2 for 1 - A Tasty Veggie Stew & A Veggie Cobbler with Cheesy Soda Scone Crust

I am the self professed queen of batch cooking and tend to be smugly proud when I amaze my friends by stretching cheaply bought ingredients to make multiple items and these two dishes are good examples of making a big batch of one thing which in turn evolves into other things.

When I go shopping I always have a contingency fund with me so if I do see something that is on offer that I know I can make something from or freeze, then I have that little extra to purchase it, but do make sure that you do something with it as soon as you can, don't leave it lying around to go off, it's not much of a bargain then is it! So I usually make this vegetable stew when the majority of ingredients i.e. the vegetables, are on offer, and they regularly are.....I love those 49p bargains!

Firstly for our Veggie Stew......you will need.....

1 each large red, green, yellow pepper about 200 g weight  per pepper
400 g aubergine
2 medium white or red onions
4 small cloves garlic or 1 of those big cloves
olive oil
500 mls CHEATS TOMATO SAUCE or your own favourite tomato pasta sauce
500 mls passata (sieved tomatoes) or basic tinned tomatoes which you can mash up yourself
1 tablespoon dried marjoram or oregano or freshly chopped if you grow your own
a little extra water if needed

How to..........

• peel and half the onions, cut in chunks
• remove any stalk and seeds from the peppers and cut in chunks
• cut the aubergine in large pieces too
• crush or chop the garlic
• puree or chop the tinned tomatoes if using them
• heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan
• fry the onion and garlic lightly over a medium heat but do not colour
• add the peppers and continue to cook for a moment
• cover with a lid, turn the heat down low and let them sweat for 5 minutes
• remove the lid, turn the heat up and add the aubergines, cook for a few moments until they begin to soften
• pour in the tomatoes and tomato sauce, add the herbs, stir everything together well
• turn the heat down to a simmer, cover with a lid again and cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft and the sauce has become lovely and thick
• if you don't like it too thick then add a little water
• check for seasoning and add some black pepper if needed, garlic has its own salty quality so I rarely need to add actual salt, also the tomato sauces are usually very well seasoned anyway.

This stew is sort of like ratatouille I suppose but with a lot more sauce and courgette free of course because I detest them! The stew freezes extremely well and re-heats a treat so make a big batch, portion it, and freeze..........or make cobbler!....see below!

Veggie Cobbler with Cheesy Soda Scone Crust

You will need......... feeds 2 people

250 - 300 g of the veggie stew depending on how hungry you are!

200 g soda bread flour or 200 g plain flour + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
50 g grated parmesan or grated mature cheddar as your budget allows
1 heaped teaspoon dried herbs....oregano or marjoram or herbes de provence
pinch of salt & a little black pepper
100 - 150 mls buttermilk...you may need more
1 egg yolk + a teaspoon of cold water

pre-heat the oven to 200oC

• place the veggie stew in an oven proof baking or earthenware dish
• sieve the flour, salt and baking soda into a deep bowl
• add fresh black pepper, the grated cheese and the herbs and mix everything together well using a butter knife
• slowly begin to add the buttermilk stirring all the while by using the butter knife until the dough begins to come together
• turn the dough out onto a floured surface 
• using your flat fingertips gently shape to dough into a circle and press it gently to flatten and even the surface
• using a small fluted or plain cutter, I use one that is just over an inch wide
• arrange the scones on top of the stew, when making a cobble you are supposed to layer the scones like cobbles on a street very close together, but I like to leave a small gap between them so the sauce bubbles up and into the dough....delish!
• brush each little 'cobble' with the egg yolk which has been mixed with a little water, this will give a nice glaze to your finished scones 
  
• bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 - 30 minutes until the cobbles are beautifully risen and golden brown and your stew is bubbling hot beneath.....
• always check underneath the centre cobble to make sure the dough is cooked through!
• serve straight away!

This is a very filling, tasty, and healthy dish and you should not need to serve anything on the side unless you want to sleep like the dead after it! 

You can bake these little scones in their own right as they make a great canape base for some pate or even smoked salmon.....party on!
Mix up their flavors...make them wholemeal by using 150g plain flour and 50g wholemeal flour....try blue cheese and chive, sun dried tomato and basil or even caramelized onion. You could even have them as a dumpling cooked in the veggie stew itself or poached in a little salted water or vegetable stock.....you could even add them to my hearty vegetable soup....see recipe HERE!