Vegetarian mains
Celeriac, kale & mushroom pie
This winter warmer gives the heartiest of meat stews a run for its money. Cooking the component parts may seem a bit fiddly but it ensures each ingredient retains its perfect flavour and texture. We’ve suggested some additions to the filling below but go easy with them – the veg is more than enough to carry the show.
Cook's notes
Variations Make it festive by adding a handful of chopped pre-cooked chestnuts. Add diced and fried streaky bacon.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp light olive or vegetable oil
- 1 large celeriac (about 1kg), peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 60g butter
- 2 large red onions, roughly sliced
- 500g flat mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 glass of red wine
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 150g cavolo nero (black kale), leaves stripped from their stalks and washed
- 100ml double cream
- ¼ whole nutmeg, finely grated
- 1 x 300g ready-rolled sheet all-butter puff or flaky pastry
- beaten egg, for brushing
- salt and black pepper
Method
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Step 1
Turn the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a pan. Add the celeriac it will hiss and spit for a few seconds. Keep it moving so doesn't catch or burn and after a few minutes add 50ml of water, half the butter, 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar and a good pinch of salt. Give it a good stir, cover with a tight fitting lid and drop to a medium heat.
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Step 2
Keep checking every 5 minutes adding a dash more water if it looks like it may be catching on the bottom. You want it to cook through so the edges become soft and the middle retains a toothsome bite, this should take about 20 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes to evaporate any excess liquid. Season to taste.
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Step 3
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a frying pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil and fry the onion on a medium heat until starting to soften, about 10 minutes.Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they start to release their moisture. Pour in the wine, add the chopped garlic and let the liquid bubble and reduce until you have a dark, sticky mess. Season with salt and pepper.
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Step 4
While the mushrooms cook, blanch the kale in salted water in two batches for 1½ minutes each. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge straight into ice cold water to stop the cooking and fix the colour. When cool, squeeze out the water and roughly chop. Combine all the component parts in a large bowl.
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Step 5
Pour in the cream, grate in the nutmeg, mix gently and check the seasoning. Pack the mixture snugly into a shallow pie dish. Cut out the pastry to the size of the rim of your dish and place it over the top of the filling, tucking it around the sides. Brush with the egg and slash a couple of holes in it for the steam to escape. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling around the edges.