Pithiviers might look fancy and complicated, but it’s really just a fancy name for a very simple layered pie. It’s basically a buttery pie crust that’s been folded into thirds, sliced, and layered with your chosen filling (making it even easier to go vegan!). Here is a simple recipe you can make to wow your guests at your next dinner party.
Chestnut, mushroom & red wine pithivier
Here is a simple vegan pithivier recipe you can make to wow your guests at your next dinner party.
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 640 g puff pastry 2 x sheets eg Jus-Rol (use GF if necessary)
- Vegan butter/spread for frying
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 2 leeks ends removed and finely sliced
- 400 g/5 cups button mushrooms halved
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 50 g/4½ tbsp plain flour use GF if necessary
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 200 g/1¾ cups vacuum packed chestnuts roughly chopped
- 3 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 10 sundried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dried or fresh thyme finely chopped
- ½ tbsp dried or fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 175 ml/¾ cup vegan red wine use 1 tbsp red miso and 175ml boiling water if doing alcohol-free version
- 500 ml/2 cups vegan stock
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 150 g/1 cup pre-cooked quinoa or lentils add this at the end
- 2 tbsp soya milk for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC (fan)/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 and line a large baking tray with parchment.
- Using a large dinner plate and on a floured surface, cut one of the pastry sheets around the shape of the plate.
- Take the next pastry sheet and again cut around the shape of the plate but this time leave 2cm of extra pastry around the edge.
- Place the smaller circle on the lined baking tray and set aside.
- Fry the onions in a little vegan butter until soft and golden.
- Add the leeks and fry for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and the cayenne pepper and fry for a minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir through the flour until all the vegetables have been covered.
- Place back onto the heat and then stir through the tomato puree and add all of the other ingredients apart from the pre-cooked quinoa/lentils and soya milk.
- Allow the mixture to simmer, stirring regularly, for around 15-20 minutes.
- Add the quinoa or lentils to the mix and stir through. The consistency should be thick but not too thick. Add a little more stock if necessary (you don’t want it to be runny though).
- Transfer the mixture onto the bottom layer of pastry and leave a good couple of inches of pastry free around the edge.
- Cover with the bigger circle of pastry and seal the edges with your fingers. Brush the edges with some oil.
- Brush the pastry with soya milk.
- To create the sun pattern, make a tiny hole in the centre and then score wavy lines from the centre to the outer edge of the pastry using a sharp knife.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Recipe courtesy of Maryanne Hall from Viva! Vegan Recipe Club
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