Vegetable Cobbler with Crusty Scone Topping

1 Trim leeks, remove outer leaves on each, wash, shake, then cut into thick rounds. Trim celery stalks and wash well. Cut into short lengths. Put leeks, celery, carrots and parsnips in a large flameproof casserole with the olive oil. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 25-30 minutes, until tender.

2 Stir in flour, salt and smoked paprika and cook through for 1 minute, then stir in stock and tomato concentrate. Remove enough parsley leaves to provide 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley for the scone topping. Bundle up the rest with the bay leaves and thyme and tie with string. Add to casserole with swede, potatoes, pumpkin, kumara and canned beans. Put frozen peas in a sieve and rinse under hot water until no longer icy. Add to casserole. Bring to the boil, then lower heat and cook gently, covered with a lid, for 45-60 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Turn off the heat, remove lid and let casserole imbue while making the sone topping.

3 Preheat oven to 210°C (410°F). 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).

4 Place scone rounds on top of vegetables in casserole, slightly overlapping. Scatter over remaining cheese and dust with paprika. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the cobbler topping is golden and crusty. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Choose a pumpkin with a dense flesh such as crown pumpkin, or grey-skinned pumpkin.

Cut the vegetables into chunks about the size of half a walnut in the shell – any smaller and they tend to break up.

You could also add mushroom (100g). Choose brown button mushrooms with closed caps. Wipe with damp paper towels and add along with swede.

Be sure to use unflavoured frozen peas (avoid ‘mint’ flavoured or ‘minted’ baby peas).

Chop and change vegetables as you see fit – more or less of pumpkin, kumara, potato, won’t make much difference. Add green beans if you have them, but avoid broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cavolo nero and other vegetables that get a bit ‘whiffy’ with long cooking. If you want to include these vegetables, or have a few leftovers, or a bunch of spinach, add them at the end of cooking. They will heat through in the oven as the cobbler topping cooks.