Shops are now starting to stock some pasties for the vegan, which is great news. Ginsters have produced a vegan one (haven’t seen it myself yet), and so have Morrison’s. Just in case you’re caught short, though, I thought I’d come up with a pasty recipe for you. You never know when you might need it!

I’ve gone for a Cornish style pastry for this one, though the filling is nothing at all resembling the traditional Cornish pasty. This is a large pasty that is quite suitable to have as a main meal, perhaps with a salad, or to wrap up and take to work with you for lunch. It’s easy to make, but the pastry does take a bit longer to chill than regular shortcrust. You also have to knead it for longer to really activate the gluten, just as you would with bread.

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Prep time: about 30 minutes. Resting time: 90 minutes. Cooking time: About 1 hour 15 minutes.

Makes 4 large pasties.

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

75g gram (chickpea) flour

500g strong white bread flour

120g solid coconut oil (Stork make a block of this now)

120g vegan butter/margarine

1 level tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

150ml cold water

For the Filling:

I heaped tbsp coconut oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

4-5 kale leaves, washed, stalks discarded and leaves thinly sliced

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 can borlotti beans, rinsed and drained

1 veg stock cube (make sure it’s vegan)

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

150ml vegan cream

A dash of black pepper

To top:

Plant milk for brushing

A sprinkling of sea salt

A large pinch of dried oregano

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Method:

The pastry will need a long time to rest, so make this first. Put all of the pastry ingredients, up to and including the baking powder, either into a large mixing bowl or into the bowl of a food-processor. Break up with your fingers if using the mixing bowl, until you have fine breadcrumbs. If using the food-processor, pulse briefly and repeatedly until you get the same texture, then transfer to a mixing bowl.

Now add the water and mix with a table knife, until the dough begins to come together. Use your hands to bring it all together fully.

Knead for a good 5 minutes on a work surface, until you have a smooth elastic dough, then cover and leave in the fridge for about 90 minutes.

Meanwhile make the filling. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan and cook the sweet potatoes, on a medium heat, for 6-8 minutes, until slightly tender. Add the sliced mushroom and cook for another 4 minutes, stirring often. Put in the kales leaves and the chopped garlic and give it another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Now put in the rest of the ingredients and stir in, then turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to gas 5/190C/375F.

When the pastry is ready, take it out of the fridge and divide it into 4 equal parts. Roll each portion out to approximately the size of a side plate, then put ¼ of the filling onto each rolled pastry. Brush the inside edges with plant milk, then gently roll the pastry over and fold the edges to join them. Put 2 small slits into the top of each pasty with a sharp knife, then place onto a large baking sheet and brush the tops with more plant milk.

Sprinkle on the sea salt and oregano, then bake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and cooked. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

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