Asparagus, Mushroom and Leek Pastries

April 23^rd 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.

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

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine British

Servings 8 Pastries

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

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.

Keyword asparagus, bechamel, mushrooms, pastry, puff pastry, vegan

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