Mushroom, potato & watercress pie
There’s nothing like a hearty pie when it’s cold outside and this vegan option will warm the cockles of the chilliest heart.
Ingredients
500 g block shortcrust pastry suitable for vegans - we used Jus-Rol
250 g flat mushrooms or Portobello mushrooms thickly sliced
100 g button mushrooms quartered
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot diced
2 leeks washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tsps dried thyme
1 x 85g bag watercress
2 large potatoes cut into chunks (skins can be left on or not as preferred)
4 tbsp rapeseed or other vegetable oil
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 tsp yeast extract heaped
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps vegan Worcestershire sauce optional
2 tbsp plain flour or cornflour
300 ml hot water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the potatoes into a pan of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and set aside.
Heat the rapeseed oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan or wok. Add in the onions and carrots along with a good pinch of salt and fry for five minutes. Then add the leeks and mushrooms and continue to cook for a further 6-8 minutes, or until all the veg is soft. While the veg cooks combine the vegetable stock, water, soy sauce, yeast extract and Worcestershire sauce (if using) in a jug. Whisk to ensure that the veg stock is dissolved.
Stir the plain flour, garlic and thyme into the vegetable mix and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, then stir in enough of the liquid so that a thick sauce is created. Bring to a simmer then stir in the watercress and remove from the heat. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper as needed. Pour into a large pie dish.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry to roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Cover the pie dish completely with the pastry then trim carefully. Crimp the edges with a fork and make a few small cuts in the centre to allow steam to escape while cooking.
Place the pie into the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.