The Messy Vegetarian Cook » beer http://www.messyvegetariancook.com Easy Vegetarian Recipes and Vegan Recipes from a Kitchen Klutz Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:49:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Hello pie: exit steak, enter mushrooms. http://www.messyvegetariancook.com/2010/07/21/hello-pie-exit-steak-enter-mushrooms/ http://www.messyvegetariancook.com/2010/07/21/hello-pie-exit-steak-enter-mushrooms/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:47:42 +0000 Kip http://www.messyvegetariancook.com/?p=1916

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Mushroom and ale pie, ale and mushroom pie. Doesn’t it sound so, I don’t know, rustic? I mean I know I’ve been living in the UK for nine years now, but I still have these overstated fantasies of provincial England. You know, homemade bread, pie, jam tarts. Romantic, overstated and embellished non-existant England. Unless you live in my head, in which case all English people are buddies with rainbow coloured ponies who have hearts for eyes and frolic under always blue skies and sunshine day in and day out whilst I bake. PIES.

Yeah, I know, that sunshine and blue skies thing sort of takes it over the top. And everybody knows ponies only come in a maximum of five colours so Roy G. Biv just isn’t possible in this scenario.

Recipe notes

This vegetarian mushroom and ale pie recipe makes enough to serve four, provided you’ve got some veggies on the side. Think typical here: peas (mushy or not) and potatoes. My preference? Roasted spuds and minted peas, topped with either a mushroom or red wine gravy. I love me a heap of puff pastry with a Sunday roast, the way the gravy soggifies (yes, that’s not officially a word*) part of the pastry while the rest stays cripsy and golden.

*in my head, anyway. I spend a lot of time there. Can you tell?

Mushroom and Ale Pie

Serves Four, with sides, or two very hungry people
  • Directions/Method
    1. Preheat your oven for 180° C (just over 350° F).
    2. Fry the onion in a bit of oil for about five minutes, until they begin to brown. Add the fresh mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and coriander, stirring to ensure the mushrooms are coated with the oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened and cooked down a bit.
    3. Add the 475 ml ale, vinegar, soy sauce, Natex, nutritional yeast, dried mushrooms, salt, and bay leaf. Mix thoroughly, and leave to simmer over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
    4. Mix the cornflour with the remaining 2 tbsp of ale to a slurry, and slowly pour into the mushroom gravy whilst stirring. The sauce should thicken quite quickly. When it does, remove from the heat and set aside.
    5. Meanwhile, prepare the puff pastry. I used a solid 350g block and rolled it to fit, but feel free to use a pre rolled sheet (and you don’t have to use as much, either. I just like loads of pastry). Place the cooked mushroom mix into a roughtly 7 x 10 inch (18 x 25 cm) oven dish and cover with the pastry so the edges just overlap.
    6. Brush the pastry with a bit of soy milk and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the pastry turns a crispy golden colour.
    7. Serve hot with your vegetarian Sunday roast, kids!

]]> http://www.messyvegetariancook.com/2010/07/21/hello-pie-exit-steak-enter-mushrooms/feed/ 4 Vegan White Pizza With a Beer Crust http://www.messyvegetariancook.com/2009/10/12/vegan-white-pizza-with-a-beer-crust/ http://www.messyvegetariancook.com/2009/10/12/vegan-white-pizza-with-a-beer-crust/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:24:11 +0000 Kip http://www.messyvegetariancook.com/?p=733

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Who doesn’t love pizza? Since adopting a more vegan-friendly lifestyle, I’ve been experimenting a lot with pizzas. Fairly straightforward and 100% delicious, the standard tomato based pie is where we all start, but a childhood memory suddenly struck as I prepared to make yet another round of dough.

My best friend from my youth, Lynn, had a mother by whom I always felt incredibly spoiled when it came to food. She didn’t seem to have qualms about prices for meals and would take me to places I otherwise wouldn’t have thought to visit. One such meal was at a local bar/restaurant close to my US home, and that was when I was introduced to the concept of a white pizza. I just had to try to veganise it.

Recipe Notes

I got the idea of a beer based pizza crust from Cute and Delicious, only I used a modified version of a Linda Majzlik recipe instead. The beer adds quite a unique flavour to the dough and I’d highly recommend giving it a try, but feel free to use your own favourite pizza crust.

You’ll notice a slightly rotund crust in the above imagine. That’s because I had a go at a mushroom and cheddar Scheese stuffed crust. This is of course optional, but it’s fun to play around with!

This pizza may be vegan, but it’s seriously rich. I could barely finish 3 slices, and the same goes for my husband. I had to wait at least 7 minutes before eating the entire rest of the pizza.

Vegan White Pizza with a Beer Crust

Makes one 12 inch pizza
  • Beer Dough Ingredients
    • 225g strong white bread flour
    • 10g fresh yeast or 1 tsp easy-blend yeast
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 125ml veg-friendly beer (room temperature, not cold)
  • Olive Oil and Herb Base Ingredients
    • 3-4 cloves crushed and diced garlic
    • 1/4 cup lightly packed basil leaves, finely chopped
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Creamy Pizza Topping Ingredients
    • 1/4 cup ground cashew and almond
    • 1/4 cup soya milk
    • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 tbsp light miso
    • 1 tsp tahini
    • 1 tsp umeboshi vinegar
    • 1/4 tsp hot mustard powder
    • 3/4 tsp corn flour
    • More vegan cheese to top (optional)
  • Directions/Method
    1. For the dough, mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and gradually add the beer until you have a soft dough. Turn out onto a solid surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Ensure the bowl is scraped clean before coating with a bit of olive oil and returning the dough to rest inside. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for about 1 hour.
    2. Preheat the oven to hot. Really hot. I turn mine all the way up to 250 C. If using a stone, place in the oven to heat (same applies for cast iron). I always put pizza trays in to preheat also.
    3. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the olive oil and herb base and set aside.
    4. For the creamy cheese topping, simply mix all of the topping ingredients together. Use a blender, a pestle and mortar, or a good old fashioned spoon and bowl if you’d like. Your method of mixture will determine the texture of the sauce (so if you want a really smooth texture, blend it).
    5. Once the dough has risen to a point just below doubled, knead it once more and roll out on a lightly floured surface to approx 12-14 inches (depending on whether you want a crust). Transfer to your pre-heated pizza baking implement and form crusts by rolling edges inward.
    6. If using a cheap pizza tray, I suggest baking the crust for 1-2 minutes first in order to avoid a soggy bottom.
    7. Spread the oil and herb base over the entire pizza before pouring the creamy sauce on top. If desired, top the pizza with some additional vegan cheese.
    8. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until crusts start to brown.
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