VEGAN SHEPHERDESS PIE
Serves 6 Cooks in 1h 30 m Difficulty medium
Ingredients:
- 1200 g Maris Piper potatoes
- 40 g dairy-free margarine
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots grated
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 sticks of celery
- olive oil
- ½ a bunch of fresh thyme
- 350 g chestnut mushrooms
- 12 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- vegan red wine
- 200 ml organic vegetable stock
- 1 x 400 g tin of lentils
- 1 x 400 g tin of chickpeas
- 5 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 lemon
- 30 g fresh breadcrumbs
Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C
- Peel and chop the potatoes into rough 2cm chunks and place into a large pan of cold salted water over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender.
- Drain and leave to steam dry, then return to the pan with the margarine and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Mash until smooth, then set aside.
- Peel and finely slice the onion, carrots and 2 garlic cloves, then trim and finely slice the celery.
- Add it all to a medium pan over a medium heat with a good splash of oil. Pick in the thyme leaves, then cook for around 10 minutes, or until softened.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, then add to the pan along with the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato oil from the jar.
- Cook for a further 10 minutes, then add a splash of wine, turn up the heat, and allow it to bubble away. Stir in the stock, lentils and chickpeas, then leave it to tick away for 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened and reduced.
- Pick and roughly chop the parsley leaves, then stir into the pan. Season to taste, then transfer to a baking dish (roughly 25cm x 30cm).
- Spread the mash over the top, scuffing it up with the back of a spoon.
- Finely slice the remaining garlic clove, then place into a bowl with the rosemary leaves, lemon zest, breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix well, sprinkle over the mash, then place in the hot oven for around 10 minutes, or until piping hot through.
- Place under the grill for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden, then serve with seasonal greens.
Recipe courtesy of Belinda at Swarthmoor Hall.
QCA member Liz McDermott road-tested this recipe at her Meeting’s shared lunch: it went down very well – tasty, and nice with a salad alongside