Gluten-free chestnut, mushroom and parsnip pie

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes
Not yet rated

This gluten-free vegetarian pie recipe is the perfect make-ahead dish for parties or lunch during the colder months. Filled with a seasonal combination of parsnips, chestnuts, roasted nuts and mushrooms, it's encased in a pastry made in a similar way to hot water crust pies.

First published in 2019

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

For the filling

For the pastry

  • 125ml of water
  • 55g of unsalted butter, cubed
  • 55g of vegetable fat, cubed (Howard uses Trex)
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten (save the yolk for glazing the pie)
  • 250g of Freee by Doves Farm Gluten Free White Bread Flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Method

1
To make the filling, heat the oil in a large shallow pan and gently fry the onion until soft
2
Add the mushrooms, butter and garlic and cook gently until the mushrooms are softened but still have a little bite
3
Take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chestnuts, roasted nuts and herbs
4
Stir in the mashed parsnip, oats, cheese, salt and pepper and beaten egg, then set aside while you make the pastry
5
To make the pastry, heat the water, butter and vegetable fat in a small pan until the fats have melted and the water is bubbling
6
Whisk in the beaten egg white, then pour into a bowl containing the flour and salt
7
Stir quickly with a wooden spoon, then bring it into a ball with your hand
8
Line a 15cm solid-bottomed cake tin with about two-thirds of the pastry. It’s a tricky pastry to roll so probably the easiest way to do this is to press clumps or patches of the dough against the base and side of the tin, flattening it by hand until it’s about 5mm thick all over
9
Fill the pastry case with half of the pie filling, then arrange the sundried tomatoes on top and finish filling with the rest of the mixture
10
Roll out the rest of the pastry and cover the top of the pie. Don’t worry if the pastry cracks – just press it back together. Use any pastry scraps to make decorations for the top. The pastry will roll into thin sausages that you can use to edge the rim of the pie, then press with a fork to give a crimped effect
11
Use a small pastry cutter to cut a steam hole in the centre, then brush with beaten egg yolk
12
Chill the pie while you preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6
13
Bake on a baking tray (preferably one with a lip as the pie can spatter fat over the rim) for about 1 hour until golden and firm on top and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. (Don’t be alarmed if the pie looks as if it’s essentially frying in fat during baking – it keeps the pastry tender and stops it drying out too much.)
14
Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin, then finish cooling on a wire rack. Refrigerate when cold

Howard is a food writer and presenter from Sheffield, who first caught the public’s attention on series four of The Great British Bake Off, going on to win their affection with his quirky style and love of unusual ingredients.

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