April 23rd marks the start of asparagus season and we are now starting to see British asparagus appear on the shelves. Young asparagus is a thin and tender vegetable that is perfect for cooking a variety of dishes. It cooks quickly, so you must keep an eye on it. The more mature plant is thicker and woodier. The base of this often needs to be removed as it is too tough to eat (you can use it in soups and stocks that involve longer cooking times, but otherwise it will need to be discarded).
I’ve chosen the younger asparagus for this recipe, as it is pan-fried in olive oil before being roasted, which will be enough to get it tender throughout. You want to, in fact, be careful not to over cook it. I would recommend just a couple of minutes in the pan before placing it inside the pastry, as you don’t want it soft before it goes in the oven.
Please Click on the Ads!
The recipe posts contain a small amounts of ads to help fund the recipes. Please show your support for the work done here by clicking on an ad as you are reading the recipes xx
These pastries are remarkably simple to make using pre-made puff pastry (just make sure it’s vegan). You can also prep a lot of it ahead of time, chill it all in the fridge and assemble the pastries when you’re ready to cook them, making them a perfect after work meal if you’ve prepped them the night before. They also make fantastic buffet food and can be eaten hot or cold.
If you want a gluten-free version, all you need do is change the pasty. The crème fraiche used has oats in it, which can be unsuitable for coeliacs. Vegan yoghurt and a little vegan cream will be a fine substitute in this case.

Asparagus, Mushroom and Leek Pastries
Ingredients
Easy to make gluten-free.
For the Mushroom and Leek Bechamel:
- 25 g vegan butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250 g mushrooms sliced
- 2 leeks sliced and washed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 200 ml vegan crème fraiche
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
For the Asparagus:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250 g young asparagus spears ideally 32 spears
You Will Also Need:
- 1 x 500g block ready-made puff pastry make sure it’s vegan
Instructions
- First make sure your pastry is out of the fridge. You want it just soft enough to be able to roll out comfortably, so about 30 minutes should do it.
- To make the mushroom and leek bechamel, heat the butter and oil in a saucepan or wok until hot enough to fry. Add the mushrooms and leeks and cook for about 10 minutes, until softened and slightly browned. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in the crème fraiche and nutritional yeast and then gently simmer for 3-5 minutes, until it has slightly thickened. Turn off the heat and set aside until it has cooled.
- Cook the asparagus in a clean pan by heating the olive oil and gently frying the asparagus for 4-6 minutes. You want it slightly softened and a little browned, but not cooked through. Again, set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to gas 6/200C/400F and line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
- Divide the pastry block into 8 equal pieces. Roll out one of the 8 pastry pieces on a lightly floured surface, until you get a thin rectangle about 15cm long and 10cm wide. Transfer the pastry to the baking sheet, turning it slightly so that is facing you in a diamond shape.
- Now spoon 1/8 of the mushroom mixture along the diamond line in the centre of the pastry, point to point. Place 4 asparagus spears on top of the mushroom mix, 2 end to end, so that the tips are facing out towards the point of the pastry. You should have 2 empty flaps of pastry to the left and right of your filling, which you are going to fold over the top.
- Take the left empty flap of pastry and fold it over the top of the filling. Brush the top of that with a little of the vegan milk, then fold over the right one. Press down gently to seal. Now brush the entire pastry with the milk and gently score with a sharp knife (it doesn’t matter if you go through the pastry a little).
- Repeat this process until you have all 8 pastries laid out on the 2 baking sheets.
- Place them both in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, swapping the trays over halfway through, until they are all risen and golden brown. Serve hot or cold.


Roasted Asparagus, Basil and Walnut Pesto Served with Baby Potatoes and Broad Beans
You can get asparagus imported all year round in most supermarkets, but British asparagus has its growth season between May and July, with early appearance often at the end of April. Now is the perfect time to make use to these green spears in your everyday cooking. My choice for this recipe was to roast…
Vegan Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
What is it about a plate of plump vegan meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, nestled comfortably on a soft pillow of spaghetti that is so satisfying even before a single mouthful is taken? It is a dish where even the sight and smell of it has its own umami. It creates thrilling anticipation from…
Vegan Enchiladas
To veganise something like Enchiladas now is incredibly easy with the variety of ingredients available in most supermarkets. For this one I have used fresh vegan mince, along with mushrooms and onions for the chilli base. Don’t worry if you don’t like eating vegan mince, you can always substitute this chilli for my Sweet Potato,…
Spanish Lentils with Vegan Chorizo and Black Pudding
I first tried this dish about 25 years ago, when my Spanish girlfriend made it for me in a bedsit we shared in North London back in the mid-nineties. It was cooked on one of those old Baby Belling stoves that you would often see in bedsits back in those days (they might still have…
Vegan Fudge Cookies
We’ve been enjoying packets of vegan fudge in our house for quite a while now and a recent conversation with my wife got me thinking about how great it would be to have the fudge in a cookie, just like it was chocolate chip. This recipe is the product of that discussion: a very simple…
Potato, Courgette and Leek Gratin
With the products available now, a traditional gratin is very easy to turn into a vegan meal. Having good quality alternatives to butter, milk, cream and cheese are essential to giving the gratin its uniquely rich flavour. Thankfully, all of these are now easily obtainable in most supermarkets, giving us the option of having a…