Michelle's FreeFrom Vegetable Pie
Wheat, gluten, corn, soya, dairy & nut free; can be egg free

Sue Powell from the www.theglutenfreekitchen.co.uk sent us a sample of their shortcrust pasty to try, so we thought we would try it out on a pie.
The pastry is made from rice, potato, tapioca, buckwheat and maize flour, vegetable margarine and xanthan gum and comes in a chilled pack, which you can also freeze.
It rolls out well, provided you do so between two sheets of greaseproof paper as, despite the xanthan gum, it is still slightly crumbly – and tastes delicious – crisp and flavoursome. So flavoursome, in fact, that my tasters had walloped through the pie before I had had a chance to take a picture of anything more than the pack!
If you would like to try for yourself, you can order the pastry directly from their website –– or call them on 01969 622222.
As for the insides of the pie... It is important to keep the pieces of vegetable large so that each different vegetable retains its own texture and flavour in the context of the whole. The red cabbage gives the most wonderful colour to the juices – and, if you do not want to bother with the pastry lid, you can just serve it as a vegetable casserole - still delicious!

Ingredients

2 medium onions
200g / 7oz celeriac
200g / 7oz sweet potato
1 large head fennel
1 medium red and 1 medium green (sweet) pepper
½ small red cabbage
6 field mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large sprigs fresh thyme or 3 tsp dried
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 400g / 14oz tin (can) chopped tomatoes
250g / 9oz gluten-free short crust pastry
1 egg (optional)

Peel the onions, celeriac and sweet potato. Cut the onions in quarters and the celeriac and sweet potato into large dice.
Trim the fennel and cut into quarters or eighths if it is a large head.
Remove the pips from the peppers and cut into large pieces.
Chop the red cabbage coarsely.
Halve or quarter the mushrooms depending on size.
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and add the vegetables. Stir to mix and cook for 4_5 minutes without burning.
Add the thyme and some seasoning and then pour over the tomatoes.
Cover tightly and cook very gently for 25 minutes or until the root vegetables are cooked but not mushy.
If you are making the pie, transfer to a pie dish.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.
Roll out the pastry between two sheets of grease-proof paper. Cut out the lid using the pish dish as aguide.
Wet the edges of the pie dish with water and use the trimmings from the pastry to line the edges then wet the edges.
Carefully lift the pastry lid onto the pie and press down the edges. Repair any tears with extra pastry trimmings and then decorate with pastry balls or leaves.
If you are using it, brush the top of the pie with egg and bake for 25-35 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and tanned.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 6 – per portion
320cals – 7g protein
17g total fat – 4.5g sat / 5.5g mono / 6g poly
36g carbohydrate of which 10g sugar
7g fibre – 262mg sodium / 0.66g salt
122mg calcium

Good Source of: Vitamin B1, B6, C & folate

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