Savory Mushroom Chestnut Pie (Printer-friendly)
A warm dish combining mushrooms, chestnuts, and herbs wrapped in golden, flaky pastry.
# What You Need:
→ Filling
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 1 pound mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
05 - 5 ounces cooked peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
06 - 2 medium carrots, diced
07 - 2 celery stalks, diced
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
10 - 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon dry white wine
11 - 2/3 cup vegetable stock
12 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
13 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
14 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Pastry
15 - 18 ounces ready-rolled puff pastry (vegetarian if required)
16 - 1 egg, beaten (or 2 tablespoons milk for vegetarian glaze)
# How to Make It:
01 - Set the oven to 400°F (200°C).
02 - Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic; sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
03 - Incorporate mushrooms, diced carrots, and celery into the skillet. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until softened and mushrooms release their moisture.
04 - Stir in chopped chestnuts, fresh thyme leaves, and rosemary. Cook for 2 minutes to release flavors.
05 - Sprinkle flour evenly over the mixture and stir well. Cook for 1 minute to remove raw flour taste.
06 - Pour in dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add vegetable stock and soy sauce. Simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes until mixture thickens. Season with salt and black pepper.
07 - Remove skillet from heat and allow filling to cool slightly. Roll out half the puff pastry to line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish.
08 - Transfer filling into pastry-lined dish. Cover with remaining pastry, sealing edges securely. Trim excess dough and cut slits on top to release steam.
09 - Brush the pastry surface with beaten egg or milk to promote browning.
10 - Place pie in preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until pastry is golden and crisp.
11 - Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes to set before slicing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It tastes like the finest restaurant pie but comes together in under two hours, making you feel like a culinary genius without the stress.
- The filling is naturally vegetarian and so deeply savory that meat-eaters won't notice its absence—this is the dish that converts people at the table.
- Golden puff pastry hiding a treasure of tender vegetables means every forkful delivers both textural joy and comforting warmth.
02 -
- The flour is essential—don't skip it thinking you'll thicken the filling with the stock alone. Flour transforms the filling from soupy to silky, and the difference is extraordinary.
- Temperature matters more than you'd think: cool filling in a warm pie dish prevents sogginess at the bottom. Line your dish with pastry just before assembly.
- Don't skip the resting period. Those 10 minutes allow the filling to set, making your slices clean and beautiful instead of crumbly.
03 -
- Use at least three varieties of mushrooms—each brings its own flavor profile, and together they create a more complex, restaurant-quality depth that a single type simply cannot achieve.
- Don't rush the cooling step; filling that's still steaming will create a soggy bottom crust. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before transferring it to the pastry-lined dish.