Recipe Inspiration

Ingredients...

230 g gluten-free plain flour

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

60 g dairy-free margarine

60 g vegetable shortening

250g onion

14g cloves of garlic

30g Essential Cuisine Spicy Persian Seasoning

5-6 or 450g carrots

250 g chestnut mushrooms

360 g peeled chestnuts

15ml olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

225 g soya cream cheese

250 g wild mushrooms

½ a bunch or 15g of fresh flat-leaf parsley

30ml garlic oil

20g dried cranberries

Essential Cuisine No1 Savoury Gravy - to serve

Method...

1. Preheat the oven and a large baking tray to 180°C.
   
   
2. Start by making the pastry. Sift the flour and xanthan gum into a food processor, add the margarine, vegetable shortening and a pinch of sea salt, and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
   
   
3. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water, pulsing as you go, until the mixture begins to pull together to form a dough.
   
   
4. Tip the pastry into a large bowl and, using your fingertips, pull together into a ball. Knead lightly for about 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
   
   
5. Shape the pastry into a ball and place between 2 large sheets of clingfilm, then roll it out into a circle slightly larger than the tart tin and no thinner than 3mm. Peel off the uppermost sheet of clingfilm and carefully flip the pastry into a deep 23cm tart tin. Peel away the remaining clingfilm and gently press the pastry into the sides of the tin, filling in any cracks with pastry and patting it flat with your fingertips. Trim the edges and set aside.
   
   
6. Finely chop the onion, crush the garlic, then finely grate the carrots. Trim the stalks from the chestnut mushrooms and slice into rounds. Halve 240g of the chestnuts (the rest will be used for the topping).
   
   
7. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan until hot, add the onions and cook gently over a low heat until softened. Add the carrots, garlic, Essential Cuisine Spicy Persian Seasoning, thyme and mushrooms, and fry gently until softened and all the liquid from the mushrooms has been absorbed – around 10 minutes.
   
   
8. Stir in the cream cheese and halved chestnuts and mix gently until the cheese has softened and formed a creamy mixture. Season to taste, spoon the filling into the pastry case then level the top.
   
   
9. Place the tart on the baking tray on the top shelf of the oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is crisp.
   
   
10. Remove the tart from the oven, cover loosely in foil to retain its heat and set aside.
    
    
11. Finally, tear the wild mushrooms into pieces, roughly chop the remaining chestnuts and finely chop the parsley. Heat the garlic oil in a heavy-based frying pan until hot, add the mushrooms and fry gently until softened. Stir in the chestnuts, cranberries and parsley, and spoon over the tart to form a decorative layer.
    
    
12. Serve with Essential Cuisine Savoury Gravy.