Comfort food: chunky potatoes, soft sweet onions and tangy tomatoes with melty vegan cheese and garlic. All piled into a pastry case and baked. You might recognise this dish by its other name of Homity Pie.
Potato Onion and Vegan Cheese Pie by Fairfoods
Ingredients
1 batch shortcrust pastry using 200g flour (see recipe below)
¾ lb (350 g) potatoes, large dice
2 tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
¾ lb (350 g) onions, chopped
4 oz (100 g) vegan cheese, grated - we use Bute Island Smoked Melty Sheese
2 tomatoes, chopped roughly
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt & pepper
Method
Roll out the pastry and fit into a 9 inch quiche dish or foil dish. Prick bottom and sides of pastry with a fork to prevent blistering and rising. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 200C/400F oven for 8 minutes.
Boil or steam potatoes until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan. Add onion; cook and stir until onion is tender and really soft. Add to the bowl containing your potatoes, together with the cheese, tomatoes and garlic. Stir together and then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes, then use to fill the pastry case. Smooth down and immediately bake, uncovered, in a preheated 220C/425F oven for 22-30 minutes, until golden.
pastry for one nine inch tart dish:
3 oz (85g) white self-raising flour
3 oz (85g) wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp salt
40 ml olive/rapeseed/sunflower oil
60-85 ml cold water
Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl, and stir in the oil. Rub it in a bit if you like, it will stay in small globules, that's fine.
Add the water and mix with a fork until just combined. Start with 60 ml, add more if needed, enough to bring the dough together into a ball.
Roll the dough out into a circle large enough to fit a nine inch quiche dish. The self-raising (SR) flour in it makes the pastry rise, so roll it out fairly thinly, or use plain white flour instead of SR.
Transfer the dough carefully into the prepared dish. Trim the excess dough with a knife.
Blind bake for 11 minutes in the pre-heated oven, pricking the dough, but not covering it before it goes in the oven.
You can enjoy more delicious dishes from Fairfoods at The West Midlands Vegan Festival, which takes place on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October 2016 from 10am to 6pm both days, at Wolverhampton Civic Hall, North Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RQ. Admission is just £1 (under 16's free), payable at the door. Visit www.midlandsveganfestival.org.uk for more information.