Mushroom, Ale and Lentil Pie

Name: Mushroom, Ale and Lentil Pie
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 1 Tin Borlotti Beans, or cannellini. No need to drain; 400g Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced; 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil, or olive oil; 1 tsp Marmite, or any yeast extract; 2 tsp Fresh Thyme, or dried; 1 Tin Green Lentils, no need to drain; 320g Shop Bought Puff Pastry, trimmed to fit your baking dish; 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 1 head Broccoli, cut into florets; 250 ml Ale; 2 Onions; 2 tbsp Soy Milk, or any milk, for glazing

by Fliss Freeborn

Vegan

Dairy Free

4.0

10m prep time

50m total time

Medium level

12 ingredients

Mushroom, Ale and Lentil Pie recipe by Fliss Freeborn

When I first put this down in front of my Scottish Man, he took a bite, then exclaimed immediately how rich it was – which, for the avoidance of any doubt, is a good thing in our house. I then told him it was vegan, and he couldn’t quite believe it. Having served this to real vegans on multiple occasions since they echo his sentiment every time. These exclamations of disbelief are because this pie rivals its non-vegan counterparts for the presence of a flavour called ‘umami’, which is a mouth-filling, juicy savouriness. Umami is a phenomenon studied and named fairly recently by Japanese scientists, and it’s defined by a high level of a molecule called glutamate. Yes, that’s the same one as in monosodium glutamate, otherwise known as MSG. Alongside anchovies and soy sauce, vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, aubergines and mushrooms all hit that famed G-spot (no, not that one), so use them where you can to add depth to meat-free dishes. This pie swings on mushrooms and onions as its main sources of umami, plus soy sauce and yeast extract as extra boosters.

Method

Based on 3 servings, adjust as needed.

Step 1

As usual, start by chopping your onion(s) into rough dice and frying them gently in a frying pan with oil and a little pinch of salt. While they’re doing their thing, chop the mushrooms into roughly 1cm dice – you don’t want them in slices or big chunks for this. When the onions are translucent, remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate, then add the mushrooms to the pan, along with another splash of oil and the thyme (if you’re using fresh thyme, strip the leaves and finely chop them, discarding the stalks). You’re aiming to cook most of the water out so you end up with some browning on the edges of your ’shrooms. After around 10 minutes, or when the mushrooms have some colour on them and the liquid has more or less evaporated, add the cooked onions, the soy sauce and some freshly ground black pepper.

Step 2

Next, add the beer to the pan, then tip in the tin of lentils, followed by the beans – don’t bother draining either of them, as the bean-water works well as a thickener. Stir in the yeast extract, then bubble everything on a medium heat for about 10–15 minutes until the alcohol is evaporated and the beer has lost its bitterness. The sauce should thicken up of its own accord here, but if it’s looking decided runny after 15 minutes of cooking, then make a paste with a teaspoon of flour mixed with a tablespoon of water, then cook that into the sauce for a further 5 minutes.

Step 3

While this is happening, preheat the oven to 210°C and trim the pastry to roughly cover the top of your pie dish.

Step 4

When you’re suitably impressed with the seasoning and texture of your pie filling, scoop it into your dish and pop the pastry lid on top. I’ve found that tucking the puff pastry down the sides of the filling (as in, inside the dish) makes for the easiest, most presentable way of doing things, but if you want to be a bit more artsy and do some crimping or designs around the edge of the dish, then be my guest. Make a slash in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam from the filling to escape, then glaze with a little soy milk, if you like.

Step 5

Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or so, or until it’s puffed up, golden and completely irresistible. Serve with steamed broccoli that’s wearing some olive oil and lemon juice, if you like.

Ingredients
Based on 3 servings

1 Tin Borlotti Beans, or cannellini. No need to drain 1 x Sainsbury's Borlotti Beans In Water 400g (235g*)
400g Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced 1 x Sainsbury's Closed Cup White Mushrooms 500g
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil, or olive oil 1 x Sainsbury's Vegetable Oil 1L
1 tsp Marmite, or any yeast extract 1 x Marmite Classic Yeast Extract Spread 125g
2 tsp Fresh Thyme, or dried 1 x Sainsbury's Bunched Thyme 20g
1 Tin Green Lentils, no need to drain 1 x Sainsbury's Green Lentils In Water 400g (265g*)
320g Shop Bought Puff Pastry, trimmed to fit your baking dish 1 x Sainsbury's Sheet Puff Pastry x1 320g
2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce 1 x Sainsbury's Dark Soy Sauce 150ml
1 head Broccoli, cut into florets 1 x Sainsbury's Loose Broccoli
250 ml Ale 1 x Wainwright Golden Ale Beer Bottle 500ml
2 Onions 2 x Sainsbury's Onions Loose
2 tbsp Soy Milk, or any milk, for glazing 1 x Sainsbury's Unsweetened Long Life Soya Drink 1L