Do you know that feeling of having found the recipe that suits you and every occasion is a good one to repeat it? Well, this rustic bell pepper pie is one of those recipes for me. 😊

All the credit goes to this recipe by Milena which I liked so much from the start, so much that it inspired me to create seeded fool’s dough. This dough then became my favorite for quiches, savory pies, and pastries, and I often use it to make crackers. And also for sweet recipes (like this one).

For a whole year now, I’ve been continuously repeating recipes made with this seeded dough, and I’ve made this rustic bell pepper pie countless times, each time tweaking it a little. The version I’m telling you about today is the most recent and therefore… let’s say it has passed the test. 😃

Despite the necessary differences between the various versions I’ve tried, there are three things that never change: the seeded fool’s dough (but maybe you had already guessed that, huh?), the layer of ricotta, and the bell peppers. Sometimes I’ve used precooked bell peppers (in the microwave), sometimes I’ve used onions but not always, sometimes I’ve added other vegetables, like thinly sliced carrots; on one occasion, I added some capers, and I also tried without breadcrumbs on the surface, but usually, I prefer it with.

This version includes bell pepper and leek + breadcrumbs. Few ingredients, no fats, and as often happens when I decide to make a rustic pie… once again, it saved dinner. 😊

With this rustic bell pepper and leek pie, I participate in today’s release of the Light and Tasty column, today dedicated to lean recipes, suitable – since the beginning of Lent is imminent – for the Lenten fast.

I chose it because it’s a minimalistic recipe, with few ingredients, and valid as a single dish.

Thus, it fulfills the precept (the Lenten fast is not understood in the sense we usually attribute to the verb fasting – that is, simply, not eating – but consists in abstaining from meat and expensive and refined foods, limited to certain days). When I was a child, adherence to this simple rule was certainly more felt and respected than it is now. But for those of us who are over forty, abstaining from meat on Fridays and preferring simple foods remains a habit that comes naturally to us, at least it does for me.

But the truth is, in my home, eating lean and vegetarian is neither an occasional nor a strenuous practice, and so perhaps… erm, do you think I should compensate with a more rigorous fast? Oops! 😅😇

Well, for those who would like to abstain from even using the seeds in the dough… here are my other two brisées (one with oil and one with butter) + the tartlets recipe, where the dough is in whole-wheat version: