Mushroom and Lentil Soup with a Pastry Lid Recipe

Recipe for Mushroom and Lentil Soup with a Pastry Lid

You will need 4 "lion" type deep soup bowls if you serve it with a pastry lid.

150g (5oz) Puy lentils

225g (8oz) wild mushroom selection (if not available, use a mixture of fresh chestnut mushrooms and dried ceps)

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 large potato

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g (2oz) butter

A sprig of thyme

250g (9oz) ready made puff pastry

Peel and chop the onion and garlic and cook gently in the butter.

Chop the mushrooms.

Peel and dice the potato.

Add these to the onions along with the thyme, lentils and 600ml (1 pint) of water and continue cooking gently, covered with a lid.

When the potato and lentils are cooked, liquidise briefly still keeping the soup chunky.

Taste to check the seasoning and consistency.

For the pastry lid

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas mark 4).

When the soup has cooled, cut the pastry into four pieces and roll each piece out bigger than the size of the soup bowl rim and 5mm in thickness.

Cut the pastry into a neat circle 2cm wider that the soup bowl rim.

Place the pastry over the top of the bowls making sure it sticks well to the rim.

Brush lightly with egg wash and place in the oven.

Serve as soon as the pastry is golden brown.