Ale, Mustard and Winter Vegetable Pie

| Vegan Cuisine

MrsFalafel's Ale, Mustard and Winter Vegetable Pie is a vegan pie.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• ½ parsnip, diced
• 1 leek, cut into fine rings
• 5 mushrooms, sliced
• ¼ - ½ cup dried soya chunks (textured vegetable protein)
• ½ tablespoon Marmite or Vegemite
• 200 ml boiling water
• 2 heaped tablespoon flour
• 2 heaped tablespoon wholegrain mustard (try Gordon's Green Peppercorn Mustard)
• 200 ml rich, dark ale (try Pitfield Brewery's 1850 London Porter)
• black pepper to taste

For the mash topping:

• 1 potato, chopped
• ½ parsnip, chopped
• ½ small turnip or rutabaga, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Soya margarine

Procedure

1. Reconstitute the soya chunks: in a bowl, mix soya chunks, the 200 ml boiling water and Marmite, and let sit.
2. Prepare the mash topping: drop the potato, turnip or rutabaga, and ½ parsnip in a saucepan of rapidly boiling water (this quickly destroys the enzymes that would otherwise have a detrimental effect on the vitamin content). Bring back to the boil and simmer until potato is soft (about 20 minutes). When cooked, drain off the water, add the margarine and mash until creamy smooth. Set aside.
3. Put olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the leek, garlic and carrot and ½ parsnip and sauté until the carrot is soft. Then add the mushrooms and cook a minute or two more.
4. Add the flour and stir like mad for a solid 30 seconds. Still stirring, add the soya chunks and their soaking broth to soak up the flour and thicken. Then add the mustard, ale and some black pepper. Stir to mix all very well. Simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
5. Pour into a casserole dish, top with the potato/rutabaga/parsnip mash, smooth over, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 to 30 minutes or until top is beginning to brown. Remove from oven, let rest a minute, then serve.

This is excellent hearty autumn and winter fare and very tasty.