Pie Crust with Leaf Lard/Butter
(Keep dough in the fridge until it’s time to roll out).
2-1/2 cups (363 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/ 2 tsp salt
8 T (112 g) unsalted butter
8 T (112 g) rendered leaf lard
1/2 cup (118 g) ice water + 15-30 g more as needed
Additional flour for rolling out dough

Chill the work bowl and blade of a food processor. Put flour, salt, and fat into the bowl and pulse 15 times. Use a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined.

Add 4 T of ice water and pulse 10 more times.

Add 4 more T of ice water and pulse 5 more times.

Turn the ingredients into a bowl, add more ice water as needed, and briefly mix by hand.

Split evenly in two (use a scale for this) and pat each dough ball into a 5” dome, securely wrapping in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

For the bottom crust, roll out 1 disk of pie dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Press the dough into a 9-inch-deep dish pie plate, leaving the excess to hang over the ends of the pie plate. Refrigerate until the filling is ready. (Wrap the second disk of pie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is made and cooled.)

Filling
1 whole eggplant, two small or 1 large
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, wedged
1 medium yellow squash, thickly sliced
2 medium zucchini, thickly sliced
1 T olive oil
2 medium onions, medium dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole bay leaf
16 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
8 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 handful fresh oregano, finely chopped

Remove the stem from the eggplant and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut slits in each half, being careful not to cut the skin. Place cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Cool and dice.

Sauté onion and garlic in oil for 15 to 20 minutes until soft, golden-brown with a slight sweetness, frequently adding tiny splashes of water to deglaze the pan. Add the peppers and sauté for about five minutes. Stir in squash, eggplant, and tomato wedges.

Add herbs to the eggplant mixture.

Place the ratatouille mixture inside the bottom pie crust and smooth it out to create a level surface for the lattice. Dot the top of the filling with a drizzle of olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Lattice Crust
Roll the second dough into a circle as above. The crust should be 1/4” thick. Using a scalloped pastry cutter or a pizza cutter (a knife will do in a pinch), cut dough into strips 3/4” apart. Feel free to use a ruler if you cut like me.

To weave, first moisten the edge of the pie with water using your finger. Lay the two longest strips in an X in the center of the pie. Alternating horizontal and vertical strips, use an over/under method. The shortest strips will be for the edges of the lattice. Trim any excess dough with kitchen shears and then crimp the edges decoratively. Brush the lattice lightly with the egg white mixture.

Arrange the pie crust strips in a lattice pattern over the vegetable filling. Trim both the ends of the lattice strips and the excess bottom crust to have a 1-inch overhang from the edge of the pie dish. Fold the excess under itself and gently press down to create a flat edge. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork, if desired.

If you don’t want to arrange a lattice top: Simply place the top crust, uncut, over the filling, trim and crimp the edges, and cut 5 to 6 vents in the center of the crust so steam can escape. Alternatively, use a cookie-cutter to cut shapes out of the dough and arrange the shapes on top of the pie.

Egg Wash
In a small bowl, beat one egg white with 1 tsp of water. Brush the lattice topping and crust with the egg wash.

Bake
Place a sheet tray in the oven while it is preheating. [Baking the pie on the sheet tray can help crisp the bottom crust]. This is a great trick if you’re worried about a soggy bottom or if you are using a ceramic pie dish that can insulate the dough from high heat and not crisp as well.

Cover your pie with a pie shield. Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the vegetables are tender.

Place the pie on a cooling rack and cool for at least an hour before slicing.

If the lattice topping starts to brown too much, tent the whole pie with a sheet of foil.

Recipe Adapted from Preppy Kitchen