Mushroom and Ale Pie

• Ingredients
  • Oil, to fry
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 220g-280g (3-4 cups) diced mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 475ml (2 cups) vegan ale + 2 tbsp extra (30ml)
  • 1.5 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp Natex or other yeast extract
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 30g mixed dried mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 350g puff pastry
  • Soy milk, for brushing pastry

• 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!

Mushroom and Asparagus Udon Noodles

• Ingredients
  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp groundnut (peanut) oil
  • udon noodles for two
  • 2 large open cap mushrooms (field or portobello are fine)
  • 125g asparagus tips
  • 1 small onion, halved and sliced
  • toasted sesame seeds
  • chives and/or spring onions
  • pickled ginger, sliced into thin lengths

• Directions/Method
  1. Place the dried shiitake mushrooms in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour the boiling water over and leave for 20-30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, pressing as much liquid out as possible, and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, trim the stem off, slice the caps, and place them back in the broth. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and salt.
  2. Prepare your noodles per the package instructions.
  3. Heat a wok to a high temperature and add the oil. Stir fry the onion and asparagus for 3-4 minutes. I tend to steam the fresh mushroom, but if you’d rather omit this step you can chuck them in the wok, too.
  4. To serve, place the noodles on a plate with a curved lip, or in a bowl, alongside the steamed mushrooms and stir fried vegetables. Garnish with slivers of pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds, and spring onions or chives. Sprinkle with a little bit of sesame oil for added flavour.

Tofu Drop Miso Soup in Mushroom Dashi

• Ingredients
  • 400ml hot water
  • 1 dried shiitake mushroom
  • 1 small piece of kombu
  • 1.5 tbsp each white and dark miso (I use barley)
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 80g (1/4 cup) silken tofu
  • 1.5 tbsp plain white flour
  • 1/8 tsp black salt
  • pinch of turmeric
  • 1 spring onion, sliced thinly

• Directions/Method
  1. To make the dashi place the mushroom, kombu and water into a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or so. If you’re not super keen on the kombu flavour, you can minimise its time in the broth (I generally add it for just 5-10 minutes).
  2. Meanwhile whisk the silken tofu, flour, black salt, and turmeric in a small bowl, until smooth.
  3. Remove the mushroom and kombu from the water and set the mushroom aside to cool. Add the miso pastes and sesame oil to the pot, ensuring it’s well mixed. Try not to over heat the mixture, ensuring it stays below a boil at all times (or you risk killing some of what’s good in miso).
  4. Stir the soup and then slowly pour the tofu mixture into the pot. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come out in a smooth stream; lumps are okay. Cut the stem off of the mushroom, which should now be dry, and slice or dice the head before chucking it back into the soup as well.
  5. Serve warm with spring onion (scallion) to garnish.

Vegan Breakfast Samosas

• Ingredients
  • 10 samosa pastry wrappers
  • flour/water paste to bind samosas
  • 4 slices facon (vegan bacon), diced
  • 100g mushrooms, diced
  • 80g medium soft tofu
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp black salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander
  • Peanut/groundnut oil, to deep fry

• Directions/Method
  1. Add a splash of oil to a large wok or frying pan and cook the mushrooms and onion over a medium high heat for a minute or so. Add the facon and crumble the tofu into the pan. Continue to fry for four or 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to look dry and slightly browning. Mix in the coriander, salt, and garlic, cooking for a further 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 15 or 20 minutes.
  2. Heat a few inches of oil in a wok or deep fryer to a medium heat.
  3. Make your samosas by placing about 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the corner of each strip of pastry, with the basic gist being to roll the pastry into a triangle.
  4. You can fry a few samosas at a time, but don’t overload the pan (nothing should be on top of anything else). Fry until golden brown and crispy (this shouldn’t take very long at all). Drain the best you can and, if possible, place on a mesh or tempura rack while making the other breakfast samosas. You can use paper towels too, but the samosas may not retain their crispness so much.
  5. Eat hot or cold, with your favourite sauces (a mix of ketchup and mayo is good, as is salsa) or plain.

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

• Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 stick of celery, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 250g button mushrooms, diced, plus a couple spare
  • 20g dried mushrooms (I used a mixture of shiitake plus a field mushroom mix)
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • 100ml white wine
  • 1 tsp salt (maybe less if you use a very salty stock)
  • 1/2 cup single cream (120ml)

• Directions/Method
  1. In a large saucepan fry the diced onion and celery over medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft. Dice the mushrooms, leaving the spares aside, and add them to the pan. Cook another few minutes before adding the minced garlic.
  2. After a minute, turn the heat down to medium low and add the stock, wine, and dried mushrooms. Cover with a fitted lid and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes.
  3. Allow the soup to cool before liquidising it in a blender or food processor. Add the vegan cream and blend until smooth and mixed. If you want a slightly more runny soup, add some more stock or water at this point.
  4. Slice the spare mushrooms thinly and add them them to the pan along with the blended soup. Reheat for 15-20 minutes (enough time for the newly added mushrooms to cook).
  5. Serve hot with a chunk of crusty bread.

Fresh Nigari Tofu in a Hot Vegan Dashi Broth

• Ingredients
  • Two blocks of tofu (firm-ish)
  • Hot water
  • 3 Dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
  • 1/2-1 tsp sugar
  • Splash of sesame oil
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • Chili flakes (optional)

• Directions/Method
  1. First make the broth by putting about 1 1/2-2 cups of hot water in a pot with the dried shiitake mushrooms. The number of mushrooms used for making the broth is only a suggestion and is based on the quality of the mushrooms as well as size. Add the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and optional chili to the broth also at this time. Leave this to simmer over a low heat while you prepare the tofu.
  2. To prepare the tofu, place the blocks in a bath of hot water over a low heat. Don’t boil the tofu as you still want it in one piece. This serves no purpose other than to heat the tofu.
  3. After the broth has been a-brewin’ for 20 minutes or so, add a little bit of sesame oil to the broth, then remove the mushrooms and set aside. You can slice the meaty body away from the stems and serve with this dish (or another, like my inclusion in a mixed bean salad).
  4. Remove the bean curd from its hot bath and place each piece in the centre of empty bowls. Gently pour the broth over the hot tofu, using a spoon to catch the majority of the ginger and garlic as the liquid pours away. Top the hot bean curd with the remaining garlic and ginger, and serve immediately while hot.

Simple and Easy Udon Recipe

• Ingredients
  • Approx 1-1.5 cups boiling water
  • 2-3 smallish dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp tamari
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • Tiny splash of sesame oil
  • 100g dried udon noodles
  • Chives to garnish (optional)

• Directions/Method
  1. Make the broth first. Do this by simply mixing all of the ingredients but the sesame oil, noodles, and chives together. Leave to brew on a low heat for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Remove the shiitake mushrooms, which will now be fluffy and edible. Avoid and discard the stem by chopping the sides off around it (it’s edible but very tough). Dice the mushrooms.
  3. Cook the noodles as instructed. I tend to boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain the udon noodles and split between two bowls.
  4. Pour the broth over the noodles and garnish with the diced shiitake mushrooms and chives (if desired). Drizzle a small splash of sesame oil over each dish and serve.

Mushroom Towers with Saffron-Garlic Polenta and Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

• Ingredients for roasted tomatoes:
  • 250g baby plum tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tbsp vegetarian worcestershire sauce

• Ingredients for mushrooms:
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • olive oil
  • 4 portabella or white cap mushrooms for stuffing
  • Shredded vegan cheddar (optional)

• Ingredients for polenta:
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup polenta
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 tbsp chestnut puree
  • Large pinch of saffron
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Salt to taste

• Directions/Method
  1. Brush undersides of mushrooms with oil and then combine the vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar for the mushrooms. Spread over the inside of the mushrooms evenly and leave to marinate until ready to put into the oven.
  2. Combine the olive oil, salt, and mushrooms. Mix well and place on a roasting tin or tray in a 175 degree celcius preheated oven for approx 45 minutes to one hour. I like them to be quite well roasted (read: burnt), so I might up the oven temperate and stick the fan on, too. I strongly dislike raw tomatoes, so that’s probably why.
  3. For the polenta, begin by placing the water in a saucepan and adding the saffon threads to infuse for a few minutes. Keep the hob on a low heat and add the garlic and polenta. Whisk until smooth and leave over a very low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often. The mixture will thicken a bit.
  4. After 20 minutes or so, add nutritional yeast, chestnut puree, and salt to the polenta mixture. Remove from heat.
  5. On a flat tray, stuff the mushrooms with even amounts of the polenta mixture and place in oven with the tomatoes for the remaining 15-20 minutes (give or take).
  6. To serve, mix the roasted tomatoes with the balasmic vinegar and worcestershire sauce. Decorate edges of two bowls or plates with tomatoes and place a mushroom in the middle of each. Stack a second mushroom on top, like a sandwich, and sprinkle with “cheese”, if desired.
  7. Serve smiling, and hopefully take a better picture than I did (it honestly looked better in real life!)