Recently I have been all about going green and trying out flexitarian options. For those new to the blog, I am trying to mostly eat vegetarian. So for this st paddy's day I decided to do something a little different to the usual Guinness stew filled with meat. Its amazing how certain ingredients sing if you give them the space to do so. This pie is a prime example of simple flavours at their best. The combination of greens makes for a sweet tasting pie with the perfect saltiness from the stock. Lets not even go there about the beautiful buttery puff pastry that flakes off and reveals the gooey filling. This pie is surprisingly easy to make and don't feel guilty about the store bought puff pastry. I don't.

It might not sport Guinness, but in true Irish spirit, the green more than makes up for it.

As Irish poet Samuel Beckett so eloquently puts it (and in my mind, wise words that lay the foundation to great, venturesome cooking)
"Ever Tried. Ever Failed. No Matter. Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better."

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

1 garlic glove, finely chopped

1 tablespoon thyme

6 leeks, chopped

1 cup of tender stem broccoli, chopped

50 grams asparagus, chopped

1 cup of peas

2 tablespoons spelt flour

2 cups of vegetable stock

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 rolls of puff pastry

Instructions:

Add the diced onion to a frying pan over a medium heat until softened.

Add the garlic and thyme.

Add the chopped leeks and let them cook down for 15 minutes until they are soft and sweet.

Add the chopped tender stems, peas and asparagus.

Add the spelt flour and stir the greens.

Add the vegetable stock and allow simmer down to a gravy.

Remove from heat and add the lemon zest.

Roll out your puff pastry on a floured surface. Make sure it is big enough to fill a 20cm pie dish. Once you have filled the pie dish trim the edges off the puff pastry. Allow a little excess as the pastry shrinks when baking. Place a sheet of grease paper on the pie dish and add your baking beans. I used rice to hold down the puff pastry during a blind bake. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

Once your base has baked fill the pie with your filling. How you top the pie is up to you. I did lattice work on mine but you can also roll out a solid top. The lattice isn't perfect but it was my first time and it was a lot of fun making my pie so pretty!

Whisk an egg and egg brush the top of your pie before popping it into the oven to bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

-Melissa