Issue 010: Creamy leek, mushroom and cavolo nero pie
A seasonal pie from Harriet Langley
I’ve always admired gardeners. Living in London, having a patch of outdoor space tends to come at a premium, and it’s been eight years since I last had a garden to truly call my own. That garden was an unruly beast, and very generous in size, and our valiant attempts at cultivating a small vegetable patch sadly delivered limited returns (a couple of oversized cabbages were the highlights, if I remember rightly). My attempts to tame it and put it to work in the name of self-sustenance were well-meaning but ultimately undermined by inexperience.
I visited this week’s guest contributor Harriet’s idyllic house and allotment in Kent, set amongst rolling hills and apple orchards about an hour outside London, in July earlier this year. It was the height of summer, and the allotment was teeming with life and ripening deliciousness. It was clear how much time and care had gone into cultivating such a bountiful patch of green space, and the joy that comes from cooking and eating the (literal) fruits of your labour.
Growing your own produce inevitably leads to eating more seasonally. While I’m not able to grow my own, I’ve been enjoying a weekly Oddbox delivery, which is not only seasonal but makes use of damaged or misshapen product which wouldn’t pass supermarket standards, or surplus from when supply has outstripped demand (there has been much more this year, in large part due to restaurants not being able to fulfil the supply chains). As consumers, we’ve long been given the impression by supermarkets that we can have whichever exotic ingredients we desire at any time of the year, however there’s something immensely satisfying about charting the seasons by cooking solely with seasonal produce sourced closer to home.
Take this suitably autumnal recipe, ideal for cosy nights, by way of example.
Creamy leek, mushroom and cavolo nero pie by Harriet Langley
This recipe takes me to my mum’s kitchen, as it was one of the many things she taught me how to cook. I also have strong memories of cooking it for my university friends, while we reminisced about hearty home-cooked meals. It is amazing how the smell of a certain food can remind you of home.
Fast-forward eight or so years, I’ve been compiling a list of recipes that use seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs, which I’ve grown myself on my allotment. Craving a hearty autumnal recipe, I realised I haven’t made this (what was a chicken) pie since I became vegetarian, so I’ve now adapted it to be a vegetarian pie and added in some of my home-grown cavolo nero – also known as Tuscan kale or black cabbage (definitely one of my favourite things to have grown this year!)
Cooking and eating seasonally is something I’ve always been interested in but only over the last few years have I become really passionate about gardening. I’ve worked my way from a pot of basil on the windowsill to experimenting in a cute back garden in London, before moving out of London and creating an allotment in the Kent countryside in January of this year. And what a year it’s been to take on such a project – I’m so incredibly grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend nurturing my allotment and the focus it’s given me. Growing food from a seed is such a rewarding and magical thing to do at the best of times; I think it has incredible healing powers.
I am by no means a pro and am still (and always will be) learning, but through the summer months I didn’t have to buy any vegetables and could easily cobble together an entire meal just by popping outside and picking a few vegetables (courgettes, beetroot, tomatoes, peas, lettuce and chard to name a few). However, as expected, the winter allotment is looking somewhat emptier. I have a few beautiful deep orange Uchiki Kuri squash stored for the winter and there is still beetroot, cavolo nero, cabbages, carrots, rocket, spinach and parsley growing, as well as some chillies on my windowsill! Nevertheless, there is a huge variety of food you CAN grow through winter or grow in the summer and store for winter and I’m looking forward to being a bit more organised next year and attempting to extend my growing year.
In the meantime I keep my eyes peeled for foods grown in the UK when shopping in the supermarket, and there is still a long list to choose from: carrots, parsnips, cabbages, kale, squash, potatoes, cauliflower, leeks, mushrooms, spinach, beetroot, chard, Brussels sprouts, parsley, sage and thyme.
I was excited to find some gorgeous UK grown rainbow carrots in my local supermarket this week and decided to serve them up with my creamy leek, mushroom and cavolo nero pie.
Pie serves 4 (large) portions (enough filling for 4 people with a nice big piece of puff pastry each!)
Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Ingredients
2 leeks
4 garlic cloves
300g chestnut mushrooms
80-100g cavolo nero
a few sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)
1 bay leaf
500ml hot vegetable stock (you could use chicken stock)
300ml single cream
Salt & pepper
1 tsp cornflour & 2 tsp water
Puff pastry (I used a pre-rolled, ready-made pastry – make sure you take it out of the fridge when you start cooking so it can come to room temperature)
A dash of milk
Cold pressed rapeseed oil or a cooking oil of your choice
Serve with carrots and potatoes, simply roasted with cold pressed rapeseed oil, salt and pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan) / gas mark 6.
Slice the leeks in half, length ways, and then across in thin slices so you get half moon shapes. Crush and peel the garlic cloves and slice into small pieces.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan on a medium heat and add the leeks. Gently cook until they start to soften before adding the garlic.
Slice the mushrooms into thin slices and as the leek and garlic mixture starts to brown on the edges, add them to the pan. You may need to add another drizzle of oil, as the mushrooms absorb a lot of it. Add the fresh thyme with the woody stalks removed and stir together.
Slice the cavolo nero stems thinly and add them to the pan, mixing in and allowing to cook for a few minutes.
Pour in the hot stock, add the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and turn up the heat. Bring to the boil before turning the heat to low and allowing it to simmer for 5 minutes, reducing the stock slightly.
Use this time to prepare the potatoes and carrots. I like to cut the potatoes into small pieces and the carrots in half lengthways and then again in half or thirds to get long thin pieces. Put in baking trays, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Add the cream to the pan with the mushroom and leek mixture and stir to combine.
Mix 1 tsp cornflour with 2 tsp water in a cup and pour into the mixture. Stir gently and consistently and it should start to thicken. Once the desired consistency is reached (it should just start to coat the back of a spoon) turn off the heat and pour into your pie dish.
Leave for 5 minutes to cool slightly then brush the edges of the pie dish with milk before adding the puff pastry topping to make it stick. Crimp around the edges of the dish with a fork and gently make a few fork holes in the top of the pastry sheet to encourage the pastry to puff up. Brush the top of the pastry lightly with milk.
Place on the top shelf in the oven, along with the carrots and potatoes. Cook for around 30-40 minutes (until the pastry has puffed up and turned a golden brown).
Transfer the potatoes and carrots to a serving dish and bring it all to the table to slice up the pie and serve up as is!
You can follow Harriet’s allotment adventures and find more of her seasonal recipes on Instagram.
JW Recommends
This jar has been a go-to of mine in recent weeks. A key foundation in Sichuan and northern Chinese cooking, it’s similar to, but not be mistaken for tahini. A thick, luscious paste, its deep, roasted flavour is noticeably different from its Middle Eastern counterpart. Whisk together a tablespoon full with equal parts soy sauce, black rice vinegar and chilli oil with a splash of water and stir through noodles for a delicious lunch time snack, or go one step further and make a bowl of dan dan noodles with Sichuan pepper and its distinctive fried mince and pickled vegetable topping.
Music for Cooking To
Harriet has impeccable taste in music and has kindly put together the tenth edition of this playlist, a strong selection for cooking on November nights with everything from The Durutti Column to new wave jazz pioneers Alfa Mist and KOKOROKO.
