Michigan pasties, vegetarian and gluten free

Full disclosure: I’ve never eaten a pasty, prior to this recipe. I went vegetarian at the tender age of 14, and the only northern Michigan delicacy I’ve succumbed to is fudge. (Mmm fudge…)

A few years back, I took a camping trip through the upper peninsula, the U.P.— and all those signs advertising pasties caught my attention. Just what was a pasty? Why were so many places selling them? When I got home, one Google search later provided the answer: a folded over pie, stuffed with veggies and meat.

Hold up. A pot pie you can hold? Dang, no wonder Cornish miners in the U.P. loved these things.

For the dough, I’m using the same recipe I used for my spinach pie, except here I’m using brown rice flour instead of white rice flour. I thought it gave the dough a better color and flavor— plus, I think it’s better for you.

Pasties are tasty and filling, but they are best served with some type of sauce or gravy.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3/4 cup millet flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1 tablespoon xanthum gum

teaspoon sea salt

3 large eggs

2 sticks butter

Filling:

3-4 medium sized potatoes (or 6 to 8 small ones)

half a rutabaga

1 turnip

2 medium sized carrots

1/2 medium-sized yellow onion

3/4 lb tofu

salt and pepper to taste

One note: I had wayyyy more filling than pasty dough. Rutabaga are huge, and they don’t cook down. At all. Same with turnips. I just roasted the leftover veggies, but you could also make more pasty dough, or use less veggies.

Whisk all the flours together in a bowl, then sift the flours together in a sifter.
Cream in the butter. (Letting it stand at room temperature makes this much easier.)
Beat in the eggs.
Carefully, divide the dough into three pieces, into 1 inch tall flattened balls. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
While the dough is refrigerating, slice the tofu into slices and marinate. I just used tamari sauce (the gluten-free counterpart to soy sauce,) but your favorite combo of olive oil and seasonings will work too.
Locally made Rosewood tofu.
Peel and dice up all the veggies— turnips, rutabagas, carrots potatoes and onion. Remember, the turnips and rutabagas should be in about 1’’ cubes. They’re tough, thick roots, and you want to make sure you cook them thoroughly.
Slice the marinated tofu into cubes, and add all your diced veggies into a large bowl with the tofu.
Mix all the veggies together in a bowl with salt and pepper.
Pull the dough out of the fridge and let sit for 10-15 minutes before rolling it out. Some tips for this: flatten the dough out with your hands, into a circle, before using the rolling pin. I always use parchment paper to roll the dough out on, and remember to use rice flour on the rolling pin.
Once you have three rolled-out circles, scoop a third of the vegetable mix onto the middle of the dough.
Carefully, fold the dough over the veggies, and crimp the edges carefully. Cut some slits in the crust.
Bake at 375 degrees for about one hour.
Let cool before eating.