Emma's Autumn Recipe: Chickpea & Mushroom Vegan Pie

Autumn is officially here and this comforting chickpea & mushroom vegan pie recipe is perfect for the chillier evenings. These mini pies are meat & dairy free and they pack a punch when it comes to flavour with a kick of chilli and meaty miso mushrooms. I’ve also added other hearty vegetables such as kale and carrot for some extra nutrition and chickpeas to add a bite too. The recipe is inspired from one of my favourite vegan cooks, Aine Carlin, and it’s from one of her books ‘The New Vegan’. Her books are a great go-to when you’re looking for delicious meals that people at any cooking level can create. Carlin tends to use ingredients that you’ll more than likely already have in your cupboards which is a bonus too. I would recommend making these for a Sunday lunch or week night dinner. This recipe makes enough for you to have leftovers the next day (so no cooking the following evening!). You can opt to have sides such as green beans or if you have pie dishes big enough, they’re actually perfect on their own. I used the classic enamel dishes for these pies, which are great because you can just eat straight from them, they’re deep enough to hold plenty of filling, and as the recipe uses puff pastry, there’s no worries of a ‘soggy bottom’!

Emma's Miso Chickpea & Mushroom Vegan Pie

Serves 4 (generously)

Ingredients

• 300g mushrooms
• 3 celery sticks
• 2 medium onions
• 2 small carrots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp mixed herbs (eg herbs de provence)
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 4 tsp miso paste
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• A large handful of kale leaves
• 1 large potato (optional)
• 1 tin of chickpeas
• 1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry
• 1 tbsp plant milk

Method

1. Take out the puff pastry from the fridge and leave on the side at room temperature. Prepare your vegetables: Peel the potato and dice it along with the onions. Quarter your mushrooms. Thinly slice the celery and garlic. Chop the carrot into small pieces and shred the kale. Drain the chickpeas. 2. In a large saucepan over a high heat, add the onion & celery then cover with the lid. Let them sweat until they’re soft (around 4 minutes). Stir, then add the garlic, if it’s sticking add a little water, place the lid back on until you start to smell the garlic (around 2 minutes). Season with freshly ground pepper. 3. Add the potato & mushrooms then stir & cover with the lid. Let them cook until the mushroom juices start to bubble (around 4-5 minutes). Then stir in the red wine vinegar and let the vinegar evaporate slightly for around 2 minutes. Season with freshly ground pepper. 4. Stir through your herbs & chilli flakes then cover and let the flavours infuse four a couple of minutes. Pour in your chickpeas along with the kale and carrots, crumble the stock cubes and add the miso paste. Cover with water, stir thoroughly and place the lid on and let it simmer for 30 mins until the potato is soft. *You might need to transfer half of your vegetables & stock into another saucepan if yours isn’t big enough - the water needs to cover the vegetables. 5. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 200 C and cut out the pastry tops for your pies. I placed the pie bowl upside down onto the sheet of pastry and cut around to create the circular tops. 6. Once the potato is cooked through, whisk in the flour to thicken up your sauce, simmer for a few more minutes before transferring your filling into your dishes. Place the pastry lids on, and lightly press down the edges of the pastry onto the rim of the bowl with your fingers. Then, using a fork, lightly indent the edges to secure the lid. 7. Make a few holes in the lid with your fork then brush some plant milk over the top to help brown the pastry. Place on a baking tray in the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes until the tops have risen and are golden brown. What is your favourite pie recipe? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @wearethought! If you loved Emma's Chickpea & Mushroom Vegan Pie recipe, you might also love our vegan Rhubarb & Ginger Muffins!