Chestnut Mushroom and Spinach Comfort Pie

We've always had a traditional Sunday lunch. It's how I was brought  up. One of the biggest signs that we had made a family switch to our 2018 goals was that we would have our first Vegetarian Sunday Lunch.

I wanted it to be in keeping with our usual kind of traditional heavy lunch and so a pie was a perfect compromise. After all, if there's pastry, there' joy.

This pie turned out really unctuous and comforting. The creamy sauce was soothing and it worked great with traditional veg; mashed swede sprouts, peas and carrots.


COST: £ (approx £8 per dish / £1.33 per person)
LEVEL: MEDIUM EFFORT
VEGETARIAN
SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 punnet of Chestnut mushrooms
• 1 medium white onion
• 2tbsp of white plain flour
• 1 large tbsp of butter
• 1pint of double cream
• 1/2 pint of milk
• 1 dried pack of porcini mushrooms
• 1 large bag of spinach
• 2 garlic gloves
• 1tsp of nutmeg
• Shop purchased ready rolled flakey pastry

METHOD

 

1) Wilt down the spinach in a frying pan. Place in a sieve and leave to sit for about 5-10 minutes 

2) Soak the porcini in warm water for approximately 15 minutes. Drain but keep the liquid. 

2) In a frying pan, add butter and crushed garlic, add sliced mushrooms and rehydrated porcini and cook until golden, remove and place in a bowl. 

3) In the same frying pan, add the chopped onions and fry until translucent. Add the butter and the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until it's a smooth paste and then add the milk a little at a time, stirring as you go to make a white sauce. Add the cream. (Add more or less milk as required to make a thick white sauce and add a couple of spoons of the porcini mushroom liquid to add depth / stock. 

4) Add the spinach having given it a little squeeze before hand to the creamy sauce. Add the mushrooms and gently stir until mixed. 

5) Place in a pie dish and cover with the rolled out flakey pastry, ensuring that you have put a good split in the pastry to let the steam out and avoid it going soggy. 

6) Cook until the pastry is golden brown -- approximately 25 minutes at 180c.