Wild Bill's mushroom, chestnut & mustard pie

Download the printable Wildcraft recipe sheet (PDF)

Standard recipe | Gluten-free option | Vegan option

Chunky mushrooms, chestnuts and a mustard-and-ale gravy, finished with a golden shortcrust lid. The trick from my kitchen trial was to reduce the beer and stock separately, then bring the filling back in: a gravy that's thick but still runny.

A proper pie... almost

I had grand plans for this one: homemade shortcrust pastry, a base as well as a lid, and a 'proper pie'. Then I got home late from the brewery and the base never happened. So the pie in these pictures has just a shortcrust top. That's how it was cooked, and that's the version I've written up here - real life has a habit of editing the menu. - Mike

The standard recipe

Serves 4 | Prep 25 minutes | Hob about 30 minutes | Cool 20-30 minutes | Bake 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, divided
• 600g chestnut mushrooms, cut into chunky pieces
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 250ml Wild Bill Hiccup
• 200ml vegetable stock
• 180g ready-cooked peeled chestnuts, roughly broken up
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp tamari
• 1 tbsp cornflour (used dry, not mixed with water)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• About 300-350g shortcrust pastry, homemade or ready-made, enough for a lid with a small overhang
• A little plain flour for rolling
• 1 tbsp milk, for brushing

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide frying pan. Brown the mushrooms in two batches over medium-high heat, allowing 6-8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Cook the onion and carrot over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, tomato puree and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms.
3. Turn up the heat and pour the beer into the empty pan. Scrape up the browned bits to deglaze, and let it reduce slightly. Add the stock and simmer briskly for about 5 minutes, aiming to reduce the combined liquor by roughly half. Use the volume as your guide: the time depends on your pan and hob.
4. While the liquor reduces, add the mustard, tamari and chestnuts to the bowl of vegetables. Sprinkle the dry cornflour evenly over the filling and mix thoroughly so there are no visible dry pockets.
5. Tip the coated filling into the hot liquor and stir. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the cornflour is cooked and the gravy thickens. Aim for thick but still flowing gravy that coats the mushrooms. If too thick, add a splash of stock or water. Taste before adding salt.
6. Transfer to a roughly 1.5-litre pie dish, leaving room below the rim. Cool for 20-30 minutes until no longer steaming. Heat the oven to 200 C / 180 C fan / gas 6.
7. Roll the shortcrust pastry to about 3-4mm thick and fit it over the dish, pressing around the edge. Cut a steam vent and brush with milk. This recipe is for a lid only; a pastry base needs a different baking method.
8. Bake on a tray for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and golden and the filling is bubbling hot. Follow packet guidance where appropriate. Rest for 5 minutes and serve with vegetables.

Make it gluten-free

Use gluten-free shortcrust pastry and gluten-free flour for rolling. Check the stock, mustard, tamari and cornflour are labelled gluten free. Keep preparation surfaces and utensils free of gluten cross-contact. Wild Bill Hiccup is gluten free, but check the beer's cereal-allergen declaration.

Make it vegan

Use shortcrust pastry made with plant-based fat (check ready-made pastry for butter or lard), vegan vegetable stock and unsweetened plant milk for the glaze. The filling otherwise stays the same. For a vegan AND gluten-free pie, apply both sets of swaps.

Mike cooked the standard shortcrust-topped version at home. The gluten-free and vegan swaps have not been separately kitchen-tested. No homemade pastry formula is specified: use your preferred recipe or ready-made pastry.

Allergens and alcohol

Standard version: wheat/gluten in ordinary pastry and rolling flour; milk in the glaze and possibly pastry; soya in tamari; mustard; possible celery in stock. Check all ingredient labels and the beer's cereal allergens. Cooking does not guarantee removal of all alcohol.

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