• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • about Dom in the Kitchen
  • contact me
  • pr & demo’s
  • Private Dining

Dom in the Kitchen Homepage

Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

  • Home
  • Chicken Thighs
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Eggs
  • Vegetarian
  • Everything else

super-fast home-made ale, mushroom and pea pie

6 July 2015 by Dominic Franks

… what people who don’t live in the UK don’t realise is that there’s a really good reason we obsess about the weather… it’s because we never really know what it’s going to be like out there.  There are, quite simply, no guarantees.  Even if the weatherman tells us on a Monday that the rest of the week is going to be a searing heatwave it’s still likely to be raining and cold on Wednesday… and even though we live on a comparatively teeny island the weather only a hundred miles from where i’m sitting now could be completely different to how it is here.  What it means is that when is comes to the summer the only thing we can plan for is rain.  If you’ve planned for rain then you’ll be OK.  It can be tiresome at times and many a marquee has gone up in defiance of rain that never came but it is truly better to be safe than sorry.  What this temperate climate also means is never quite knowing what you fancy to eat.  If the weather was a constant 30 degrees throughout the summer months you’d know you’d be eating salads and barbecues every day but when those blustery rains and cold fronts blow you start thinking about stews when you know you shouldn’t…

superfast home-made mushroom and pea pie
sometimes on a Sunday I want the traditions of a Sunday roast but without the hassle of having to actually do any roasting… it’s more of a feeling on Sunday that i’m after… bit of gravy perhaps and some nice green veg.  Last Sunday we were out in the wolds for a bit of a drive to take in some scenery and The Viking mentioned pie… well that was it.  I’d started to rub flour and butter together in my mind and we speedily turned the car around and headed for home.  This pie is super-fast for something so rustic and homemade.  You make the filling whilst the pastry is chilling and resting in the fridge so there’s very little down-time. As well as the ale i’m also using some classic Bisto Roasted Onion gravy powder which makes this not only tasty but cuts down a lot of ‘gravy-making’ time… I have no issue with using these kinds of quick fix classics, I simply don’t have the time not to so in total I think it took an hour and a half from arriving home to sitting down to eat which is not bad going for a tasty Sunday lunch…

for the quick herby shortcrust pastry
225g plain flour
110g butter at room temperature
seasoning
some fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary – finely chopped
a little cold water to mix

for the pie filling
4 large field mushrooms – cut into large chunks
5 shallots – roughly sliced
100g Quorn mince – (I had some that needed using in the freezer but you don’t have to include this)
rosemary and thyme – finely chopped
seasoning
150ml Bisto Roasted Onion gravy mixed with
100ml dark ale
a large handful of peas

start with the pastry by placing the the flour and butter in a bowl and using your fingertips, crumble it together until it resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the fresh herbs, salt and pepper and a dash of cold water.  Using a butter knife, begin to stir it together and when it starts to form a ball get your hand in and bring it all together into a dough.

flatten it out into a disk, wrap it in cling film and pop it into the fridge whilst you make the filling

heat the oven to 170C

melt a generous amount of butter with a dash of olive oil in a large pan then throw in the onions and let them gently caramelise for roughly 10 mins and once they’re soft and beginning to brown, turn up the heat, add the Quorn if using and the mushrooms, stir them around and let them sit until they start to make a noise, at which point stir them around, add some salt and plenty of pepper along with the fresh herbs and let them sit again until they start to release their juices… turn down the heat, stir again and let them cook until they begin to turn golden and the juices evaporate.

add the ale and gravy and the peas and let the whole dish gently bubble away whilst you roll out the pastry

flour your work surface well and roll out the pastry ensuring you create a large enough piece to cover the pie dish

trim off some thin strips of pastry and pinch them to the rim of the pie dish making a ring of pastry to which you can attach the pastry lid

carefully ladle the filling into the pie dish, brush the pastry rim with milk and lay the pastry on top.  Seal the pastry by pinching it with you thumb and forefinger and then brush the whole lot with milk

bake for 25 mins or until the pastry turns golden

eat and of course, enjoy!

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on E-mail

Filed Under: Everything else Tagged With: field mushrooms, gravy, mushroom, pea, pie, Sunday, Sunday Lunch, vegetable pie

Previous Post: « orange zest swiss roll
Next Post: gin and tonic mini bundt cakes »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Comments

  1. Rosie says

    6 July 2015 at 9:04 am

    Needed an idea for tea tonight… Got it! 🙂

  2. Tricia Buice says

    6 July 2015 at 11:55 am

    Goodness Dom – this is a gorgeous pie. I adore mushrooms too 🙂 Hope you had a lovely weekend!

  3. Brother Bear says

    7 July 2015 at 6:18 am

    Quorn works great with this. I upped the quorn because I didn't want the mushroom flavor too overbearing. When it all comes together in the end its yumsome!

  4. Shaheen says

    7 July 2015 at 7:53 am

    Liking this Dom, moreso as a veggie I can eat it all from pastry to filling – yum. Your so right about your obsession with the weather – it has suddenly changed again, but I am pleased with the rain,need a bit of cooling before the heat sets in again.

  5. Karen S Booth says

    7 July 2015 at 3:09 pm

    FAB pie Dom and as a pie lover, anything with a bottom and a lid has my name on it! I love that is is super quick to make too…..Karen

  6. Caroline Taylor says

    7 July 2015 at 4:28 pm

    I know exactly what you mean about the weather! I saw this on Instagram so had to come and have a look, it sounds absolutely delicious!

  7. Jean says

    7 July 2015 at 10:06 pm

    Lovely idea! You're so right about the weather – we can be planning a bbq but end up making a nice tasty and warming pie and spend the evening in front of the telly instead.
    We UK cooks have to be soooo adaptable!

  8. Manu says

    8 July 2015 at 7:35 am

    Fast and yummy!!!!
    Have a lovely day

  9. Ben Maclain | Havocinthekitchen says

    8 July 2015 at 3:29 pm

    Ha-ha, the same happens in Canada. Seems, they can't precicly predict what's going on the next few hours! Plus, thanks to winds, weather could dramatically change in no time. Plus 30 in the morning and plus 15 few hours later. But I don't care much about weather when it comes to such a delicious and succulent pie (the 3rd picture is just fabulous). Good job!

  10. Choclette Blogger says

    12 July 2015 at 12:12 pm

    Yes please to a slice of this tasty pie. Making pastry is never quick – not for me. My grandmother used to rustle it up in a trice and it was the best pastry ever, but not me ;(

  11. Marcelle says

    21 July 2015 at 3:54 am

    Beautiful pie! I love mushrooms and this looks amazing 🙂

Primary Sidebar

About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Archives

Tweets by @DomInTheKitchen

as featured in Lincolnshire Life Magazine

Lincolnshire Life

creatively managed by

The Persuagers
Belleau Cottage

Footer

dominthekitchen

#ad Jubilee Cakewiches with @guylian.uk Still sl #ad Jubilee Cakewiches with @guylian.uk 

Still slightly obsessed with these cakewiches which are basically cakes made into sandwiches and all topped off with the ultimate finishing touch - a beautiful Guylian SeaShell. 

#cakes #cake #cakesofinstagram #picnic #jubilee #celebration #party #partyfood #food #foodies #platinumjubilee
Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Pickled Pink Onions

I wanted to share the pics of this salad the moment I made it cos it’s just so vibrant and summery. 

The real star of the show are the amazing slightly pickled pink onions… but… (and I hate to be a tease) you’ll have to wait till next week for the recipe!

#salad #salads #tomatoes #feta #healthy #healthyfood #healthyeating #food #foodblogger #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #britainsbesthomecooks_
I love my garden for many reasons… #worldnakedg I love my garden for many reasons…

#worldnakedgardeningday2022 #garden #gardeninspiration #gardening #nakedgardeningday2022 #summer #muscles #gym
Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe be Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe below)

This pudding is like a bowlful of summer. It’s light and fruity and sweet and so easy to put together.  I think it’s also quite unexpected to serve a pudding when fresh fruit is in abundance and a simple fruit salad would suffice but that’s what I adore about this.  Plus, this pudding makes very good use of those punnet’s of strawberries that look great in the supermarket but in fact taste all spongy and gloopy when you get them home.

Here’s the #recipe:

🍓 200g butter
🍓 200g golden caster sugar
🍓 3 large free-range eggs
🍓 200g ground almonds
🍓 100g strawberries – quartered
🍓 4 apricots – sliced into wedges
🍓 the finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon
🍓 2 tablespoons @fage_uk Greek Yoghurt
🍓 1 teaspoon @little_pod Vanilla Bean Paste

I greased a 20cm fluted ceramic pie dish and pre-heated the oven to 160C

beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and creamy… a stand mixer will do this in 4 minutes, a hand held electric whisk will do it in 6 minutes and a wooden spoon will do it in 8 minutes.

add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of ground almonds and beat in, then add the rest of the ground almonds and gently beat in, followed by the Greek Yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla and half the strawberries and beat in – the strawberries will become mush – which is exactly what you want.

lay half the remaining fruit into the bottom of your dish and cover with the frangipane batter, then scatter the remaining fruit on top

bake for 45 mins or until darkly golden brown, then remove from the oven and let it cool to set

#pudding #summerfood #summer #strawberry #strawberries #apricot #frangipani #cake #cakesofinstagram #cakes #food #foodie #britainsbesthomecooks_
Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushro Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushrooms

Is there anything more ‘Sunday Brunch’ than a crispy rosti with a delicately fragile poached egg on top? This Traybake rosti is a twist on a Jewish potato cake made with potatoes, carrots and onion. It’s amazing and really does make the perfect brunch. 

What are you having for brunch today?

for the kugel:
🍳 5 medium potatoes
🍳 2 large onions
🍳 2 large carrots – roughly grated
🍳 2 eggs – beaten
🍳 2 tablespoons flour
🍳 salt and pepper
🍳 a large handful of fresh rosemary
🍳 2 tablespoons of olive oil

for the poached eggs:
🥚 2 eggs per person
🥚 water
🥚 salt
🥚 a ramekin or similar

pre-heat the oven to 180C and butter your baking tin… i’m using an oblong swiss roll tin but any metal pan will do, a quiche or tarte tin is good.  Earthenware will work too but there’s something about the metal tin that makes it more ‘roasty’

Cut the potatoes and carrots into large chunks and par-boil till just beginning to yeald, drain and place in the fridge for one hour.  I usually do mine the night before.

Once the potatoes and carrots are cold, grate them and add them with the rest if the ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well.

Tip into your cake tin or roasting tray and roast in the oven on 190C till golden and grisp around the edges, roughly 40 mins

To make the poached eggs I prefer to use my large shallow cast-iron casserole dish.  There’s something about the cast-iron that holds the heat and cooks them evenly.  Fill the pan with water and heat it till it’s rapidly boiling, then turn down the heat until it is just steaming. 

Once it’s steadily hot with no bubbles lower the eggs into the hot water and leave them alone at this exact heat.  They should take about 5 minutes to become perfect with soft yolks but feel free to go until you like them.

#rosti #breakfast #brunch #sunday #eggs #poachedeggs #food #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #breakfastideas #britainsbesthomecooks_
Asparagus, Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Tart Cel Asparagus, Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Tart

Celebrating the start of the British asparagus season with these gorgeous ruff puff pastry tarts. So simple to make but so absolutely divine. 

#recipe on the website - link in bio

#asparagus #britishasparagus #tart #pastry #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #lunch #spring #seasonal #britainsbesthomecooks_ @britainsbesthomecooks_
Load More… Follow on Instagram

&copy 2010 - 2021 | All rights reserved | Website by Peckish Digital