VEGAN VEGETABLE PASTY RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Tear the mushrooms into a bowl, scatter over 15g of sea salt (most of this will drain away later) and scrunch together, then leave for 30 minutes, scrunching occasionally.
  2. Tip the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt, then chop and rub in the butter. Make a well in the middle, slowly pour in 200ml of cold water, then mix, pat and bring it together.
  3. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
  4. After 30 minutes the mushrooms should feel quite soggy, so squeeze firmly to remove as much salty liquid as you can (the mushrooms should end up weighing around 400g).
  5. Peel the swede, potatoes and onion and slice into small pieces, roughly the same size and thickness as a pound coin.
  6. Mix the veg with the mushrooms, then add the rosemary and a few generous pinches of black pepper.
  7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
  8. Divide the pastry into 8, then roll out into 20cm rounds on a clean flour-dusted surface. Divide up the filling, then scrunch and pile it to one side of the middle, leaving a 2.5cm gap around the edges.
  9. Lightly brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg, fold over and press the edges down, then twist and crimp with your fingers and thumbs to seal.
  10. Eggwash, then place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Serve with a watercress and apple salad and a dollop of English mustard.

Steps:

• Prepare a hot gas or charcoal grill. Pierce the eggplants in several places with a fork or the tip of a knife, and place over the hot coals. Grill, turning regularly, until soft and blackened all over. If you don’t have a grill but do have a gas stove, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover the top of your stove under the burner grates with foil to facilitate cleaning. Turn on your oven fan (so the smoke alarm won’t go off), and roast the eggplants directly over the flame, turning often until charred and softened. Small, thin eggplants will cook through this way, but larger eggplants must be finished in the oven. Wrap in foil, and place in the hot oven for 20 minutes until thoroughly softened. You can also roast the eggplant under a broiler until charred and softened. The flavor of the baba ganoush will not be as smoky.
• Place the grilled eggplant in a colander in the sink, and allow to cool and drain. Peel and discard the black skins, cut off the stems, and let the eggplants sit in the colander to drain for another 15 to 30 minutes.
• Puree the eggplant in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the lemon juice, yogurt and tahini. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic to a paste with a generous pinch of salt. Add to the food processor, and blend with the eggplant. Add salt to taste.
• Mound the puree in a bowl or on a platter, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with pita bread.