yes, I can say "ajilimojili" ten times really fast.

Salsa Ajilimojili

3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon sliced pepperoncini peppers, chopped and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
the juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients in a blender. Grid until desired consistency (I like to pulse it so I can get it somewhat smooth, but with a few garlic chunks left).