Welsh Laverbread Vegetable Suet Pudding

Yesterday there was a glimmer of sun shine in the skies, but this morning it was snatched away as the rainfall came back with a vengeance, bashing hard on the window panes.  I have to say, weather wise it has been pretty dreadful here.  The past few months it has really felt like we've been living in a permanent puddle.

So like most people, feeling the cold, I longed for something rich and hearty.  The kind of grub that sticks to the ribs.  I looked in my store cupboard at the dwindling food supplies and my eyes fell upon a packet of vegetable suet (suitable for vegetarians and vegans), and a tin of Welsh Laverbread (cooked seaweed).  Immediately I was inspired to make some suet puddings.   I think the last time I made some was last year.

Traditionally steamed suet puddings contain meat.  Of course you will not find any meat in these.  In fact the filling in these steamed savoury puddings is very similar to the Welsh Laverbread Pies: containing mushrooms and Puy lentils.  Oh before I forget to mention it, I also put a teaspoon of seaweed into the suet pastry for visual effect. 

 
Welsh Laverbread Suet Pudding
Makes around 6, maybe 7 mini steamed puddings
Ingredients for the Laverbread, Mushroom filling
200g Portobello mushrooms
1 generous tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 teaspoon plain flour
100ml vegetable stock
50g Puy lentils, cooked

100g - 120g Welsh Laver bread
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Wipe clean the mushrooms. Slice or quarter each mushroom. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onions until soft and translucent, but not brown. Sauté for 1 minute before adding in the mushrooms. Keep the heat high and cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently until softened.
Gradually add the flour and stir until evenly combined. Add the vegetable stock and stir, over high heat until the sauce thickens, before stirring in the puy lentils and laverbread. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. 
For the Suet Pudding
300g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
100g vegetable suet
Cold water
For the suet pudding
Mix all the dry ingredients and the herbs in a large bowl. Mix in enough cold water to make a firm dough.

Divide the dough into 6 - 7 pieces, roll the pastry out on a well-floured work surface, to about 3mm thick circles that are big enough to fill the pudding basin with a small overhand. Line the pudding bowls with the pastry, gently easing it round the sides for a snug fit.

Divide the filling between the pudding basins. The filling should be 1cm below the rim. Take each pudding in turn and with a sharp knife trim off the excess pastry level with the rim. Re-roll this excess pastry and cut out 5 circles big enough to cover the tops. Place the pastry tops on top of the filling and press the edges together to make a firm seal. Trim off any excess. *My pudding basins have lids, but if yours do not, cover with foil and tie with a jute string. Then place the puddings into a large steamer. Cover with the lid and steam for for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked.

Leave to cool for a few minutes and then ease a small knife around each pudding and turn them out.

Vegetarian suet Mushroom Pudding

My mother-in-law is here with us. She braved the snow and decided to fly up to Snowy Scotland. She’s hardly been here long and is already worried about getting back to Essex as more snow is predicted here and apparently it is due to come back with a vengeance.

I usually make these steamed savoury vegetable puddings in individual basins, but this time for convenience I thought I would create a large one. It turned out great. One thing I noted is taking photographs when feeding guests who are waiting patiently to be fed is a firm no, no. Its not such a problem when serving dessert, but main meals which are made of different components or side servings is a different matter.

I knew D would like this dish. He’s already a convert of my steamed savoury puddings, I wasn’t too sure about my mother in law who is much more familiar with the traditional version of 'Steak and kidney pudding'. But I had nothing to worry about. The meaty texture and rich gravy sauce oozing from the chestnut mushroom filling was appreciated. To top that the doughy pastry casing comforted like dumplings. Warming and perfect for our dark and cold evenings.

The pastry for this savoury pudding is made from suet. Suet is used in old fashion English puddings like Roly Poly, Spotted Dick, Christmas sweet mincemeat and savoury meat dishes such as Steak and kidney pudding. I’ve written about suet on my blog before (see here). In the past I’ve also received a number of questions and comments about suet and its suitability for vegetarians and vegans. In a nutshell, traditional suet is the particular fat which surrounds the loins and kidneys of cattle. It is white, gelatinous and fibrous, when grated or chopped and mixed with flour it is used in cooking and baking. What makes suet unique is its capacity to give the pastry when cooked a soft spongy elastic and doughy crust - a bit like a bouncy dumpling. But as with most things - haggis, black pudding and bacon - there are vegetarian alternatives to suet. At least one that I know of is suitable for a vegan diet. This is what I have used in my Mushroom pudding. If you live outside of the U.K, it is very unlikely that you will find suet in supermarkets. Suet is quintessentially a very British ingredient.

For the mushroom filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
400g chestnut mushrooms, wiped and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat olive oil, add the onions and cook until soft. Then add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, then stir in the thyme, tomato puree and season to taste. Cook for a few more minutes before removing from the heat to cool down.

For the Vegetarian Suet Pudding300g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
100g vegetarian suet (make sure it is suitable for vegans too, as not all are)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Cold water
Method for the suet puddingMix all the dry ingredients and the herbs in a large bowl. Mix in enough cold water to make a firm dough. Roll the pastry out on a well-floured work surface, to about 3mm thick circles that are big enough to fill the pudding basin with a small overhand. Line the pudding bowl with the pastry, gently easing it round the sides for a snug fit. Gently spoon in the filling. The filling should be 1cm below the rim. With a sharp knife trim off the excess pastry level with the rim. Re-roll this excess pastry and cut out circle big enough to cover the top. Place the pastry tops on top of the filling and press the edges together to make a firm seal. Trim off any excess. Put on lid or cover with foil. Then place the pudding into a large steamer. Cover with the lid and steam for for 1 hour - 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then turn out and serve immediately.

Savoury Mushroom and Leek Pudding

My mother-in-law, and late father-in-law often checked out my blog. It was their way of keeping an eye on our antics and our occasional travels around Scotland. Neither of them are that fussed about eating vegetables or interested in foodie trends like pasta, pizza or polenta. Like many people of there generation, they are very old fashioned in their eating habits. The dinner plate has to consist of meat and two vegetables. But saying that, since travelling overseas and sampling different 'ethnic' cuisines, my father-in-law had become a lot more adventurous in his eating, enjoying Greek spanakopita and Turkish pizza Lamucan. Anyway, when they saw these savoury leek puddings on my blog early this year, they were both on the telephone telling us how good they looked: traditional and hearty. In fact, my mother-in-law said something that sounded to my ears 'we are drooling over your vegetarian suet puddings'. This secretly pleased me - a vegetable based dish of mine they liked the look of. Success.

Well the time has come, to start making these savoury puddings again. Its rich in flavour, filling , warming and Perfect for wintery days. These puddings are made with vegetarian suet. The brand I used is suitable for vegans too.

Mushroom and Leek Savoury PuddingsYou will need 5 -6 mini pudding basins with lids*
Serves 5 - 6
Ingredients
For the Suet Pudding300g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
100g vegetarian suet (make sure it is suitable for vegans too, as not all are)
Cold water
For the filling2 large leeks, sliced
250- 300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
MethodFor the fillingHeat the olive oil, add the leeks and sweat on a low heat for about 20 minutes, until soft. Then add the mushrooms and vegetable bouillon powder and cook for a further 10 minutes, when they have softened. Season well and turn of the heat.
For the suet puddingMix all the dry ingredients and the herbs in a large bowl. Mix in enough cold water to make a firm dough. Divide the dough into 5, roll the pastry out on a well-floured work surface, to about 3mm thick circles that are big enough to fill the pudding basin with a small overhand. Line the pudding bowls with the pastry, gently easing it round the sides for a snug fit. Divide the filling between the pudding basins. The filling should be 1cm below the rim. Take each pudding in turn and with a sharp knife trim off the excess pastry level with the rim. Re-roll this excess pastry and cut out 5 circles big enough to cover the tops. Place the pastry tops on top of the filling and press the edges together to make a firm seal. Trim off any excess. *My pudding basins have lids, but if yours do not, cover with foil and tie with a jute string. Then place the puddings into a large steamer. Cover with the lid and steam for for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then ease a small knife around each pudding and turn them out.

Vegan Mushroom and spinach roly-poly

That even my meat loving brothers will eat. This savoury roly-poly is made with suet pastry. Suet pastry is used to create savoury dishes like steak and kidney pudding and English puddings such as roly-poly and the renowned spotted dick.

Traditionally suet comes from beef cattle. It is the shredded deposit fat taken from around the internal organs of the animal. I know some people would rather not know this information and just be happy to eat what they are given without question, but I think it is important to know the source of some of our traditional ingredients. Suet remains a popular ingredient to this day. It is used quite a lot in making dumplings, especially during the autumnal and winter seasons. Suet dumplings are often added to warming casseroles or stews, where they are gently steamed and swell up double in size. Dumplings are often served in place of potatoes and bread.

Suet was not an ingredient my mother cooked with. I only began experimenting with it in my University years, when I discovered the vegetarian (also suitable for vegans) alternative made from: hydrogenated vegetable oil, wheat flour, sunflower oil and pectin. The suet itself looks like little white pellets dusted with the wheat flour to keep them apart. One of the first recipes I ever made with this suet was British celebrity chef Gary Rhodes mushroom and onion pudding; and early in the year I made Leek Savoury Puddings. I have to admit, I have never made a sweet jammy roly-poly. I know that will be remedied one of these days, but right now enjoy this savoury version.
This savoury roly-poly is filled with spinach and mushroom, and was served as part of a roast vegetarian dinner; and don't forget the compulsory gravy. For me this was a nice change from a vegetarian lentil loaf.

To end, some of you may know this, but for those of you who may not - Did you know that traditional beef suet was, and in some cases still remains one of the key ingredients of sweet mincemeat which is often made into Christmas Mincemeat Pies. So please do check the label this Christmas if making a purchase. Also, if you found it interesting to read about the traditional suet, you may also be interested in reading a little about the vegetarian 'black pudding'.
Mushroom and Spinach Roly- Poly
Serves 8 as part of a vegetarian roast dinner
Ingredients
For the Suet pastry
450g wholemeal plain flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
110g vegetable or vegan suet
300-350ml cold water
For the filling
3 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
400g chestnut mushrooms
150ml vegetable stock
350g fresh spinach, chopped
55g wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Mix together the dry ingredients for the suet pastry. Add the water a bit at a time to form a fairly firm dough.
Heat olive oil and sauté the garlic and mushrooms. Add stock and cook until mushrooms are tender, then stir in the spinach until it wilts.
Stir in the flour and season with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens. Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle.
Spread the filling on it, almost to the edges, leaving ½ inch spare pastry all the way round.
Brush the edges with cold water and roll up length ways, squeezing in the ends to keep in the filling. Place the roly-poly on a large baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at gas mark 5 approximately 40 minutes.
The pastry should begin to turn brown and be cooked thoroughly.
Rest in a warm place for 10 minutes, then cut into slices. Adapted from The Stones Cookbook.

Leek Savoury Puddings

I made these a few days ago with the leeks from the veg box. Oooh veg box, I forgot to tell you all I took the decision to cancel the veg box, but I'll tell you more about that later. Lets just focus on these Savoury suet puddings for now.
With it still being a bit nippy, this kind of food is still welcome on the menu.
Luscious flavourful leeks and half moon carrots in a light soft pastry. And of course, it had to be served with some mashed potatoes and gravy. D pointed out that I could have added some cream or cheese to the filling, and the original recipe did suggest that, but I wanted to keep it vegan. I am so glad I did.

I’ve made a variation of the savoury puddings before with mushrooms and shallots with ‘truffle’ sauce, but that was one large one when I had friends over, there was a sense of occasion cutting through the suet pasty and serve. This time I decided to make individual portions. So dainty on the plate they were too. I used these plastic pudding containers that came with a lid, but if your making this recipe, and don't have pudding lids, you just need to cover the pudding well with foil. I still had to do this as two of my pudding lids were missing.

Leek Savoury PuddingsYou will need 5 - 6 pudding basins
Serves 5 - 6
Ingredients
For the Suet Pudding
300g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
100g vegetarian suet
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
Cold water
For the filling
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 large leeks, sliced
200g carrots, peeled and diced small
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to Gas mark 6.
For the filling
Heat the olive oil, add the onion and leeks and sweat on a low heat for about 20 minutes, until soft. Then add the carrots and vegetable bouillon powder and thyme and cook for a further 10 minutes, when they have softened. Season well and turn of the heat.
For the suet pudding
Mix all the dry ingredients and the herbs in a large bowl. Mix in enough cold water to make a firm dough. Divide the dough into 5 - 6, roll the pastry out on a well-floured work surface, to about 3mm thick circles that are big enough to fill the pudding basin with a small overhand. Line the pudding bowls with the pastry, gently easing it round the sides for a snug fit. Divide the filling between the pudding basins. The filling should be 1cm below the rim. Take each pudding in turn and with a sharp knife trim off the excess pastry level with the rim. Re-roll this excess pastry and cut out 6 circles big enough to cover the tops. Place the pastry tops on top of the filling and press the edges together to make a firm seal. Trim off any excess. Place the puddings into a steamer. Cover with the lid and steam for for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then ease a small knife around each pudding and turn them out. Slightly adapted from Rachel Demuths Green Seasons Cookbook.