MUSHROOM PIE

Pies (the meat kind I mean) could very easily be the national dish of New Zealand. I don’t know how true this statistic is, but on an average every New Zealander eats 17 pies a year. I don’t know who is eating our family’s share!!! I have never come across a vegetarian pie that looks good enough to make me want to try. So I have been on a quest to develop a vegetarian pie that is bursting with flavour and I think I have just the recipe for you.

This mushroom pie is so delicious and using dried as well as fresh mushrooms makes it yummy and flavourful. This is great as a family meal or you could do individual ones as a first course for a dinner party. I used store bought butter puff pastry (Edmonds) but you could just as easily make your own with a bit of planning.

Mushroom pie

INGREDIENTS

750g butter puff pastry

5-10g dried mushrooms (like porcini)

125ml boiling water

60g butter

1 leek, finely sliced into half moons

1 small carrot, finely diced

1 stick celery, finely diced

1 sprig thyme

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FRENCH ONION SOUP – VEGETARIAN

I have to make a confession – I did not want to mess with a classic. It is a favourite in our household and my son will order it whenever we dine out during winter. Due to COVID restrictions my son missed out on his graduation ceremony. So I made the vegetarian version for his graduation celebratory dinner (French themed) we had at home a few weeks back.

Traditionally made with a robust beef stock, I struggled to find something that would offer the same richness and depth of flavour. A few experiments later, I came up with this winning formula for a robust vegetarian stock.

You cannot whip up French onion soup in the space of half an hour. Please allow yourself plenty of time so you don’t rush the slow caramelisation of onions.

French Onion Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1.2kg onions, finely sliced

3-4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

500ml dry white wine (Riesling)

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