Vegetarian ale and mushroom pie recipe

by Vegetarian Society | 1 comment | Print recipe

The Veg Soc has found "Ale Pie" - expect boozy mushrooms and spring onions - to be especially popular in Northumbria and Lincolnshire. Serve with champ for an extra flourish. To make it vegan, pick vegan margarine, vegan ale, and unsweetened soya milk.

At a glance

Cuisine Vegetarian
Recipe Type Main
Difficulty Easy
Preparation time 10 mins
Cooking time 30 mins
Serves 4 people

Ingredients

100 g (3.5oz) margarine
2 large bunches spring onions
550 g (19.4oz) small chestnut mushrooms
1 tbsp cornflour
0.5 tsp marmite
350 ml (12.3fl oz) light vegetarian ale
210 g (7.4oz) ready rolled puff pastry
800 g (28.2oz) floury potatoes, peeled
100 ml (3.5fl oz) milk

Step-by-step

Melt 50g of margarine in a large non-stick frying pan. Chop the bottom 7cm part of the spring onions roughly and sauté briefly. Save the tops as you will need them later.
Cut the mushrooms into 5mm slices and add into the pan. Continue to sauté for 5 minutes until starting to colour, stirring to prevent sticking.
Take off the heat and sprinkle the cornflour over. Once back on the hob add the Marmite and 300ml of ale. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften. Use more ale if the mixture seems too dry.
Divide the mixture into 4 small soufflé/ceramic pie dishes. Cut out 4 circles of the pastry and place on top, leaving some room to rise. Brush with soya milk and make a small hole in the top to let the steam escape. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
Cut the potatoes into large chunks and boil until soft but not falling apart. Drain and empty back into the pan to dry slightly. Add the remaining 50g margarine and mash very well. Finely chop the remaining green part of the spring onions and add, with enough milk, to make a smooth mash.

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