The feast goes on: Turkey & mushroom pie

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The feast goes on: Turkey & mushroom pie

By Annie Bell

Published: | Updated:

Food stylist: Louise Kenney. Props stylist: Charlie Phillips

After all the indulgence of Christmas Day, this uses up the leftover turkey but also gets us back on track with plenty of veggies, beans and a crispy wholemeal top.

SERVES 6

FILLING 

30g unsalted butter

700g large white onions, peeled, halved and sliced

flaky sea salt (eg Maldon)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

200g button mushrooms, stalks trimmed and halved

150ml turkey stock

500g leftover turkey, diced

200g tin rustic bean mix or white beans (drained weight), rinsed

4 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to serve (optional)

TOP

200g wholemeal breadcrumbs (see tip)

75g turkey gravy or stock (ideally jellied)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onions, sprinkle over a teaspoon of sea salt and gently fry over a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them colouring. By the end they should be lusciously silky and soft.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat then fry the mushrooms for several minutes until lightly coloured, stirring occasionally, and transfer to a medium bowl.
  • Purée the onions with the stock in a blender until silky smooth then transfer the sauce to a large bowl and leave to cool for about 30 minutes. Stir in the turkey, mushrooms, beans and parsley.
  • Transfer this to a shallow ovenproof dish (around 20cm x 30cm). The filling can be prepared well in advance, in which case cover and chill.
  • To cook the pie, preheat the oven to 210C/190C fan/ gas 6½. For the top, whiz the breadcrumbs with the gravy and oil to a crumble consistency in a food processor, taking care that they don’t turn into a dough. Scatter this over the filling and bake the pie for 30-35 minutes until the crumbs are golden.
  • Serve scattered with extra parsley if wished.

TIP If the crusts are soft they will make excellent breadcrumbs, but if they’re crusty it’s best to use just the inside of the loaf.

Annie’s latest cookbook, Eat to Save the Planet, will be published on 31 December by Bluebird, price £16.99