Cook up an ethical meal for your harvest supper

Our guest cookery writer Helen Peacocke, food writer with the Oxford Times, has cooked up a recipe specially for our churches to use at their harvest suppers this year. Using ingredients which are all available locally or from fairtrade sources, this harvest pie with pumpkin sauce will ensure that this years’ harvest festival is a celebration for producers and consumers alike.

Harvest Pie (Serves 12)

What better way of celebrating the harvest than by baking a pie stuffed with all those glorious autumn vegetables we are harvesting at the moment. Although I have listed the ingredients used for the pie (pictured right) this recipe allows for improvisation. In other words, use the given weights as a guide but don’t let the list restrict you. Nothing need be weighed providing the pie contains a good variety of flavours and you have gathered together enough vegetables to fill an average roasting dish. Jacket potatoes or sweet potatoes make a good accompaniment to the pie.

You will need:
One pumpkin weighing approximately 4 to 5 lb
One Bramley apple, peeled, cored and cut into slices
12 shallots – peeled but left whole
4 large carrots cut into chunks
4 parsnips cut into chunks
Two potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
4 courgettes rough chopped
3 garlic cloves cut into quarters
Handful mushrooms – more if you wish
2 leeks rough chopped
Generous handful herbs – marjoram, thyme and parsley – chopped finely
Vegetable oil
One tspn vegetable bouillon powder
Salt and freshly ground black peppercorns.
Enough short crust pastry to cover a 12 x 15 inch roasting tin – 10ozs flour and 5ozs margarine should be enough.
1 egg – beaten to wash pastry
2 standard roasting trays approximately 12 inches by 15.

Method
Make up short crust pastry, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to rest until needed. Then:
Chop the pumpkin into slices, peel and remove the seeds then cut into walnut-sized pieces. Place one-third into a roasting tray with enough oil to coat the bottom.
Scatter one quartered garlic clove round the tray, add the apple pieces, brush with a little more oil, season with salt and freshly ground black peppercorns and place into a really hot oven to roast until the contents begin to brown at the edges. (230’C/450’F or gas mark 8)
Cover the bottom of the second roasting tray with oil and add the rest of the pumpkin and all the other vegetables, scattering garlic cloves evenly. Brush with oil, season and bake until golden brown.
When the first tray is cooked, allow to cool a little then place contents into a food processor with a teaspoon of vegetable bouillon, half the chopped herbs and approximately three wine glasses of water. Process until you have a smooth running sauce, adding more water if needed. Season to taste.
When the second tray of vegetables is cooked and browning, remove from oven, scatter the remaining herbs over, then cover the vegetables with the sauce, reserving any left over to pour over each portion when serving. Allow to cool a little before covering with the pastry.
Decorate the pastry as elaborately as you wish as this is a celebratory dish, then brush pastry with beaten egg.
Place in the hot oven (200’C/400’F or gas mark 6) Cook until golden brown and bubbling at the edges.
Cut into 12 portions and serve with any remaining sauce.