A hearty, filling, winter vegetarian dish. It can be made vegan by replacing the butter in the topping with vegetable fat; be sure to check that the other ingredients are vegan too.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons neutral-flavoured oil, such as sunflower
1 onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
About 350–380g cooked peeled chestnuts
2–3 tbsp red wine or port
500ml vegetable stock
1 piece star anise
2 strips orange zest
1 tablespoon cornflour slaked in a little cold water
Salt and pepper
FOR THE TOPPING
225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons mustard powder
75g butter, chilled
About 75ml milk or water
Cream or beaten egg to glaze (optional)
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, celery and garlic and fry gently until soft and translucent. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 5–10 minutes, until they are soft.
Add the chestnuts and the wine or port and cook for a minute longer, then stir in the stock, star anise and orange zest. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for a few minutes. Add the cornflour and water and stir until the sauce is transparent. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour into a shallow baking dish.
To make the topping, mix the flour and mustard powder, and a scant teaspoon of salt. Grate in the butter and stir just enough to distribute it through the flour. Add 75ml water or milk and mix to a soft dough. A little more liquid may be needed. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 2cm thick and cut out round scones using a biscuit cutter. Gather the scraps and re-roll to cut out more rounds. Arrange the rounds over the chestnut mixture, brush with cream or egg if desired, and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with Brussels sprouts, green beans or a salad.
A recipe by Sarah Edington, from her Classic British Cooking.
Serves 4
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
½ a small cauliflower, separated into florets
75g butter
8 small leeks, thickly sliced
2 small heads of fennel, halved and sliced across
25g wholemeal flour
425ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
FOR THE TOPPING
225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
1 teaspoon mustard powder
50g vegetarian lard, cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
Milk to mix
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
75g mature cheddar, grated
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Boil the carrots and cauliflower for 5 minutes. Drain and place in a baking dish. Melt half the butter in a frying pan and fry the leeks and fennel over a moderate heat for 3–4 minutes. Add to the dish. Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan, add the flour and cook gently for a few minutes. Gradually add the vegetable stock. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Simmer for a minute or two, then add the parsley and pour over the vegetables. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
To make the topping, sift the flour with the mixed herbs, mustard powder, ½ teaspoon salt and a little pepper. Rub in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix the egg with a little milk and combine with the flour mix to make a dough. On a floured work surface, roll out to about 2cm thick and cut out round scones using a biscuit cutter. Arrange on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Turn the oven up to 230°C and bake for a further 15 minutes until pale gold.
Cobbler doughs have a fairly neutral flavour; sugar isn’t essential and can easily be omitted. This, and the texture of the soft biscuit dough, which is fluffier and akin to bread, means that cobblers work well with savoury fillings.
As with sweet cobblers, variety comes partly through the fats used. Cooks in the deep south of the USA would have used lard as a fat for biscuit making (including sweet ones – not so alien when one thinks of the British tradition of using lard to mix the shortest of shortcrust pastries for both sweet and savoury pies). To add character, try butter, cream, sour cream, or a little olive oil in place of some dairy fat. Some cobbler toppings are really dumpling doughs, which suggests trying beef suet for a British variation.
The softer dough of cobbler toppings picks up savoury seasonings better than crumbles do. Mustard, cayenne and herbs such as chives, thyme and marjoram work well, or add some grated cheddar.
Cobblers are more visually interesting than crumbles. Feeling neat and tidy? Roll out a standard dough, cut it in rounds, and arrange in overlapping layers across the top, or as a necklace around the edge of the dish. In a hurry? Divide the dough and shape the pieces roughly by hand. They can be patchworked over the filling for a rustic topping. Try glazing the dough with cream or beaten egg and add a sprinkling of grated cheese.
Cobblers can be reheated but never have quite the same freshness and lightness as they do when first baked, so do aim to eat them on the day of baking. Meat- or vegetable-based fillings are always eaten hot.
Good for using Christmas leftovers. Chicken or meat from game birds can be used instead, and leftover vegetables (peas, green beans, leeks, celery, chestnuts, mushrooms) are all good additions.
Serves 6
50g butter
50g plain flour
600ml turkey or chicken stock (make up the quantity with milk if necessary)
Salt, pepper
350–400g cooked turkey, cut into 1cm dice
150–200g cooked ham, cut into 1cm dice
200–300g leftover cooked vegetables (optional), cut into neat pieces
FOR THE TOPPING
350g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
Leaves from 6–8 good sprigs of thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
150g butter, chilled
About 8 tablespoons milk or water
Beaten egg or cream to glaze
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour to make a roux, then add the stock a little at a time, stirring to make a smooth sauce. Simmer for a few minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add the meat and the vegetables if using. Stir well and heat through thoroughly. Pour into a baking dish.
To make the topping, put the flour in a bowl; stir in the lemon zest, thyme, and a teaspoon of salt. Grate in the butter and mix it through the flour. Add the milk or water and stir well to make a soft dough. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 1cm thick and cut out 7cm rounds. Gather the scraps and re-roll to cut out more rounds. Overlap the rounds to cover the turkey and ham mixture and brush with beaten egg or cream. Put the dish on an oven tray and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is cooked and golden and the sauce bubbling.
Serve with a salad or extra vegetables.
An update of the stew and dumplings that simmered in ranges throughout Britain, from Lake District farmhouses to the Birmingham back-to-backs (when the inhabitants could afford meat). If you don’t want to use lard or beef suet, substitute oil and butter or vegetable suet.
Serves 4
30g lard
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 stick celery, chopped
400g stewing beef, cubed
30g plain flour
About 400g (prepared weight) turnips, carrots and parsnips, cut into chunks
450ml beef stock or beer (not too bitter)
Salt and pepper
FOR THE TOPPING
250g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
125g suet
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, marjoram, thyme) or 2 teaspoons mustard powder
About 200ml milk or water
Preheat the oven to 140°C.
Melt the lard in a frying pan and add the onion, garlic and celery. Fry gently until translucent, then remove and set aside.
Toss the meat into flour and fry, turning until brown on all sides. Return the onion mixture to the pan and add the vegetables, turning well. Sprinkle in any remaining flour and stir in the stock or beer. Bring to a simmer and season with a scant teaspoon of salt and a dusting of pepper. Transfer to a casserole dish and cook for at least 2 hours, until the meat is tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. The stew can be made in advance and reheated.
When ready to add the topping, set the oven to 220°C and put the stew in to heat.
Mix the flour, suet, salt and herbs or mustard, then add the milk or water and mix to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 1cm thick and cut out 7cm rounds. Use these to cover the surface of the hot stew and return to the oven for 15–20 minutes or until cooked.
Serve immediately; this is a meal in itself but add broccoli, cabbage or Brussels sprouts on the side, if liked.
Cobblers are firmly associated with North America and are deep-dish pies with a thick topping of southern-style biscuit dough. To British tastes this seems like a scone – although American soft biscuits are lighter and often less sweet than scones.
The origin of the name is mysterious but the cobbler may have got its name because the surface, with dough formed roughly into dumplings or cut more neatly into rounds, resembles cobblestones. Alternatively, it could be because it was ‘cobbled together’ using whatever fruit was available and a simple and quickly mixed dough. Either way, cobblers share with crumbles a note of expediency and improvisation, and take their place in gastronomy as unfussy and informal dishes.
Cobblers have a longer history than crumbles, dating back to the mid-nineteenth century, although their genesis is uncertain. They may have been improvised versions of pies, using a dough that requires less fat than pastry. Or they could be the inheritors of a stew and dumpling tradition. A sweet cobbler could be viewed as a fruit stew with dumplings. Some seem simply to be deep-dish pies with top and bottom crusts. Others, with whimsical names such as slumps or grunts, are traditionally cooked on the stove top.
The origins of recipes are rarely clear-cut, but one thing is certain: the development of chemical raising agents such as bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in the 1840s was essential to soft biscuits.
Cobblers seem to have found their way into British cookery books in the late 1960s or early 70s. They were a novelty and caught on despite the British usage of the word ‘cobblers’ as a vulgar term for rubbish. In Britain, savoury versions have always been as popular as sweet versions, possibly more so, since the combination of a meaty stew and a bready topping is attuned to British tastes.
This is a recipe that originated in the National Trust tea room at the Treasurer’s House in York. It uses a scone-type topping.
Serves 6
700g haddock fillet, skinned and cut into 5cm chunks
50g butter
50g plain flour
2 teaspoons mustard powder
600ml milk
4 teaspoons wine vinegar
Salt, pepper
50g prawns
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
FOR THE TOPPING
175g wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of dried thyme
40g butter, cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk, plus extra to glaze
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cook the haddock in simmering water for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool. Melt the butter, stir in the flour and mustard powder, and then the milk and wine vinegar. If it curdles, whisk well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lay the cooked haddock in a baking dish. Scatter on the prawns and hard-boiled eggs and pour the sauce over.
To make the topping, sift the flour, baking powder and thyme into a large bowl. Rub in the butter, then add the egg and milk and mix to make a dough. On a floured work surface, roll out to about 1cm thick. Cut out 2cm rounds and arrange over the fish mixture. Brush with milk and bake for about 20 minutes, until well risen and brown.
Serve with vegetables or green salad.
This recipe uses a potato scone mix made with olive oil. A neutral-flavoured oil such as sunflower or rapeseed can be used instead, or substitute melted butter if you prefer.
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
500g minced lamb
Generous pinch of ground cumin
About 60ml red wine
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
About 200ml chicken, lamb or beef stock
Salt and pepper
FOR THE TOPPING
450g floury potatoes
6 spring onions, chopped
100ml olive oil
250g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
About 100ml milk
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the garlic and onion gently until translucent. Add the mince, using the back of a spoon to break it up, and turn up the heat to brown it. Stir in the cumin and cook for a few minutes longer, then add the wine and let it bubble. Stir in the tomato purée, oregano, stock, a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for at least 1 hour. Tip into a baking dish. Cover and keep hot in the oven (or leave to cool and then reheat just before adding the topping).
To make the topping, peel the potatoes, cut into chunks and boil until tender.
Drain thoroughly, then mash, preferably by passing them through a potato ricer or vegetable mill. Weigh out 250g (reserve the remainder for another recipe). Add the spring onions, then the olive oil and a teaspoon of salt. Stir in the flour and add the milk to make a soft mixture. Dust a work surface with flour and form the mixture into a roll about 5cm in diameter. Cut into 1cm slices and use these, slightly overlapping, to cover the lamb. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the topping is well risen and golden.
This topping is based on North American buttermilk biscuits. They need a very hot oven for the initial cooking.
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
50g unsmoked pancetta, cubed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
About 500g chicken, cut into 1cm dice
100ml white wine
30g plain flour
300ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
About 300g cooked vegetables – peas, mangetout, green beans or asparagus
FOR THE TOPPING
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
4 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
60g butter, cut into small cubes
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
About 200ml buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 230°C.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the pancetta and cook gently until the fat runs. Add the onion, garlic and celery and fry until translucent. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and let it bubble, then shake over the flour. Stir in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
Add the cooked vegetables, season to taste with salt and pepper and pour into a baking dish.
To make the topping, put the flour, baking powder, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. (Alternatively, the butter can be rubbed in by hand, but handle as lightly as possible.) Tip into a bowl, add the tarragon and buttermilk and mix with a knife just enough to make a sticky dough. On a floured surface, pat out to about 2cm thick and cut out 5cm rounds, gathering and re-rolling the scraps. Place the rounds so they touch but don’t overlap on top of the chicken and bake for 10 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 150°C and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the meat is thoroughly hot and the topping cooked through.
