Vegan Mushroom and Lentil Tourte

Soak the dried porcini in 250ml boiling water for 20 minutes, then lift them out and chop roughly; strain and reserve the soaking liquid. Rinse the Puy lentils and combine with 750ml cold water and the bay leaf in a saucepan. Dice the onion, celery and carrot, and mince the garlic.

Make the pastry: combine the flour and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl, add the cold cubed vegan butter, and press the chunks into flat flakes with your fingertips, leaving visible pea-sized pieces. Drizzle in the ice-cold water and bring the dough together with a bench scraper — it should look shaggy. Shape into a rectangle, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Bring the lentil pot to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 18–20 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain, discard the bay leaf, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes until deeply golden.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Raise the heat to high, add the cremini mushrooms and the reserved porcini, and cook without stirring for 4–5 minutes until well-browned on one side before tossing.

Pour in the cognac and cook for 1 minute, scraping any browned bits from the base of the pan, until the alcohol has evaporated.

Stir in the tomato purée, soy sauce, thyme, rosemary, smoked paprika and nutmeg and cook for 1 minute.

Sprinkle over the 2 tbsp flour, stir to coat everything, then pour in the reserved porcini soaking liquid and 100ml oat milk. Cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until thick and glossy. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Fold the cooked lentils into the mushroom mixture and spread on a tray to cool completely to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Divide the chilled pastry into two portions — roughly 60% for the base, 40% for the lid. Roll the larger piece to a round or oval about 3mm thick and use it to line a 22cm pie dish or cast-iron skillet, leaving a 2cm overhang.

Spoon the cooled filling into the pastry case and pack it evenly. Roll the smaller pastry piece to the same thickness, lay it over the filling, crimp the edges firmly together, and cut three 2cm steam vents in the lid. Brush the surface with the remaining oat milk.

Bake on a preheated baking sheet in the lower third of the oven for 35–40 minutes until the pastry is deep golden-brown and audibly crisp when tapped on the base. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.