MUSHROOM & LENTI L SHEPHERD’ S PIE WITH ROOT VEG M A SH

Feeds: 6 Preparation: 25 minutes, plus cooling Cooking: 1 hour 25 minutes For flavour, I’ve used dried mushrooms, mushroom stock and Marmite, which are all rammed with umami flavours and bring that meaty equilibrium back to the dish. I suggest using a meat stock if you’re not veggie or vegan, but vegetable stock is still super. This intensely flavourful stew is balanced really well by the root vegetable mash.

INGREDIENTS

30g dried porcini mushrooms and 300ml boiling water 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 5 field mushrooms and 4 shiitake mushrooms, pulsed in a food processor until as finely ground as mince 2 onions, finely chopped 3 small carrots, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, finely chopped 2 leeks, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tsp tomato purée 350g dried puy lentils 300ml red wine 100ml port (optional) 1 bay leaf Sprig of rosemary Pinch of ground cloves 750ml fresh vegetable stock (or chicken or beef if you’re not veggie ) 1 tsp Marmite For the root vegetable mash: ½ small celeriac, cut into small cubes 1 parsnip, cut into small cubes 2 medium carrots, cut into small cubes 1 medium swede, cut into small cubes 2-3 tbsp butter 2 tbsp milk or cream Grating of nutmeg Salt and pepper 35g Cheddar 35g Parmesan

METHOD

1 First, place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Set aside for at least 20 minutes to rehydrate. Next, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep casserole on the hob, over a high heat. Add the ground mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes or until the water that seeps out has evaporated and they’re browned. Remove from the pan.

2 Add some more oil and then fry the onions, carrots, celery and leeks and cook slowly for 10 minutes or until they have softened and started to go golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the tomato purée and ramp up the heat. Caramelise the vegetables in the purée for about 1-2 minutes.

3 Add the lentils and wines and cook for 5 minutes, before adding the fried mushrooms, the bay leaf and sprig of rosemary as well as a small pinch of ground cloves. Remove the porcini mushrooms from the soaking water and finely chop them. Add these, along with the water you rehydrated them in (sieve the water or discard any sediment at the bottom), to the lentils, along with the stock and the Marmite. Cook over a low heat for 1 hour or until the sauce has reduced and the lentils are plumped up. Season, place in a pie dish and allow to cool, overnight if you can.

4 Heat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C Fan/gas Mark 6. To make the mash, pop all the root veggies into a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 20 minutes or until completely cooked. Drain, and then allow the vegetables to steam in the colander for 5 minutes. Mash with a potato masher or ricer. Add the butter, milk and nutmeg. Season.

5 Pick out any stray herbs from the lentil mixture then top with the root veg mash. Top with the cheeses and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.