Peta, my brother Jamie's daughter, wrote The Vegetarian Kitchen with me, in which this dish features, and remembers this as one her dad would make for her and her brothers when they came home from school. Warm, comforting, with a hint of chilli, it gets gobbled up by vegans, veggies and carnivores alike. I lost Jamie last year but will remember him with this pie. Thank you, Jamie.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Four
1. Put the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add the thyme and bay leaf, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the beans are tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaf and thyme stalk.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, carrot, celery and chilli flakes and sauté until the onions have started to soften, then add the pepper and garlic, and cook for 8-10 minutes until everything is softened.
3. Measure out 300ml of the bean cooking liquid and add the tomato purée and soy sauce to that. Add the cooked beans to the pan with the vegetables, then pour over the bean liquid.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until reduced a little, and thickened. Season well with salt and black pepper, then add the chopped parsley. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish (about 30 x 20cm and 10cm deep).
5. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Put the potatoes in a large pan, cover with water, add ½ teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, then drain and mash them with the butter and goat's cheese. Season with salt and black pepper, then spread it evenly over the top of the bean mixture.
6. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, by which point the top should be starting to brown and the centre should be piping hot. Remove from the oven and serve.
Recipe from 'The Vegetarian Kitchen' by Prue Leith and Peta Leith (Bluebird, £25)
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