Rosemary roasted mushroom and caramelised onion pie

I’m so glad we’re finally coming up to pie season. It seems like a long summer without pie but now the evenings are starting to draw in and, despite the current Indian summer we seem to be experiencing, there’s enough of a chill in the evening air to call for pie. So I thought a nice, hearty and very simple vegetarian classic was in order.

This is my favourite go-to veggie pie. It’s dark and rich with a red wine reduction gravy and the promise of colder more autumnal flavours. But to be honest, any vegetables you have in the fridge will work. I’ve also used a super-easy and quick flaky butter pastry which obviously has the power to heal all ailments and restore body and soul.

METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Start with the pastry by placing the flour and butter into a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips – you want it to be well rubbed in but still with large pieces of butter rather than breadcrumbs.

Add the water and bring together into a ball of dough, flatten out, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until completely cold.

Whilst you’re waiting for the pastry to chill, place your mushrooms into an oven-proof dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season well and sprinkle with plenty of fresh rosemary and thyme. Cover in foil and roast for 20 minutes until tender, then remove the foil and roast for a further 10 minutes until they begin to turn golden – set aside.

Now the pastry is ready for it’s first roll. Flour your rolling surface generously and then roll out the pastry nice and thin. Then gate-fold the pastry together (fold the top half over towards the centre and the bottom half over to the top) then roll flat, wrap and refrigerate once again until very cold.

Meanwhile, heat some oil and butter in a pan and very gently sauté the onions with a dash of sugar until they begin to caramelise – this can take up to 30 minutes. Then turn up the heat, add the wine and let it bubble away and reduce by half. Add the stock and do the same.

Time to take the pastry out of the fridge and repeat the roll out and fold, pop it back into the fridge for the last time.

Take the mushrooms out of the oven and stir them into the onions along with a large handful of frozen peas and then pour the whole lot into your pie dish.

Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out. (We like our pastry nice and thick in Belleau Cottage; you have to cook it for longer and slower but it’s so beautifully buttery it really doesn’t matter.) Using an egg and milk wash, brush the edges of the pie dish, then cut some pastry strips and fold them along the edges of the pie dish. Brush these strips with the egg wash and lay the main sheet of pastry over the top, brush with milk and score your pastry.

Bake for 30 minutes on 170C until golden.

Eat and of course, enjoy!

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