- Pre-heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / gas mark 7. Wrap the beetroot tightly in foil and roast for 1 hour until soft. Remove from the oven, unwrap and once cool enough to handle, rub off the peel and slice into 5mm thick rounds. Set aside to cool.
- Peel the squash and cut into 1cm cubes. Toss in one tablespoon of olive oil, season and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms whole until soft. You may need to add a splash of water to the pan and put a lid on it to help the mushrooms cook evenly. Set aside to cool.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Slice the leeks and add them to the butter. Sweat for 5 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, crush the cumin, coriander and cardamom then add to the leeks and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Add the rice and stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Pop a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat off and leave for another 10 minutes.
- Finally, add the squash and a generous pinch of salt and stir together. Spread the mixture out onto a baking tray to cool quickly.
Now to assemble the pie. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / gas mark 7. Lay one sheet of puff pastry on a lined baking sheet. Arrange the beetroot slices in the middle of the pastry so they overlap and make a rectangle approximately 10cm x 30cm. You will probably get two layers of beetroot in the space. Sit the mushrooms on top. Pile the rice mixture on top, moulding it with your hands to make a neat, domed, cylinder. Trim the edges of the pastry leaving an inch thick border around the filling. Lay the second sheet of puff over the top of the filling and use a little beaten egg to seal it to the border on the bottom sheet. Trim the edges and fold them over the seal. Use the blunt side of a kitchen knife to score lines in the chilled pastry to create a harlequin effect then brush with egg wash and cook for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the rice is piping hot.
To serve, cut into slices to reveal the layers within.
Duration It takes 30 mins to prepare and 40 mins to cook.
Ingredients (Organic) For a serving of 8 people.
8 cardamom pods
115g basmati rice
225ml hot vegetable stock
350g beetroot
250g squash (roughly half a medium squash)
2 table spoons of olive oil
4 large Portobello mushrooms
30g butter
2 leeks
1 table spoon of cumin seeds
1 table spoon of coriander seeds
2 packets of rolled puff pastry (320g each)
1 egg, beaten
