Delicious UK - (12)December 2020

make it special.

Marmite,onionand

roastrootvegetable

stewwithcheesy

scones

SERVES6-8.HANDS-ONTIME 25 MIN,

OVEN/SIMMERINGTIME1 HOUR 45 MIN

Carlinpeasarea

heritageBritishvariety.

They’resimilartothe

chickpeabuta littlesmaller

and,inmyopinion,more

delicious.I havedeliberately

notdonea vegetablestew

untilnowasI’veneverquite

achievedtherightumami

depthandrichness,but

whiledevelopinga

vegetarianFrenchonion

soupformyrestaurant,

TheNitery,I rediscovered

howvaluabletheonionis

forgettingintensesavoury

flavourintoa saucebase.

Thestewisdeliciouson

itsownorservedwith

mashbut,mygod,it’s

somethingelsetopped

withthesescones.

MAKE

AHEAD

Make the stew to the

end of step 5, cool,

then cover and chill

for up to 2 days. Bring back

to a simmer and complete the

recipe to serve.

GIZZI’S

TIPS

The scones can be

veganised with

high-quality vegan

butter and cheese, and

non-dairy yogurt in place

of the buttermilk (and don't

glaze with beaten egg).

The scones are great served

on their own too – bake on a

lined baking tray in a 220°C/

200°C fan/gas 7 oven for 13

minutes until risen and golden.

FOR THE VEGETABLE STEW

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil


• 5 onions, thinly sliced


• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped


• 40g dried porcini mushrooms


• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut in
  half lengthways


• 2 carrots, peeled


• 1 tsp tomato purée


• 1 tsp English mustard


• 1 tbsp plain flour


• 250ml red or white wine


• 250ml dark ale


• 1 tsp Marmite


• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar


• 1 tbsp brown sauce


• 2 bay leaves


• 1-2 fresh rosemary sprigs


• 400g tin carlin peas (see
  Gizzi's introduction, left;
  from hodmedods.co.uk)
  or chickpeas


• 1 tsp salt

FOR THE CHEESY SCONES

• 350g self-raising flour, plus
  extra for dusting


• 1 tsp English mustard powder


• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper


• 1 tsp salt


• 200g cold butter, cubed


• 100g whatever cheese
  you have to hand, cut into
  small cubes (hard and blue
  cheeses are ideal – check
  they’re vegetarian if they
  need to be)


• 1 tbsp Marmite


• 200ml buttermilk


• 40g parmesan (or vegetarian
  hard cheese), grated


• 1 free-range egg, beaten

YOU’LL ALSO NEED...

• Heavy-based hob-safe
  casserole; food processor;
  6-7cm round cutter

1 First, you want to get your

onions on for the stew. Heat

2 tbsp of the oil in the

casserole over a medium heat

and throw in the onions. Cook

them right down, very slowly,

for 40-60 minutes until they

develop that deep sweetness,

richness and body – as well

as the kind of umami you can

only achieve through long

cooking. Stir them regularly

to prevent any catching and

scorching and add the garlic

about 20 minutes into cooking.

2 Meanwhile, put the dried

mushrooms in a bowl and

cover with warm water to

rehydrate. Set aside. Heat

the oven as high as it will

go (about 250°C/230°C fan/

gas 10). Spread the parsnip

and carrots on a baking tray,

then rub with the remaining

oil and sprinkle with salt.

Roast for 20 minutes, turning

halfway through cooking.

Remove from the oven, set

aside and turn the oven down

to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

3 About 40 minutes or so into

the cooking of the onions (cook

for a bit longer if they don't

look soft and full of flavour),

stir in the tomato purée and

mustard. Cook for a minute or

two, then add the flour. Stir

thoroughly for a minute more

before pouring in the wine

and ale. Stir in the Marmite,

vinegar and brown sauce.

4 Strain the mushrooms,

reserving the soaking liquid,

dry them on kitchen paper,

then slice into fine strips.

Add the mushrooms and the

soaking liquid to the stew

(leaving out the last bit of

liquid in case there’s any

grit), along with the bay

leaves and rosemary. Drain

the carlin peas and add them

to the casserole.

5 Put the stew in the oven,

uncovered, for 35 minutes.

While it’s bubbling away,

slice the roasted roots into

chunks (I like to cut them

diagonally across the middle).

Add them to the stew after it’s

been cooking for 35 minutes,

return to the oven and cook

for a further 15 minutes. Stir in

the salt and a good grinding of

black pepper (see Make Ahead).

6 While the stew is in the

NEXT MONTH

A superb veggie menu

for cold winter nights

These recipes are taken from

Restore: a Modern Guide

to Sustainable Eating by

Gizzi Erskine (HQ £25)

oven, make the dough for the

scones. Put the flour, mustard

powder, cayenne and salt in

a food processor and whizz

briefly to remove any lumps.

Add the butter and whizz again

until you get a sandy texture.

7 In a small bowl, mix the

cubes of cheese with the

Marmite so they’re well coated

(this is a bit messy but it works

best to use your hands).

8 Put the flour and butter

mixture in a mixing bowl. With

a knife, mix in the buttermilk,

half the grated parmesan

and the Marmitey cheese

until well distributed. Turn

out the mixture onto a flat,

well floured surface and bring

it together briefly with floured

hands into a smooth dough.

Roll out the dough with a

floured rolling pin until it’s

4cm thick. Cut out 8 scones

(rerolling if need be). Brush

the tops with beaten egg to

glaze, then sprinkle with the

rest of the parmesan.

9 Put the rounds on top of the

stew, turn the oven up to 220°C/

200°C fan/gas 7 and cook for

13 minutes until the scones

are risen and golden. Remove

from the oven and serve.

PER SERVING (FOR 8)

630kcals, 33.2g fat (17.9g

saturated), 17.6g protein,

53.2g carbs (11.6g sugars),

3.9g salt, 12.6g fibre

60 deliciousmagazine.co.uk