Mrs. Inspector is in London this week, bullying subordinates, tut-tutting at the weather and stocking up on organic emollients.
So, contrarily, I decided there was no better time to make a cobbler, a dish more suited to a large gathering than a solitary supper.
Meat Cobbler
Dice 1kg of stewing meat (I used half pork shoulder, half beef shin, but lamb would be lovely too). Toss the meat in a couple of heaped tablespoons flour which has been seasoned with salt, pepper and ½ tsp. English mustard powder or cayenne pepper.
Brown the meat in batches in a heavy pan or oven suitable casserole dish over a medium heat. Avoid the temptation to dump all the meat in at once, you don't want it to stew. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and brown 1 finely sliced onion in the pan. Add 1 tin of dark beer or stout and allow to reduce by a third. Add the meat back to the pot, along with 2 carrots sliced into 1cm thick rounds, a couple of chopped celery sticks and their attendant leaves, and some of the following spices: 4 juniper berries, a sprig of thyme, a pinch of mace, a good grind of black pepper.
Add a cup of stock (I had chicken to hand, but vegetable would be just as good), bring to a slow boil, and then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 150C.
Cook uncovered for around 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is soft. Top up with a little stock if it looks too dry. Add some halved button mushrooms for the last half hour of cooking.
Turn the oven up to 200C and make your cobbler topping:
Sift 300g plain flour with 4tsp bicarbonate of soda and a teaspoon of za'atar (substitute this with a pinch of salt and ½ tsp of thyme if you wish). Rub in 70g chopped cold butter, and then add enough plain yoghurt to form a dough. Work lightly.
Roll out onto a floured surface until the dough is 1-2cm in thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out rounds, and then place them on top of the stew so they fit snugly.
Cook for 15-20 minutes until the cobbler is nicely browned. Peas go nicely, I think.
I enjoyed this with a glass of Portugieser from Villany, but I think a pint of Black Sheep Ale would have been even better.
