Claire Thomson’s One Pan Beans
(Quadrille, £20)
Photography (c)Sam Folan
How to Make this Healthy Lentil Pie
Claire Thomson tells us how to pull together this easy one-pan pie recipe
This recipe is nutritionally supercharged, so much so I've also made the pastry a wholemeal one, but you can buy some good quality ready-made pastry if you prefer. Within the remit of One Pan, cook the filling, then use the same pan to top with the pastry to bake, and it goes without saying, use a pan that is ovenproof. Once the filling is cooked, it is a good idea to let the pan cool a little before putting the pastry on top. Serve this pie with some good mustard, Dijon would be ideal. Use lentils that will hold their shape and not disintegrate too much. And use any mushrooms you like, from everyday field to more fancy varieties.
Ingredients
- For the pastry
- 150g wholemeal (wholewheat) flour
- 150g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 150g chilled butter, diced
- 1 egg, beaten
- For the filling
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 leek, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, coarsely grated
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 400g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp wholemeal (wholewheat) flour
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp red miso paste, or 1 tsp soy sauce or Marmite
- 400ml vegetable stock
- splash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 250g drained cooked or canned dark green or speckled lentils
- 2 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard
- 100ml double cream
- 1/2 small bunch of tarragon, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the pastry, tip the flours and a pinch of salt into a bowl, add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingers until you have a breadcrumb texture. Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse. Add three to four tablespoons of ice-cold water and use a knife to stir until it starts to clump, then quickly bring together into a disc with your hands. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 25 minutes while you cook the filling.
In a shallow casserole or ovenproof frying pan over a moderate heat, cook the onion, leek, celery and carrot in the olive oil for 10 minutes until very soft. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for one minute until aromatic. Add the mushrooms and cook for seven to eight minutes until all the liquid has been released and then cooked away. Add the flour, tomato purée and miso and cook for two minutes, then stir in the stock and keep stirring until it comes to the boil to prevent any lumps. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce (if using), the lentils, mustard, cream and tarragon, then season to taste with a little salt if needed (it should be quite well seasoned from the stock and miso) and a generous amount of pepper. Put to one side to cool a little.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.
Roll out the pastry to about three-millimetres thick and the same diameter as the pan (use the lid as a guide if it has one). Put the pastry lid on top of the lentil mixture in the pan and pierce the middle with a hole. Crimp the edges with a finger or fork to seal and brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown. Rest for five minutes before serving.
