Party Pies ★★★★★1 review

Serves 12 | Prep time: 30 mins | Cooking time: 35 mins

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil for greasing & cooking
• 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 250g of mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp vegan beef style stock power (can use Massel)
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp plain flour or quick oats
• 2 x 400g tin brown lentils, keep water from tin
• 2 Tbsp vegan Worcester sauce
• 8 sheets of frozen vegan puff pastry
• Olive oil or almond milk for brushing pies (optional)

Equipment

• 12-cup muffin tin
• Frying pan
• Wooden spoon
• Potato masher
• 10cm and 13cm mugs or small bowls
• Pastry brush

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C and grease a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil.
2. Separate frozen puff pastry sheets.
3. In a pan, sauté onions and mushrooms in olive oil until soft on a medium to high heat.
4. Add vegan beef stock, paprika, garlic powder and flour, mix with onion and mushroom until combined.
5. Keep pan on medium to high heat and add lentils, including water from the tins and Worcester sauce. Stir and allow liquid to thicken and cook off.
6. Turn the heat off when mixture is thick and sticky in consistency and allow to cool.
7. Using the potato masher, roughly press the mixture in order to break down the lentils.
8. Lay out pastry, then using a 13cm (diameter) mug or bowl, cut out a round circle and place in a cup of the muffin tin. Repeat until all 12 cups are full.
9. Fill pastry cups with lentil mince.
10. Cut out 12 x 10cm circles of the pastry and place on top of the filled cups. Fold over bottom crust pastry onto top pastry and press together to enclose the party pie.
11. Using a knife or fork, poke a few holes in top in order to let steam evaporate while cooking.
12. Brush pies with olive oil or almond milk and cook for 25 to 35 minutes until golden and pastry is cooked through.