Meatless Monday: Vegetable Cobbler (with Tahini Miso Gravy and Red Lentil Biscuits)

There are three things I’d like to tell you about this Vegetable Cobbler.

First, the tahini-miso gravy was inspired by Crescent Dragonwagon’s Passionate Vegetarian cookbook.

Second, it uses red lentil flour, which may be a bit of a challenge to find depending on where you live. If you can’t find any at a bulk food store, you can substitute an equal amount of whole wheat flour.

Third, I can’t think of any way to make this dish look pretty.

I know that food photos are supposed to tell a story, and that the internet is a visual medium.

But honestly?

I don’t actually like looking at pictures of food all that much.

My favorite cookbooks aren’t full glossy.

They have black and white line drawings and bindings that lay flat on my counter.

They are schmeared with batter and have notes scribbled in the margins.

Maybe I’m just being stubborn. Or lazy.

Or both.

Or maybe it’s some way of protesting the undue importance placed on looks.

Sure. Let’s just say it’s that.

In any case, the cobbler tastes lovely, and even your people who feel the need to plug their ears when you reveal the secret ingredients (“Oh gross – did she say miso?”) will ask for seconds.

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Meatless Monday: Vegetable Cobbler

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

You can change the proportions of the vegetables. You'll need roughly 8 cups of chopped veggies. It's best with sturdier root vegetables, or veggies that will not get mushy.

Servings: 8 -10 servings

Author: Mary Gillespie

Ingredients

Vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml olive oil
• 1 medium onion roughly chopped (about 1 cup / 250 ml)
• 3 cloves garlic sliced
• 4-6 small potatoes scrubbed and cubed (about 3-4 cups / 750 ml - 1 liter )
• 1/4 medium head of cabbage chopped (about 3 cups / 750 ml )
• 2 large carrots peeled and chopped (about 2 cups / 500 ml)
• 3 cups / 750 ml vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon / 1.25 ml ground pepper
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml tahini
• 3 tablespoons / 45 ml dark miso or 4 tablespoons / 60 ml white miso

Biscuits:

• 1 cup / 250 ml whole wheat flour
• 1 cup / 250 ml red lentil flour
• 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml salt
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml baking soda
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml baking powder
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml olive oil
• 1 cup / 250 ml buttermilk or sour milk

Instructions

1. Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When the pan has heated, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.
2. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften. Add garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes longer. Do not let the onions and garlic brown. If they start to turn brown, turn down the heat.
3. Add potatoes, cabbage and carrots and toss to coat with onion mixture. Add vegetable stock, pumpkin puree, parsley, coriander and pepper and stir until smooth.
4. Bring vegetable mixture to a simmer, then cover and turn down heat. Let the vegetables simmer gently for 10 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are cooking, stir together the tahini and miso in a small bowl. Set it aside.
6. Make the biscuits by stirring together the whole wheat flour, lentil flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
7. Sprinkle the olive oil over and blend in until the mixture looks like crumbs.
8. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dry ingredients are all moistened. The batter will be very wet.
9. Let the batter sit while you finish preparing the vegetables.
10. Stir the tahini-miso mixture into the vegetables. Return to a simmer.
11. Drop spoonfuls of the batter over the vegetables until all the batter is used. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the dumplings have puffed up and a toothpick inserted into one of them comes out clean.
12. Remove from the heat and spoon into serving bowls. The dumplings will have absorbed some of the vegetable gravy.