There’s no denying the overall quality,
flavour and texture of many gluten-free products has improved immensely over
the last few years, with many of them being indistinguishable from the ‘real
thing’. But despite this my heart sank a little when I found out I’d been
allocated the Free From category to judge at this year’s annual British Pie
Awards (http://www.britishpieawards.co.uk)
held in Melton Mowbray this week.
As fellow judges tucked into Steak and Ale
pies, Chicken pies and of course Pork pies, I braced myself, with three other
judges, to tackle the 34 pies in our category. The first one got us off to a
good start, a good homely chicken and vegetable pie that would have gone down
well at any family meal. And from then on, apart from a few soggy bottoms and strange
fillings, the standard overall was very high. The winning pie in this category
was a delicious Free From Steak and Ale Pie from The Biddestone Arms in
Wiltshire who offer a separate gluten-free menu to their diners.
Gluten-free pastry is not easy to work with
as the lack of gluten can cause the dough to be crumbly and difficult to roll
out, but by adding a little xanthan gum (made by Dove’s Farm, available from
health food shops) and using an egg instead of water to bind the dough, you can
achieve good results. You may not think a pie plays any part in a healthy diet
but if the filling is packed with vegetables and you just have a pastry top
(not top and bottom as required in the British Pie Awards) there’s no reason
not to enjoy a comforting pie now and again.
These gluten-free spicy vegetable pot pies
were inspired by another excellent Free From pie (Clive’s Organic Gluten-Free
Aloo Gobi Pie from Buckfast Organic Bakery) at the awards.
Gluten-free Spicy Vegetable Pot Pies
Prep: 40 min + chilling
Cook: 35 min
Makes: 4
For
the pastry
200g gluten-free flour (such as Dove’s farm
plain white flour blend)
Pinch of salt
1/4tsp xanthan gum
100g dairy-free spread
1 medium egg, beaten
For
the filling
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 tomatoes, quartered
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 red chilli, deseeded
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Low-cal spray oil
1/2tsp ground turmeric
1tsp ground coriander
1/2tsp garam masala
½ tsp cumin seeds
300ml water
150g small cauliflower florets
150g butternut squash cut into small cubes
1 medium courgette cut into cubes
100g frozen peas
2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1tbsp nigella seeds
1 For the pastry, sift the flour, salt and
xanthan gum into a bowl. Rub in the dairy-free spread until the mixture
resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add most of the beaten egg (leaving a little in the
bowl to glaze the pastry before baking) and bring together to form a dough.
Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 min.
2 While the pastry is chilling, blend the
onion, tomatoes, ginger, chilli and garlic in a food processor to make a paste.
Heat a pan, spray with a little spray oil, add the paste and cook for 2-3min,
stirring. Add the turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala and cumin seeds and
cook for a further 2min.
3 Pour in 300ml water and add the
vegetables, except the peas. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and
simmer for 5 min, then add the peas and cook for a further 5 min until the
vegetables are just tender. Stir in the fresh coriander.
4 Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
Divide the filling between four 200ml ovenproof dishes. Divide the pastry into
four equal pieces and roll out, one at a time, to just larger than the top of
your dishes (it will crack slightly but keep pushing it together with your
fingers). Brush the rim of the dish with water, place the pastry over the top
and roughly the crimp the edge. Brush with the remaining beaten egg and
sprinkle over a few nigella seeds. Bake for 20 min until the pastry is pale
golden and the filling is hot.
For more healthy recipes visit www.healthyfood.co.uk
