Fireworks Pie
Info
This Fireworks Pie is a comfort food winner and an all vegan showstopper packed with delicious organic ingredients. Give this recipe a go if you need to feed a crowd a hearty meal.
Ingredients
200g Vegan Cheese
Soya milk for brushing the pastry
For the Pastry:600g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
200g vegetable shortening
Up to 250ml ice cold water
For the Sweet Potatoes:3 Sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cleaned
Gratings of fresh nutmeg
For the Beets:5 medium beetroots , peeled and cut into cubes
2 sprigs of fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves picked
Salt & pepper
For the Parsnips:4 parsnips, peeled and cut into little fingers
a couple of sprigs of fresh sage, leaves picked
zest of 1 unwaxed orange
1 tablespoon Biona Organic Agave
For the Leeks:2 good-sized leeks, washed, trimmed and sliced
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
For the Greens:2 heads of winter greens, stalks removed, roughly shredded
grated zest and juice of 1⁄2 an unwaxed lemon
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Method
- First make the pastry. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add the chopped thyme. Cut the shortening into small bits and rub these into the dry ingredients until you have a breadcrumb-like mix. Add the water and knead to a smooth dough, but don’t overwork it. You could also use a food processor: pulse to breadcrumbs, then add the water and pulse until it just comes together. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill in the fridge while you get on with everything else.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.
- Roast the sweet potatoes for 1 hour until soft. Meanwhile, prepare the beets and parsnips.
- Pop the beets into a roasting tin, with a splash of olive oil and the vinegar, add the marjoram or oregano, and season. Cover with foil and roast alongside the sweet potatoes for 1 hour, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes.
- Put the parsnips into a roasting dish with the sage, orange zest, honey and a drizzle of olive oil, mix to coat, then cover with foil. Roast with the other veg for 45 minutes, until golden, removing the foil for the last 5–10 minutes. When all the veg are cooked, remove from the oven and turn the temperature down to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
- Meanwhile, cook the leeks. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the leeks and thyme and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, until sweet and softened, then set aside.
- Add a little more olive oil to the pan, add the greens and cook over a low heat for a few minutes, until just wilted. Season, then add the lemon zest and chilli. Set aside.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and mash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a good grating of nutmeg. Adjust the seasoning for all the vegetable mixtures, if needed.
- Take your pastry from the fridge and let it sit for a few minutes. Then roll it out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and use it to line a 20cm springform cake tin, leaving the excess hanging over the edges.
- Now it’s time to start layering the pie. Start with all the leeks, then a grating of vegan cheese, then the beets, the greens, and another layer of vegan cheese, then the parsnips and finally the sweet potato mash.
- Finish by bringing the excess pastry over the top of the mash, twisting the ends and laying them on the mash in a haphazard fashion – the little rough bits of pastry will crisp up and look beautiful. The pastry may not cover the whole of the top, but a little vivid orange sweet potato poking through is ok. Brush with the soya milk.
- Bake the pie at the bottom of the oven for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool for 15–20 minutes, then remove from the cake tin and place in the middle of the table. Serve with a homemade vegetable gravy.
