Leek and Mushroom Pasties
“Follow me. You’ll have to put a move on, though. I put a leek and mushroom pastie in the oven before Ashnin called. I just hope it hasn’t burned.”
-Loambudd, Salamandastron
As I discussed where to begin this blog with my roommate, we threw around a lot of different ideas. Over the years I’ve indulged in recreating food from different fictional universes, always returning to Redwall and Brian Jacques’ luscious descriptions of English-inspired culinary treats. I wanted to choose a recipe that I had used a number of times, and maybe one that hasn’t been done to death just yet (don’t get me wrong, I love Deeper’n’Ever Turnip’n’Tater’n’Beetroot Pie as much as the next critter). An obvious choice was Leek and Mushroom Pasties, first mentioned in Salamandastron, then throughout the books often served hot right from the Abbey Ovens to hungry mouths.
Pasties, sometimes called “hand pies,” have a convoluted and far-reaching history that likely extends much further back than historians have been able to pinpoint. However the most readily accepted origin of pasties is in Cornwall, England, home of the Cornish Pasty (or Pastie).
These pasties are most delicious served hot and fresh from the oven, but are also still quite tasty served cold with a cup of strong hot tea (I’ve been working through a box of Glengettie Welsh Tea and find it’s a delicious tea served with savories). If you plan to reheat them the following day, I recommend storing them with paper towels and reheating in the oven (about 10 minutes at 350 degrees is sufficient) or a toaster oven. If you reheat in the microwave they’ll come out a little chewy, but edible.
To start you’ll need a single batch of my Grammy’s Butter Crust recipe, refrigerated as logs for pasties. (Sometimes I like to make a double batch of pastry dough when I’m making pasties, so that I have an easy dinner start the next night).
Next you’ll gather together your ingredients for the pasty filling:
The secret of this recipe is really using a variety of mushrooms. Different mushrooms will add different flavors and textures, and with the umami of a variety of mushrooms you won’t find yourself wishing for any meat in the recipe at all. For this recipe I used some of the mushrooms I most commonly cook with: Eryngii (King Oyster Mushrooms), Shiitake, Oyster Mushrooms, and Cremini (also known as Baby Bella) mushrooms. If you have trouble finding any of these, some other delicious mushrooms options I’ve used are: Button mushrooms, portobello, shimeji, or maitake (though since maitake mushrooms cook down more than others, if you use them add a little extra). If you experiment with a kind of mushroom I don’t mention, please let me know how it turned out in the comments!
You’ll also need a medium sized leek, fresh parsley, flour, butter, kosher salt, smoked paprika, freshly ground black pepper, and vegetable broth. If you have a favourite vegetable broth, stock, or bouillon feel free to bring it out for this recipe, but if you do not I cannot recommend Better Than Bouillon enough. Their vegetable bouillon is rich and delicious, not nearly as salty as other bouillon brands, and tastes the most like real fresh vegetable stock.
Cut your mushrooms into thin slices, the smaller you go the more like mincemeat the texture of the final pies will be. You should have about 2 cups of mushrooms after cutting them up. Slice three inches of the white part of the leek into thin rounds (about 1/4 of an inch thick) and cut each round in half. Finely mince the parsley.
Next we’re going to make the gravy.
To make a thick and rich gravy we’ll start with a roux. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan and add one tablespoon of flour, stirring quickly with a rubber spatula. Cook the resulting roux over low heat for about 1-2 minutes, to help cook off the raw flour flavour. Slowly add your prepared vegetable stock about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring to completely combine between each addition. When all of the stock has been added, continue simmering your gravy over low heat for about eight minutes, or until it has achieved desired thickness. After your gravy is done, remove from heat and set aside for now.
Next we’ll move on to the filling: Start by sautéing the chopped leeks on medium heat in one tablespoon of butter until they’ve softened and become slightly translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the minced parsley and eryngii mushrooms, which can take a little longer to cook than other varieties, and stir to combine, about one minute. Add the rest of the mushrooms, paprika, pepper, and salt and continue to sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms are cooked through. Add the reserved gravy and stir to combine. Allow the filling to simmer on medium heat for about six minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. When the filling has finished cooking, set it aside and allow to cool completely to room temperature before advancing to the next step. It is also possible to put it to the fridge to cool it completely, this will allow for thicker pasties with more filling.
Bring out your log of butter pastry and using a sharp knife slice it into slices. This recipe makes 6 standard sized pasties, or if you would like smaller bites for an appetizer or a Dibbun Snack, you can slice it into 10 smaller rounds (the batch pictured were made into Dibbun Snacks). On a generously floured surface, roll your first round to about 1/8 inch thickness for a standard sized pasty, or a little thinner if you’re making small pasties. Using your fingers, thin the edges of the round. This will help prevent the crimped edges of your final pasties from being too thick. Holding the rolled dough in one hand, spoon pie filling into the round. About 3 tablespoons of filling for small pies, 4-5 tablespoons for larger pies. Fold the dough over in your hand, and carefully crimp it with a fork (easiest with smaller pasties), or fold over the edges to crimp as a classic pasty.
Carefully lay each pasty on a nonstick or lined baking sheet as you go. After laying all the pasties out carefully score the top with a small sharp knife. Be careful to make sure you are scoring all the way into the filling, but not so deep that you are scoring the bottom of the pasties. Gently brush the top of each pasty with a beaten egg, taken care to cover the entire tops and crimped edges of each pasty.
Bake the pasties in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until the tops are golden brown, 35 minutes for ten smaller pasties, or 40-45 minutes for six larger pasties.
As I mentioned earlier, the pasties are best served warm. I like to serve the pasties with pickled onions, sharp cheddar, and Ploughman’s Pickle or tomato chutney to spread on each bite, with mead or ale to wash it down. If you’re reading in the US, Ploughman’s Pickle is a pickled vegetable spread that can be found in most English Grocers, or any grocery store with a good selection of English ingredients. To make your pasties into a complete meal try serving them with vegetable soup or a garden salad.
Leek and Mushroom Pasties
A Redwall Abbey favourite.
Ingredients
- 1 Batch of Butter Pastry
- 2 Cups Chopped Mixed Mushrooms (Eryngii, Shiitake, Cremini, and Oyster)
- 3 Inches of Leek (White Part)
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Parsley
- 3/4 Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1/4 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, Divided
Directions
- Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees.
- Slice mushrooms into thin slices. Slice leek into 1/8th inch rounds and cut each round in half. Finely mince parlsey. Measure vegetable stock.
- Prepare Gravy: Melt 1 tbsp Butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and stir until smooth, cooking over low heat for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add vegetable stock 1/4 cup at a time stirring continuously. Simmer over low heat for 8 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved.
- Prepare filling: Melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet over medium heat. Sauté leeks in butter until softened. Add parsley and eryngii mushrooms and stir until combine. Add all other mushrooms, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Continue to stir continuously over medium heat until mushrooms are cooked through. Add gravy and stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat for six minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Cut log of pastry dough into six or ten even slices. On a well floured surface, roll out a slice of pastry dough to 1/8th inch thickness. Using fingers, thin the edges of the pastry dough. Holding the dough round in your hand, spoon prepared and cooled filling into the dough round. Fold dough over and carefully crimp the edges with a fork, or turn and crimp with your fingers. Place finished formed pasty on a nonstick or lined baking sheet and repeat until all pasties are formed.
- Gently score the top of each pasty in three lines, taking care to cut into the filling but not all the way to the bottom. Brush the tops of each pasty with beaten egg.
- Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, or for 35 minutes for 10 smaller pasties, or 40-45 minutes for six larger pasties.
- Serve and enjoy.
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