Hearty Dishes to Warm the Soul

As the snow continues to fall outside I want to enjoy a good hearty dish of country style food. Simple, filling and delicious. Today I am opting to make one f my favourite, flavoursome vegetarian delights, Mushroom and Chestnut Cottage Pie, this is a hearty dish but sometimes when I'm extra hungry I serve it with some home made bread or some delicious buttered kale.

This is an easy dish to make and it freezes well. The vegetables can be chopped and changed to suit what is in season or what you have available.

Serves 4. Cooking Time:  1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 swede
8 shallots chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp yeast extract such as marmite
200g tin chopped tomatoes
225 ml vegetable stock
500g mushrooms (roughly sliced)
200g chestnuts (halved)

For the Topping:

3 potatoes, diced
2 parsnips, diced
2 carrots, diced
300g , celeriac, diced.
100g butter
50ml milk

Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the carrot, swede and shallots and cook for 8-10 mins. Add the garlic, tomato puree and yeast extract and cook for a further five minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and a little of the vegetable stock. Add the mushrooms, chestnuts and remaining stock, simmer for 8 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, begin to make the topping, firstly put all the diced vegetables in a pan of salted, boiling water. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Drain and then allow to steam dry for five minutes. Roughly mash the vegetables with the butter and milk and add seasoning to taste.

Heat the oven to 190oc/170c fan/gas mark .

Put the mushroom mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with the mash, cook for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling.Enjoy!

Whilst on the subject of hearty, comfort food my mind cannot help but drift towards thoughts of jam roly-poly pudding. The sight of all this snow is making me quite nostalgic.