I have been making these delightful little pies for years, as one of my family members has been a vegetarian for years, and funnily enough all the meat eaters love them too! This often happens when I serve a vegetarian dish I have to make plenty for everyone, not just the vegetarian.
They are fairly easy to make, especially if you use store bought pastry for the bases and the top, and lately I have been sprinkling poppy or sesame seeds on top for a pretty effect. A great treat for the non-meat eaters at your table….enjoy making them as much as eating them!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 cup brown lentils, washed
- 2 sheets of ready made shortcrust pastry, thawed
- 2 sheets of ready made puff pastry, thawed
- Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling on top
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and carrot and cook stirring for 7 minutes, or until the onion Is soft.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the spices and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the tomato, lentils, 1 tsp of salt and 1 litre of water.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Add more water if it is too dry. Season with salt and pepper.
- Allow to cool slightly before adding to the pie cases.
- Heat oven to 180°C, and grease a 12 hole cupcake tin, (it doesn’t really matter what exact size they are)
- Cut the shortcrust pastry to fit inside the holes of the cupcake tin, prick the pastry with a fork, and bake for 5 minutes just to set the bases so the lentils do not make them soft when added.
- Add about a tablespoon full of the lentils to sit just level with the top of the pastry.
- Cut the puff pastry to fit the size of the tops of the pies, and seal the edges, prick top one with a fork to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is browned on top and puffed up.
- Allow to cool slightly and carefully lift out with a spoon.
- Serve with a nice tomato relish, or just on their own.
Enjoy these lovely little alternatives to beef pies and let me know what you thought of them by leaving a comment below ♥
