Leek and Mushroom Pie

I love the delicate flavour of leek and mushroom pie, it is satisfying on it’s own or when paired with bacon or chicken. Serve it with a salad and some roasted veg and you have a balanced, nutritious meal.
A note about leeks: because they are grown in sandy soil you need wash them really, really well. Don’t know how to do that? Here’s a handy video from Dani Spies (she’s got a great YouTube channel for learning about food prep):
Crust:
Use your favourite recipe or a store bought crust. If you want an easy pie crust recipe, check out this Pastry Dough from Epicurious.
Filling:
- Two large leeks, cut into moons and cleaned well
- 1 C sliced mushrooms (any kind)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 C milk
- 1/2 C sharp cheddar, grated
- 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
- 1/4 tsp ground sage
- 1/4 C chopped chives
- 1/2 Tsp white pepper
- 4-6 rashers of bacon chopped and browned (you could substitute cooked chicken if you don’t eat pork)
- 1 egg well beaten
- Salt and pepper to your taste
Instructions:
- Heat oil and butter in a saute pan with high sides.
- Add the leeks and mushrooms and saute until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Sprinkle in the the flour and mix to coat the veg.
- Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add add the mustard and sage and stir.
- Stir in the cheese, chive and cooked bacon and let the filling simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Grease whatever baking pan you are going to use.
- Put sauce in the bottom of your baking pan.
- Roll out crust to 1/4″ thickness to fit the top of your backing pan and place on top, with a 1/4″ to 1/2″ border.
- Tuck the crust into the filling and brush the crust all over with the beaten egg.
- Cut some vents into the crust.
- Give it a good grind of pepper and a pinch of salt over the top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove move from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. You can make this ahead and just reheat it when you are ready to eat.
Serves 6.