Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie

Christmas when vegan or vegetarian used to just mean a sad nut roast or maybe a collection of side dishes with some veggie gravy granules Not all that delicious. I mean, just because we're vegan, doesn't mean we want to miss out on all the delicious and fun food over Christmas and the Holiday period. This is where a show stopping, party dish like this Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie comes in!

This recipe does take a little bit of prep, but that's kind of the point of Christmas food, you take care over it, then bear it triumphantly to the table, to ooohs and ahhhs.. before cutting into the masterpiece you have made and sharing it around. The centrepiece of the show needs to be pretty, and impressive. The side dishes should always be plentiful too. We have plenty of delicious and new festive ideas for you that we will share over the coming weeks.

This Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath is a variation on my favourite filo pie, which I make fairly often for parties, but in a pretty wreath form. If you have a bundt tin, or one of those tins with a middle insert, you can use that to create the wreath shape. We didn't, so improvised with a standard cake tin & a little bowl in the middle, which worked perfectly well.

You could probably get away with using a non-spring form tin, but I do think it is much easier to release the pie from one. We ended up serving the wreath on the base of ours, disguising it with a few sprigs of holly & rosemary.

This delicious Christmas main is worth the effort, as is all good food! Make sure you serve it with all your favourite festive sides. For us it's always roasted potatoes, some greens and our new favourite vegan stuffing balls (watch this space for the recipes! We're SO excited by what we have to share with you!)

Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie

The perfect pie for a Christmas Festive Main. Full of delicious vegan ingredients. 

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Christmas, Vegan

Keyword: butternut squash, christmas, dinner, filo pastry, main, pie

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Louise-Claire Cayzer

Ingredients

To Assemble the pie

• 1 pack filo pastry
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 100 g whole, fresh cranberries
• 100 g whole chestnuts roughly chopped.

For the Mushroom layer

• 500 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ⅓ cup white wine
• 1 tsp thyme
• pinch sale

For the Kale Pesto Layer

• 250 g kale leaves only
• 50 g pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• pinch salt

For the Squash Layer

• 1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeds taken out and chopped into cubes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch salt

Instructions

For the Butternut Squash

• Add all the squash ingredients into a large baking tray and roast on a medium heat (Gas Mark 6/ 200C) until soft and a little browned
• Roughly mash the roasted squash with a masher 

For the Kale Pesto

• Add all pesto ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until a chunky paste. Add more oil or salt if needed.

For the Mushrooms

• Add all the mushrooms & garlic into a large pan with the olive oil
• Gently fry until the mushrooms shrink, add the wine & herbs
• Cook until the liquid mostly evaporates. 

To Assemble the Pie:

• Open out the packet of filo pastry & cut the filo pastry into thin triangles (as pictured)  - You can cut all the layers together. 
  
• Slick the layers of filo pastry with olive oil and oil the tin. If you are using a little ramekin or bowl to create the centre of the wreath, oil that too. 
• Assemble layers of pastry in the base of the pan - Lay the larger end of the triangle on the outside edge, the pointy side facing the 'hole', The pastry should be wide enough to go over the edges of the tin. (This will help form the lid of the pie later)
  
• Keep layering until the whole pan has 2-3 layers of pastry over it. Add extra oil on some layers if they are a bit dry. 
• Now, fill the 'wreath' with the fillings.
• First, smear a thick layer of Kale Pesto
• Then add a layer of the mashed butternut squash
• Add the mushrooms, and sprinkle over the chestnuts and cranberries. 
• Finally, carefully close the all the edges of the filo pastry over the filling. You will need to do this bit by bit.
• If there are any gaps in the top of the pie, add some strips of extra pastry. 
• Finally, brush with extra oil & bake in the oven until crispy and golden. About 20 minutes.  (Gas Mark 6/200C). 

To Serve

• Remove the outer ring from the wreath & take the ramekin or inner bowl out from the middle
• If the pastry is looking a little soggy, add the wreath back into the oven for 5 mins to crisp up. 
• Put the whole wreath (bottom of tin and all) onto a pretty plate. Decorate with rosemary sprigs and serve as part of a festive meal! 

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