November 6, 2007: Leek, mushroom and asparagus pie

I had another bunch of asparagus left over from the ravioli and cannelloni and a hankering for something a bit special, just for me. Pastry. Cream sauce. Neil's solution is a chicken pie with morels and asaparagus, and with leeks in season, it's not difficult to beef up the mushroom quotient and make a vegetarian version.

This recipe makes enough for a family meal or in my case, enough to repackage the leftover filling in fresh pastry and share with Michael two days later.

Leek, mushroom and asparagus pie

~15g dried porcini mushrooms (more if you can afford them)
40g butter
1 leek, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
200g portobello mushrooms, sliced into meaty chunks
1 heaped tablespoon flour
2/3 cup "chicken" stock
100mL cream
10 stalks asparagus, sliced into 1 inch lengths
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
a little milk, for brushing the pastry

Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in hot water. Melt half the butter in a frypan and gently cook the leek and garlic until the leek is soft. Drain the rehydrated mushrooms and reserve the liquid. Finely slice the mushrooms and add them to the frypan, along with the fresh mushrooms.

In a separate small to medium saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Add the flour and stir to combine, allowing a minute or two to cook. Whisk in the stock and mushroom water, then the cream. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the cream sauce, asparagus and parsley to the frypan and season to taste. (I distributed the pepper generously but needed no more salt.) Turn the heat off after a further minute.

Thaw out the pastry. When it's flexible, spoon the filling into a casserole dish, cut the pastry to size, and place it carefully on top. Try to seal up the sides, but poke a few air holes in the pastry. Decorate with the leftover scraps, it's a crime to waste delicious pastry! Brush with a bit of milk.

Bake in the oven at 220 deg C for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.