Pea Cobbler, for luscious little sweet peas.
One day I was making blueberry cobbler, and I couldn't help noticing the similarity between blueberries and peas. They're both small, round, and yummy. So why can't you make cobbler with peas, I wondered.
Of course you can, only instead of a sweet cobbler, I made a savory cobbler, adding mushrooms and leeks to the peas, and a herb biscuit topping. The result, while quite a different beast from blueberry cobbler, was warm and filling. Perfect for a late summer/early fall evening, when peas are plump and plentiful.
Here's how:
Pea Cobbler
2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons margarine
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 cups fresh peas
2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy cream
Topping:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup soy milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).
In a saute pan over medium high heat, saute leeks and garlic in the margarine until they're soft, about 6-8 minutes.
In a separate saucepan, saute the mushrooms until they're golden brown. Set aside.
When the leeks are done, spread them to the sides of the pan. Melt 2 more tablespoons of margarine in the middle. Stir in flour. When the flour/margarine mixture is smooth, stir in vegetable broth. Then add soy cream. Turn the heat to low and add the peas and the reserved mushrooms, stirring to combine the mixture. The mixture should thicken quickly. Remove from heat.
Pour the mixture into a prepared baking dish (spray with cooking spray first) and finish making the topping if you're already started it.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, thyme and basil. Cut in margarine with a spoon or knife until no large lumps of margarine are left.
Set aside until the pea mixture is in the baking dish.
Pour soy milk into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Drop by spoonfuls on to the top of the pea mixture. Place the dish in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
