Week 3 - Mushroom and ale pie
Flaky, shortcrust pastry filled with a rich, mushroomy sauce (fresh and dried) - don't forget to decorate your pie!
Basic ingredients
2 types of mushrooms - whatever you can find (button/brown chestnuts/those big flat ones)
2 brown onions or some shallots
1 carrot
1 celery stick
Garlic (fresh/jarred)
Bottle of ale - your preference if light/dark ale (or stock instead)
Spices: fresh/dried thyme, smokey paprika, fresh/dried chilli
Pastry options
1. Buy ready made puff pastry (no one will judge)
2. Block of butter/margarine and some flour (plain/wholemeal)
Luxury ingredients (optional)
Dried porcini mushrooms
Tomato puree
Chestnuts (you can get vacuum packs of them)
Accompaniments: Potatoes, salad, veg - your choice (you'll prep this while the pie is cooking)
PREP
Sift 300g of flour into a bowl.
Rub in 150g of cold butter/margarine until you get a crumbly texture.
Add dried green herbs if you wish.
Slowly add cold water spoon by spoon and mix using a fork. When dough just about sticks together, squeeze into a ball, wrap in cling film and put in fridge. Don't kneed it.
COOK
Slowly saute onions, carrots and celery for 10-12 minutes.
Stir after each item: fresh chopped chilli, garlic, dried chilli, dry thyme.
Next, stir in chopped mushrooms, porcini mushrooms and chopped fresh thyme now. Pour in ale and enough water/stock to cover everything. You can add a handful of red lentils if you like. A squirt of tomato puree, some bay leaves and salt/pepper.
Get pastry out of fridge. Set oven to 200 normal/180 fan/gas mark 6. Put a tray in the oven.
Leave sauce simmering while you roll out pastry into dish (2/3 for the bottom and 1/3 for the top).
Don't forget to butter your pie tin before putting the pastry in!
Put rolled pastry back in fridge for 5 mins while you cool your sauce.
Fill pie with filling but leave most of the sauce on the hob to continue thickening while you cook pie. Use a fork to press the top pastry to the bottom pastry around the outside.
Make a few holes with your fork in the pie lid to release steam. Cook for 30mins or until it looks golden brown.
GARNISH
Leave to rest for 5 mins when you take out of the oven. Serve with the thickened sauce😋 and veggies or your choice.
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