This tart uses lentils instead of pastry for the cases and has a filling of mushrooms, silken tofu and optional tangy feta cheese. Make as one large tart for a centre piece or smaller individual ones.
Testers and Tasters Feedback:
“Really delicious Spinach and Mushroom Pie - lots of very positive feedback from all.”
“I swapped pine nuts for the hazelnuts in the topping - I think pine nuts and spinach go really well together.”
“It tasted delicious.”
“The pie was absolutely super. I added bits of left-over cheese such as stilton, cheddar, halloumi. What flavours!”
“Today I made the Mushroom and Spinach Pie with Lentil Pastry and the Ginger cake. My son was over so we sat down together and had them for dinner. I served the pie with roasted vegetables.
… The pastry was a revelation, and I can see it working with both savoury and sweet dishes. I used walnuts on the pie, as I didn’t have any hazelnuts.”.
Photo:
Alison Beck, Tester and Taster
Serves 6-8
Plants: 13-15
Preparation: 24hrs to soak the lentils plus 45 -60 minutes
Cooking:40-60 mins
GF Option NF Option DF Option
Swaps
GF: replace the barley with quinoa flakes or gluten free oats.
NF: replace the nuts with mixed seeds.
DF: use vegan options
Vegetables: in the summer this would work well with peppers and courgettes. In winter other vegetables such as squash, cooked kale, leeks etc.
Herbs: for different flavours of your choice eg rosemary, sage etc.
Nuts: swap for pine nuts or other nuts of your choice.
Miso: Nutritional yeast or mushroom powder.
Freezing
The lentil pastry will freeze well.
Dish
The dish needs to be a deep 24cm pie dish.
Ingredients
Lentil Pastry
250g lentils, red lentils
400ml water (for soaking the lentils overnight only, the water is not used in the pastry)
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil
2 tbsp psyllium husk or ground chia seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Pie topping
50g hazelnuts
50g flaked barley
50g feta, or other cheese of your choice, or vegan alternative
1tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil
Mixed herbs of your choice
Pie Filling
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil
350g of mushrooms mixed oyster and chestnut or other single or mixed variety of your choice chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic
500g washed baby spinach
300g silken tofu
3 medium eggs
150g feta or other cheese of your choice
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 Bay leaves
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp gluten free miso or soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Lentil Pastry this can be done 1-2 days in advance
Soak the lentils in the 400ml of water for at least 4-24 hours.
Making the Pastry:
Oil the pie tin well.
Heat the oven to 190C, 170C fan, 375F or gas 5
Once the lentils are soaked drain and rinse in clean water. Remove as much water as possible.
Mash the lentils with the EVOO in a food processor, with a stick blender or masher until they stick together.
Add, salt, pepper, mixed herbs, caraway seeds and psyllium husk and blend again.
Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
Gently spread the mixture to cover your chosen pie tin/dish. The mixture should be just 3-4mm thick. If there is any left-over it will freeze to use another time. The mixture can be quite sticky using the back of a spoon to cover the dish helps.
Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the pastry is firm.
Alison Beck, Tester and Taster
Method
Filling
Put the EVOO in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the chopped cleaned mushrooms for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and herbs and cook for a further minute. Try not to let the mixture go dry. The mushroom juices help to enhance the flavour.
Add the spinach and put a lid on the dish and cook until the spinach has wilted.
Blend the egg feta/cheese if using and silken tofu together
Add to the cooked mushrooms and spinach mixture to the egg/egg replacement mixture, stir together well.
Taste and add salt and pepper, gluten free miso/soy sauce, more herbs or other seasoning to your taste.
Note
The Pie Filling flavours will enhance if mixed a day in advance.
Chris Whiteside, Tester and Taster
Method
Pie topping
This can also be done in advance and will keep in the fridge for a few days
Crush the hazelnuts, or alternative, into small but not ground chunks.
Mix the hazelnuts, with the remaining feta, or vegan cheese, the flaked barley, EVOO and herbs, and mix well together.
Add more seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.
Assembling the Pie
Heat the oven to200C, 180C fan, 400F, gas 6
Pour the pie filling into your cooked lentil pastry leaving a few centimetres at the top to allow the pie to rise a little and for the crunchy topping.
Sprinkle the nut, barley and cheese topping over the top.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, turn the oven off and leave for a further 10-20 minutes.
Make sure the pie filling is firm if it still feels soft return to the oven and leave until cooked or leave in the oven switched off to finish cooking.
Jacqui Hardy, Tester and Taster
Comments