Plant-Based Puy Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 250g merchant gourmet tomatoey french puy & green lentils
- 90g merchant gourmet whole chestnuts
- 200g merchant gourmet chestnut puree
- 600g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 4 sheets filo pastry
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil plus extra for brushing
- 200ml vegetable stock (plus extra if necessary for puree)
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt & freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Pre-heat your oven to 220c / rack position on upper middle shelf
Toss the diced pumpkin with 2 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt
Roast on a low sided tray for 20 minutes
Put 200g of the cooked pumpkin with the chestnut puree in your liquidiser
Blend for 2-3 minutes until the puree is smooth and mousse like
If the puree is too thick, add hot stock 1 tbsp at a time
Season to taste
Get a shallow pan, add the onion and 1 tbsp of oil, cover and soften the onions for 6 minutes, then turn up the heat and fry them until golden for 4-5 minutes
Add the lentils, 200ml vegetable stock, chestnuts, rosemary and remaining pumpkin
Bring to the boil then take off the heat
Season to taste
Spread the lentil mixture into 2 small oven proof dishes
Spoon the puree into the centre of each
Use a spatula to gently smooth towards the edges a little
Don’t worry if the puree sinks into the lentils a little
Lay two sheets of filo pastry on your work surface
Sprinkle them with smoked paprika
Brush all over with olive oil
Scrunch the pastry up into the size of the dishes
Try and keep as much of the pastry as possible off the chickpea puree’s surface because the moisture will make it go soft
Brush and sprinkle two more sheets of pastry
Put a second sheet of filo on top of each pie to make doubly sure that it’s crisp
Bake for 12-15 minutes until hot and golden
Serve
