Meatless "Sausage" Pies, or Sausage Lies

I'm giving you a template here, and some technique, but you could fill these with whatever you have. I had half a tube of fake sausage meat, potatoes, and a couple parsnips. Your root cellar may differ.

I was able to get eight good sized pies from this recipe, but unless you have plans for that much food, freeze some unbaked ones for a quick meal on short notice. These are good hot from the oven, or at room temperature. The pastry firms up a bit as it cools, making it good for a lunchbox.

You Will Need:

2 batches of pastry for a double crust pie. Use what you are comfortable with, though a hot water crust works well here.
2 large potatoes, diced and boiled
1 large parsnip, diced and boiled
3-4 carrots, finely diced and boiled
a package of fake sausage meat (I use "Gimme Lean")
1 cup cooked barley
1 large onion, chopped
a few tablespoons olive oil for cooking
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt/pepper

You'll want to prepare the filling ahead and let it cool before filling the pastry. I did that part early in the day, leaving plenty of time to assemble, and bake. You'll need about 45 minutes to bake the pastry (depending on the size of your case) and I'd give myself 30-40 minutes to fiddle with the pastry. Having the vegetables done ahead makes it all that much easier.

In a large frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil, and fry the cumin seed in it over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the onion, and thyme and cook until the onions are soft and just becoming golden. Remove the onions to a bowl with the cooked vegetables, and set aside. Cook the sausage substitute in the oiled pan, adding more if needed (It lacks the fat of regular sausage, so you really need to be generous with the olive oil). Cook 5 minutes over medium heat until browned. Add to the mixture of vegetables and onions. Stir well, and let cool. This can be done several hours ahead.

Prepare your pastry cases by buttering them generously. Roll out your pastry, fit it into the cases, then fill and top with the second layer of pastry. Crimp well, cut a hole for a vent, then brush with an egg wash of 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water. Transfer pastry cases to a baking sheet and bake in a 425 degree F oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 and bake another 30 minutes, or until pastry is done. Remove carefully from cases, and cool on a rack, or serve hot.