Vegan squash and mushroom pie
The filling of this unusual meat-free shepherd’s pie is packed with spices, dates, preserved lemons and topped with fresh mint and fried parsley.
Ingredients
- 1kg/2lb 4oz Maris piper potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 stick rosemary
- 350g/12oz chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 1 small butternut squash, roughly chopped
- 165g/5¾oz pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 300g/10½ oz chopped fresh tomatoes
- 400g tin chickpeas
- 2 preserved lemons, finely chopped
- 100g/3½oz vegan butter
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- handful parsley leaves
Method
Boil the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water until cooked through. Drain the potatoes, mash them and set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Heat half the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion, garlic and celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the spices, chilli, bay leaves and rosemary, then the mushrooms and butternut squash. Fry for a further 10 minutes before adding the dates, tomatoes, chickpeas, preserved lemons and 400ml/14fl oz water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until you have a pie filling consistency. Tip into a pie dish.
Beat the vegan butter and remaining olive oil into the mash with most of the mint and pipe or spoon on top of the filling. Bake for 30 minutes until golden-brown and bubbling.
Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or pan until a cube of bread sizzles and browns when dropped in (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended). Carefully add the parsley leaves to the hot oil and once cooked, remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Garnish the shepherd’s pie with the remaining mint and crispy parsley leaves and serve.