Vegetarian Mince Pie

Mushroom, Lentil and Chestnut Mince Pie — Photo:
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Active Time:

1 hr 20 mins

Total Time:

6 hrs

Yield:

8 servings

This dramatic savory pastry, inspired by British raised meat pies, contains a fully vegetarian filling of mushrooms, roasted kale, and chestnuts.

The dough encasing this vegetarian mince pie is flaky and light, yet strong enough to hold the abundance within. The umami-forward filling includes macerated and chopped raisins add a hint of sweetness to the duxelles (a mix of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots, and herbs, fortified here with lentils), while chestnuts add rich nuttiness and satisfying texture.

This recipe is perfect if you love a project — there’s a lot of prep work, but the payoff is worth it: This pie is tall and majestic and looks quite stunning on a serving plate.

Frequently asked questions

What is mince pie?

Mince pie is a beloved British Christmas food. Traditionally, small, double-crusted pies are prepared with a mincemeat filling of beef suet and finely chopped dried fruit and nuts. This large, savory, vegetarian mince pie pays tribute to those mince pies in its architecture, transforming the holiday treat into a stunning main-course centerpiece.

What should I serve with this recipe?

This vegetarian centerpiece can hold its own against a variety of side dishes on a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday table, but would also be delicious simply paired with a green salad with a bright, acidic dressing.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

For ultimate umami flavor, roast the shiitake mushrooms and shallots, and then the kale, to just a shade beneath burnt. For the chestnuts, Theilen recommends Tuscanini Italian Chestnuts, which are already peeled. (Note that each pack is 3.5 ounces, so be sure to purchase enough for the 5 ounces this recipe calls for.)

Use a serrated knife to cut the pie so you don’t break the crust. There’s nothing binding the ingredients in here so it all just falls out once cut — think pot pie (loose filling). For a tidier cut, let the pie cool — when cold, it slices very nicely.

Suggested pairing

Our wine editor recommends an old-school, lightly oaky Rioja, such as an older vintage of R. López de Heredia Viña Cubillo Crianza to pair with earthy mince pie.

Make ahead

To make day of serving easier, you can prepare the crust and fillings the day before and refrigerate everything overnight, then assemble the day of and bake. The baked pie can be covered and stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. Warm in a 350°F oven until heated through. The pie dough can be stored, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in a freezer for up to 6 months; thaw overnight in a refrigerator before using.

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Ingredients

Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 11 1/4 ounces), plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter (preferably Kerrygold)
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup whole milk, plus more as needed
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoons water

Mushroom Duxelles

2/3 cup dried green du Puy lentils or black lentils
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup raisins
4 (8-ounce) packages whole fresh button mushrooms, stems trimmed
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped (2 cups)
1 3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2/3 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoons brandy
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Roasted Mushrooms

1 pound shallots, chopped
3 (3 1/2-ounce) packages whole fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
5 tablespoons canola oil or neutral cooking oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 (5 3/4-ounce) bunches lacinato kale, stemmed and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 (5-ounce) package peeled chestnuts (such as Tuscanini Italian Chestnuts), sliced (about 1 cup)

Directions

Make the crust: Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until butter chunks are the size of small peas. Drop egg yolk into a liquid measuring cup, and add milk, adding more if needed to reach exactly 2/3 cup. Whisk together until combined. Measure out 2 tablespoons egg-milk mixture, and set aside. Add remaining egg-milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. (Dough should clump when squeezed. If dough is too dry, add remaining 2 tablespoons egg-milk mixture.) Divide dough into 1 (13-ounce) portion and 1 (9-ounce) portion. Pat each portion into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Make the mushroom duxelles: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add lentils; cook, undisturbed, until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; set lentils aside. Combine 1 cup boiling water and raisins in a small dish; let stand until cool, about 30 minutes. Drain and discard water. Roughly chop raisins, and set aside.
Working in six batches, pulse button mushrooms in a food processor until mushroom pieces are the size of small peas, 6 to 8 pulses. (Alternatively, chop mushrooms by hand.) Set aside. Melt butter in an extra-large (14-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add leek, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring often, until leeks are bright green and soft, about 5 minutes. Add chopped button mushrooms, flour, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring often, until mushrooms wilt and liquid is released, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add wine, brandy, nutmeg, and ginger; cook, stirring often, until liquid reduces, thickens, and clings to mushrooms, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked lentils, chopped raisins, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Let mixture cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Make the roasted mushrooms: Place a large baking sheet in oven, and preheat oven to 425°F. Toss together shallots, shiitakes, 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large heatproof bowl. Remove hot baking sheet from oven, and scatter shiitake mixture evenly across pan. Return pan to preheated oven; roast until mushrooms are darkened and frizzled to a crisp at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven (do not turn oven off); return shiitake mixture to bowl. Add kale to baking sheet; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Massage kale to evenly coat with oil. Roast until crispy and dry, 8 to 10 minutes. Add kale to bowl with shiitake mixture; stir in chestnuts, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Remove dough from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Roll larger disk of dough into a 15-inch circle on a lightly floured surface; press into bottom and up sides of an 8-inch springform pan, leaving any overhang intact. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled, about 10 minutes. Roll out smaller disk to a 9-inch circle, and transfer to a baking sheet; place, uncovered, in refrigerator until ready to use.
Spoon cooled mushroom duxelles into bottom of chilled piecrust; smooth top flat. Top evenly with roasted mushroom mixture. Cover filling with 9-inch dough circle; trim overhang to 1/4 inch. Press dough edges together to seal; roll edges under and crimp. Cut 8 (2-inch) slits into top of pie. Stir together beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl, and brush over crust.
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 350°F until crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Tent pie edges with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning, if needed.) Remove pie from oven; let cool at least 20 minutes or up to 4 hours. Remove springform ring, and transfer pie to a cake plate. Slice using a serrated knife.