Vegetable pithiviers

Vegetarian Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 x 500g/18 oz packet of puff pastry
Plain flour
1 egg, beaten (for washing)
Salt and pepper

For the filling:

2 red peppers
50g/2 oz butter
2 aubergines, cut into thin slices
8 breakfast mushrooms, sliced very thinly
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. port
175g/6 oz baby leaf spinach cooked in a little butter

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Place the peppers on an open gas flame or under a grill, turning once the skin blackens. When the peppers are completely black, allow to cool slightly and then gently scrap the skin off with a knife. Split the peppers and remove the seeds. Slice thinly and season.
• Cook the aubergine in a grill pan having brushed the slices in a little olive oil. Season once cooked.
• Fry the garlic and mushrooms together and once the mushrooms begin to soften, increase the heat and add the port. Season well. Cook until all of the liquid has been reduced.
• Wilt the spinach very briefly in the butter. Season well.
• Now you can start to assemble the dish. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface so that you end up with 8 squares of about 16cm/6 ½ inches. Place four squares on a greased baking tray. Brush the borders of the squares with beaten egg. Place a 9cm/3 ½ inch cutter in the middle of the first square, this is used to keep the filling in place. Be careful not to press it through the pastry. Using a smaller spoon, place ¼ of the mushroom mixture into the cutter, then add ¼ of the spinach, then ¼ of the aubergine followed by ¼ of the peppers. Press down lightly on the filling and remove the cutter.
• Place another square of pastry on top and seal down around the edges, expelling any air. Using a larger cutter or a small knife cut away the excess pastry. Repeat this with the other 3 pastry squares until all of the mixture has been used up. Egg wash and score the pastry in a swirl design. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden.