Whisky, green lentil & veggie cobbler

In the winter, nothing beats a hearty stew, like this wholesome green lentil and vegetable cobbler, packed full of veggies to warm you up from the inside out.

Vegan whisky, green lentil & veggie cobbler

 By Alexander Willow-Harvey 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 75g (1 cup) of sliced vegan sausage/ button mushrooms
• 200g (1 cup) of washed and diced waxy potato
• 125g (1 cup) of washed and chopped baby carrots
• 1 small parsnip, peeled and diced
• 100g (1/2 cup) dried green lentils, rinsed and drained
• a small handful of washed and trimmed green beans
  
• 60ml (1/4 cup) of whisky
  
• 500ml (1 3/4 cup) of vegetable stock, plus 60ml (1/4 cup) extra for slurry
• 1 Tbsp mushroom ketchup
• 2 tsp tamari/ light soy sauce
  
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Cobbler topping

• 190g (2 1/2) cups of flour
• 170g (3/4 cup) of cold vegan margarine
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• A sprinkling of black pepper
• 60 -120 ml 1/4- 1/2 cup of soy milk/other vegan milk

Method

1. Preheat a shallow stove top to oven casserole dish with one tablespoon of olive oil and fry off your sausage slices/mushrooms. Once nicely browned, remove from pan with a slotted spoon to add back in later.
2. Add your shallots to the pan and the remaining olive oil and cook until softened, add the rest of your veggies and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the whiskey, followed by the lentils, and stir well for a few minutes before adding the first 1 3/4 cup of stock, mushroom ketchup and tamari, cover with the lid and bring to the boil. Once your liquid reaches the boil turn right down and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Cobbler topping:

1. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper to a bowl and whisk together with a fork to ensure the baking powder and such is evenly distributed. Now rub in the margarine using your finger tips.
2. Slowly add the first 1/4 cup of soy milk and mix it in well, then add a little bit at a time, whist mixing, until it comes together as a nice roll-able dough.
3. Roll out to about 1/2 cm thick and cut into rounds using a pastry cutter/cookie cutter, re-rolling the scraps and making more rounds, set aside and check on the stew.
4. When the lentils are nearly cooked, add in the mushrooms/seitan sausages, whisk the cornflour with the remaining stock and add it too the stew, give it a good stir.
5. Preheat the oven to 180c/ 350f  and pop the rounds of dough neatly on top of the stew.
6. Brush with soy milk, pop the lid on and stick it in the oven for about 35-45 minutes, taking the lid off for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

About the author

Alexander lives by the sea in England, and is the son of both a baker and a chef. Growing up, many of his happy memories were food related, but he never really explored cooking by himself until he became vegan. He wants to show people how to eat tasty, healthy and nutritious food, and how to make vegetables incredibly tasty!