This delicious vegetarian pie recipe was created by Simon Rimmer for the BBC show Something for the Weekend.
I originally came across this recipe when I was searching for a vegetarian pie option to serve my dad during a family visit, as I was making a chicken and leek pie for the rest of us and didn’t want him to feel left out. As it turned out, this recipe was so tasty that the chicken pie was left largely uneaten, and my dad had to fend off people trying to steal his lunch. Since then, this has been a go-to recipe for when I’m feeding a crowd.
It’s certainly not one for people who dislike strong flavours, and obviously not for people who dislike blue cheese! Reading the recipe, a couple of ingredients might strike you as distinctly unusual for a pie, namely green peppercorns and soy sauce. Bear with it though; these substitutes for traditional salt and pepper are what make it such a standout dish. The soy sauce adds a dark richness to the dish, and the peppercorns add a spicy sharpness which works in perfect contrast to the mushrooms and Stilton. Don’t be tempted to season using salt and black pepper as well, no matter how unnatural it might seem – it would be too much of a good thing.
I’ve made a few alterations to the recipe in the years that I’ve been making it:
- I use puff pastry as a topping instead of the shortcrust in the original recipe, largely because I like it better. I’m a bit lazy when it comes to pastry-making, so I almost always use shop-bought ready-to-roll puff pastry. Obviously it’s up to you what pastry you use – I think it could work equally well with puff, shortcrust or filo.
- I always make this pie in one large dish rather than as individual portions. For one thing, it’s easier, and for another, there’s something wonderfully comforting about setting a big homemade pie down in the middle of a table and having everyone help themselves.
- I’ve recently started grinding the green peppercorns using a pestle and mortar before adding them to pan, as I found that leaving them whole wasn’t to everyone’s taste. Grinding them creates a more even flavour distribution and a smoother consistency, although it does remove some of the excitement of biting into a whole peppercorn!
Rosefood 