Ale and Puff Pastry Pie

From New Vegetarian Society in The Meat Free Monday Cookbook, Kyle Books, 2011.

To me, a pie has a pastry case bottom and top. These pies only had pastry tops. While they are called pies they just don’t figure properly in my mind as pies. I have no name for them but ‘pies’ is not it.

The recipe called for two bunches of spring onions to be chopped. I used a shallot. This was fried in olive oil until soft, when chopped mushrooms were added to the frying pan. When they were cooked they were taken from the heat and a tablespoon of cornflour was sprinkled on top. The mixture was returned to the heat. A teaspoon of vegemite was added as well as about a cup and a half of pale ale. This was cooked until it had thickened.

The mixture was then placed in small casserole dishes and a puff pastry lid placed on. It was brushed with milk and a hole cut in the middle for steam to escape. It was then baked at 200°C until the pastry was done.

Not being a great fan of ales I found the flavour of the drink somewhat overpowering for the mushrooms. However it was a reasonable pie—if pie it was.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔