Recipe Tempeh, Leek and Mushroom Pie

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

My husband and I happen to love leeks, mushrooms and pies... and with the current recipe challenge being turkey/chicken/meat free substitute, I thought I would add a 'something, leek and mushroom pie to the mix.

I have a really nice cauliflower tomato sauce that would work really well with leeks and mushrooms. Add in some protein to the mix in the form of tofu or seiten/tempeh and we have the makings of a pie.

Now some argue that a pie is not a pie unless it is enclosed in pastry, others are happy with just a lid on it. I am in the latter group when it comes to pies with a nice 'gravy' style sauce. And to be honest, I really don't care. So here is my take on a Tempeh or Braised Tofu, Leek and Mushroom Pie.

Now I will be honest, for those who do not enjoy cooking or are new to it, they might find this list of ingredients daunting especially for the sauce. But it is amazingly simply to make, full of flavour and well worth the effort. I usually make up much more and freeze the extra so that I can simply defrost a batch when I want it making life a lot easier.

Now this recipe uses cauliflower. If you are using cauliflower florets in anything else that week, keep the stalk and the stem. You don't want the tough part of the stem, but the soft stuff that chops easily is ideal for this recipe. You don't need to waste it. The stem and stalk are perfectly edible. In fact they have far more nutrients in them than the florets do alone!

Finally, if you can get your hands on Marigold Braised Tofu, I highly recommend it, otherwise the dish is best made with tempeh rather than tofu which can be rather bland unless marinated first.

Ingredients
Sauce

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 decent knob of ginger about 1 inch long and nice and wide, chopped
• 2 or 3 whole cloves
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (omit if not available).
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tin diced or crushed tomatoes, or 3-4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 200-300g cauliflower chopped (use the stalk or stems if available)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 100g ground pumpkin or sunflower seeds
• 200-300ml water
• 150ml almond milk (or similar)
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika (optional)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pie

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
• 1 tin of braised tofu or 300g tempeh cut into chunks (seiten/tofu will also work, but tempeh will work better)
• 2 leeks finely sliced
• 500g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 100g frozen peas
• 1/2 pack puff pastry (1 block or 250g, 1 thick sheet, 2 thin sheets stuck together)

Method
Sauce

1. heat the oil in a large pan. add the onions, garlic, ginger, cloves and fry until starting to go translucent.
2. add the ground coriander, garam masala, ground cinnamon, chilli flakes, fenugreek leaves and turmeric and stir in well. Cook for another minute or two until well fragrant.
3. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower, salt, ground pumpkin seeds and water. stir in well and cover with a lid. Now cook until the cauliflower is tender.
4. Cool until safe to liquidise to a smooth puree. Add enough of the milk to get a thick consistency.
5. Add the paprika if using and enough of the black pepper to taste.
6. Return to the pan and set aside until needed to reheat. Here is a good place to leave off if making the sauce in advance.

Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F or Gas Mark 6.
2. Drain the braised tofu, retaining the liquid. You may need it later if the sauce is still too thick. Roughly chop the braised tofu until 1.5cm lengths. Thin the strands if some are well stuck together.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and fry until starting to go translucent. Now add the braised tofu, the leeks and the mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms start to release their water.
4. Stir in the peas and set aside.
5. The sauce needs to be thick enough to coat the veg and thin enough to be ever so slightly runny when the pie is cooked. Use the liquid from the braised tofu to thin as needed and reheat the sauce to reduce cooking time.
6. Add enough sauce to the veg mixture to thoroughly coat the veg.
7. Pour the lot into your pie dish (the size is up to you!). Add some more sauce so that the sauce level is roughly half way up your pie dish, no more.
8. If using a puff pastry block, roll out to roughly 1/2cm thick and the shape of your pie dish.
9. Add the puff pastry lid to your pie dish, trim leaving a generous margin for shrinkage. Cut an air hole in the middle and decorate with additional puff pastry twisted and stuck on with milk as desired.
10. Bake in the oven until golden - roughly 20-30 minutes.

I'll add a picture in the next few weeks when I have made it. But I can't get braised tofu here in Australia, so will have to use tempeh instead.

 

[Cinisajoy]

So the crust is on top not on the bottom.
Sounds wonderful.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

So the crust is on top not on the bottom.

In this version, the pie crust is simply on the top of the pie dish. It is the dish that holds it all together (rather common). You could if you wanted to, line the pie dish with puff pastry first, cook the pastry until thoroughly cooked and then add the filling, sauce and pie lid, but I still think the pastry would go soggy. However, that is how a lot of pies are served in the UK, with soggy bottoms

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Do either of you feel that this discussion regarding pies and pot pies is worth making into a thread of its own? I ask because I feel it does. It is interesting and is kind of lost on the end of a recipe.

 

[Cinisajoy]

Feel free to make it a thread.
And your recipe still sounds fabulous.