Vegetable Pithivier

Fancy by name, fancy by flavour, my Vegetable Pithivier is a thing of beauty if I do say so myself!
If you or your guests are vegetarian, this recipe will go down a treat this Christmas, especially when paired with my British Vintage Cider… even better when you pour some in as you cook!

What you’ll need

• 2 large beetroot
• 1 squash
• 2 red onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 large bag of spinach
• Olive Oil
• 500g mixed mushrooms (250g + 250g)
• 25g butter
• 1 leek
• 2 sheets ready-made puff pastry
• 2 eggs
• 1 shallot
• thyme sprigs
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 300ml double cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Prepare your veg

   Peel and half the onion and beetroot.
   Cut the squash in half (lengthways).
   Slice the leek down the middle, then chop thinly.
   Slice 250g (half the total quantity) of the mixed mushrooms.

3. Season and roast your beetroot, squash, red onion, and garlic

   To your roasting tray add the beetroot, squash, red onion, and garlic. Top with salt, pepper, and fennel seeds, toss well, and roast for 30 minutes.

4. Wilt the spinach

   In a frying pan, wilt down the spinach and leave to drain.

5. Put the pan back onto the heat with a dash of olive oil.

   Once nice and hot, tip in the sliced mushrooms and fry until the liquid has evaporated and they start to go golden brown. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.

6. Place the pan back on the heat with a knob of butter and soften the leeks for 5 minutes, then leave to cool
7. Your vegetables should be ready to come out of the oven; spoon out the squash ready for the pithivier mix.
8. Prepare your pastry.

   Unroll and place a dinner plate upside down onto the sheets of pastry and cut around it. Place one of the sheets onto a parchment-lined oven tray and use a pastry brush to egg wash around the edge.

9. Build your pithivier

   To build your pithivier start by slicing the beetroots and placing them on the pastry disc, then top with a layer of mushrooms, red onion, squash, leek, and finally the drained spinach. Place the second sheet of pastry over the mix.

   Dip a fork into some plain flour then gently push around the edge of the pastry where the two sheets meet so that the edges seal together. Make swirls with a sharp knife running from the top to the bottom.

   Egg wash the whole pithivier. Put into the fridge for 10 minutes, egg wash once more and finally fridge for another 10 minutes.

10. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown all over.
11. Prepare the sauce

    Finely chop the remaining 250g of mixed mushrooms and finely dice the shallot. 
    Fry the mushrooms until all the liquid has dissolved, add in shallots and a knob of butter, and soften.
    Next, add the thyme and stock, let the sauce bubble and reduce for 10 minutes before adding cream.
    Simmer for 10 minutes, then leave to cool.
    Once cooled whiz until smooth.
    
    Top Tip: Add a dash of my British Vintage cider to the sauce at the same time as the stock for extra deliciousness.