Beef Cobbler with Crusty Scone Topping

1 Preheat oven to 170°C (325°F). Trim leeks, remove outer leaves on each, wash, shake, then cut into thick rounds. Trim celery stalks and wash well. Cut into short lengths. Peel carrots, trim and cut into thick rounds. Peel swede and cut into smallish chunks. Wipe mushrooms clean with damp paper towels and cut in half. Put prepared vegetables in the bottom of a large flameproof casserole. Sprinkle with ¾ of a teaspoon of salt and grind over plenty of black pepper.

2 Remove enough parsley leaves to provide 1 tablespoon chopped parsley for the scone topping. Bundle up the rest with the bay leaves and thyme and tie with string. Add to casserole.

3 Cut beef into large cubes, removing fat where possible. Put flour in a plastic bag with 1 teaspoon of salt and the beef cubes. Shake together until the beef is coated with flour, then tip everything on top of the vegetables.

4 Add stock to casserole. Mix wine and tomato concentrate together and pour in along with the stock. Bring everything to a gentle bubble, ensure beef cubes is tucked amongst vegetables and cover casserole with a lid. Transfer casserole to oven and cook for 2½ hours. Remove casserole from oven twice during cooking and give everything a good stir to make sure the beef is not lying on top of vegetables and drying out. When the beef is tender, remove casserole from oven and increase heat to 210°C (410°F).

5 Once oven is up to speed, start on the cobbler topping. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Cut butter into dice and add to flour, then cut in with two knives or a pastry cutter until butter is hardly visible.  Add parsley, marjoram and chives and half the cheese. Quickly mix to a dough with the milk, then finish by gently kneading with one hand. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently roll to approximately 1cm (bit more than ½”) thick. Cut out rounds with a 5cm (about 2”) cutter (you will need to re-roll scraps to make enough cobbles).

6 Lift lid from casserole and place scone rounds on top, slightly overlapping. Scatter over remaining cheese and dust with paprika. Once oven is up to heat, return casserole to it and cook for 15-20 minutes, until scones are golden and crusty. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Main image by Aaron McLean. The following by Julie Biuso.