Be inspired with our Vegan Pithivier this Veganuary

Taking part of Veganuary? With lots of vegan friendly recipes on the rise, our Executive Chef, David shares his favourite recipe, the Pithivier. A dish originating from France. This recipe was traditionally made with sweet fillings, but now more commonly found savoury. We’ve adapted the recipe to make it the perfect dish to enjoy this Veganuary.

Makes four small Pithiviers

Ingredients

600g pre-made vegan puff pastry

400g cooked parsnips, diced

12 cooked chestnuts

4 shallots, peeled and finely diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 tbsp thyme leaves, fresh

2 tbsp Madeira, or sherry

300g silken tofu, cut into small cubes

Salt

Black pepper

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees/Gas Mark 6.

Place all the filling ingredients into a large pan with a lid and cook with the lid on a low to medium heat until the tofu has melted, and all the filling ingredients have cooked down to a thick sauce.

Cut out 8 large discs from the rolled puff pastry.

Pile the filling ingredients into the middle of the pastry disc and then sit the other pastry circle on top of the filling, crimping the edges with your forefinger and a knife to make an attractive pattern. Repeat this process another three times.

With a sharp knife make a sunbeam type pattern on the pastry lid and then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown and is puffed up.

Serve with curly kale and roasted Jerusalem artichokes for a complete, delicious vegan meal.

Top tip

Wet the edges of your pastry with water to ensure the pastry sticks when closing the pithivier with the pastry lid.