Japanese Knotweed Pie is a modern British recipe for a classic wild food double crust pie with a chopped Japanese knotweed filling sweetened with sugar and thickened with cornflour. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Japanese Knotweed Pie.
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Young Japanese knotweed shoots have a slightly tangy flavour reminiscent of rhubarb. As such they're an ideal ingredient for making a tart or pie.
Ingredients:
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
200g unsalted butter, diced whilst chilled
60ml (4 tbsp) ice water
450g young Japanese knotweed shoots, chopped
200g sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cornflour
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
Sift together the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the diced butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Gradually add in the iced water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture comes together as a dough. Be careful not to over-work the dough to keep the crust flaky.
Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other then cover both halves with clingfilm and store in the refrigerator; chilling them for 30 minutes.
After chilling take the slightly larger piece of dough and roll out on a lightly-floured work surface until it's large enough to cover the base and sides of a 22cm diameter deep pie dish. Drape the pastry over your rolling pin and transfer to the pie dish. Push into the corners then trim off any overhand.
In a clean bowl mix together the chopped Japanese knotweed, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cornflour. Toss to evenly coat the knotweed then pour this mixture into the prepared pastry base.
Roll out the second piece of dough on your floured work surface into a circle large enough to cover the top of the pie. Set over the filling, crimp the edges sealed and trim off any excess. Cut three slits in the top of the pie for steam to escape. Alternatively, roll into a rough square and cut into strips. Arrange these in an overlapping lattice-work on top of the pie. Trim the edges neatly.
Transfer the finished pie to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is soft and bubbling.
Remove from the oven when done and allow to rest on a wire rack for at least 90 minutes before serving (this time helps the filling cool and set).
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with vanilla custard.
