Vegan Holiday Pie
Well, it’s that time of the year!
One of the problems with being vegetarian or vegan is that the turkey no longer becomes the centrepiece of the meal. You remove that from the equation, and what do you replace it with?? You want it to be something showstopping, but obviously not meat.
There are loads of ideas online, from seitan shaped like a turkey, to a “Vegduckin” (like a turduckin, but done with squashes), to varieties of wellingtons.
This year, I’m going with a pie. But not just any pie. This is definitely a showstopper of three layers. The bottom layer is the protein layer, made with lentils and nuts and aromatics. The second layer is your mashed potatoes/yams, and the third layer is your greens. So basically, it’s an entire Christmas dinner all in one tasty package, enrobed with puff pastry and then served with gravy on the side.
Trust me when I say, you will not be disappointed by this bad boy (and boy, is it bad, it weighs a ton!). It’s filling and it looks pretty impressive coming out of the oven.
When it comes to gravy, you can either make your own, or go with store-bought. Boosh has just released a very tasty version just in time for the holiday season.
So, go easy on yourself, and buy the puff pastry and buy the gravy ready-made (Boosh just launched one, how convenient!) and then you just have to prep the layers in advance. By the way, you could easily make this the day before Christmas, or even a couple days before, then just leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it to golden perfection.
Then pull it out of the oven, put it on a plate, dress it up with some pretty greens and get all the compliments!
Vegan Holiday Pie
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen vegan puff pastry
For the "meat" base
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped crimini mushrooms
- 1 cup canned lentils (puy)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
For the mashed layer
- 3 potatoes or sweet potatoes, or a mix of both
- 2 tbps vegan butter
- 2 tbsp vegan milk substitute choose a neutral one without flavour. I like oat.
- salt and pepper to taste
For the spinach layer
- 1 package frozen spinach thawed and drained
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup vegan milk
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and allow to thaw so that you can work with it.
Make the base "meat" layer
- Slice the leek in half, all the way down, and fan it out under a running tap to get out any grit. Slice the white parts only into half-moons, discarding the green parts.
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the leeks to it, season them, and sautee for about 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, stir well to coat and cook down for another 5-10 minutes.
- Add the lentils, then the spices, and stir well to combine.
- Now add the tomato paste and the water, and allow to simmer until the mixture has thickened and the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add the nuts and pulse to combine, until it resembles a grainy sausage texture. Taste and add seasoning. Set aside to cool.
To make the mash layer
- Fill a large pot with water and season generously with salt.
- Peel and chop the yams/potatoes into 1-2" dice and place in the water.
- Turn the heat on high and bring up to the boil.
- Once boiling, turn down the heat to a medium simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Drain. Place the vegan butter and the vegan milk in the pot over low heat, and allow to melt. Add the potatoes back in and then mash everything together.
- Set aside to cool.
To make the creamed spinach layer
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Add the garlic and stir till fragrant.
- Add the flour and stir well and cook it out for a couple of minutes.
- Now add the milk and allow it to form a sauce.
- Add the spinach and allow it to get all coated with the sauce and to heat up.
- Finally, add the nutmeg and also taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Set aside to cool.
To assemble:
- Lay out your puff pastry on the work surface. Using a cake tin, trace a circle on the puff pastry, about 8" in diameter, and cut the circle out with a sharp paring knife.
- Pile the bottom "meat" layer onto the circle, and pat it into an even layer. Layer on the potato layer and do the same. Finally, repeat with the last, spinach layer.
- Take the remaining puff pastry and drape it over the the layers, and pinch it together with the bottom layer of puff pastry to seal. Trim the excess. You can cut out some pretty shapes with the remnants if you like. Brush the whole thing with olive oil.
- Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Remove from oven and serve. Cut into slices and serve with warmed gravy on the side.