What's the weather like where you are? Or should I not ask?!
It's not so nice here at all, we went into Cardiff this morning and driving there and back - well it felt like we were in a submarine with the rain coming down in buckets. I am not feeling 100%, plus its been a good, but busy week at work, so I was actually glad to get back home when we did, as I was not in the mood for Christmas shopping and the hustle and bustle.
I was glad that I didn't need to do any cooking either when we got in either.
I made this Savoury Crumble a couple of days back, yes I know two Savoury Crumbles in one month. This one is very autumnal in appearance, though its quite wintry outside. Gold and yellow from the butternut squash and sweetcorn, moss green from the kale and studded with clay brown aduki beans. It was quite pretty to gaze at, but then I went and covered it with a blanket of wholemeal flour and cheddar cheese crumble topping.
Once baked, a little burnt and crisp around the edges, it was a welcome lunch and just what I wanted to tuck into and give me that warm glow. I am sharing this with Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays; and The Slow Cooked challenge hosted by Janice from Farmergirl Kitchen and The Baking Queen, which has a vegetarian theme this month.
I was inspired by Ruby Tandoh's recipe in The Guardian to make a savoury Crumble.
Its been a while since I've made a savoury crumble. The last I blogged about one was when I made this Black Eyed Bean and Vegetable Crumble. Ruby's herby topped crumble had butternut squash and spinach, mine has cauliflower and kale.
Once I've scattered the remaining crumble on top, its ready to go into the hot oven. I like how the spicy tomato juices have dyed the cauliflower florets almost a copper gold.
As soon as many people hear the word 'crumble' they understandably associate it with the sweet crumble, but here is a savoury crumble made with oats and seeds.
Beneath this savoury, seedy and oaty crumbly topping you will find black-eyed beans and chunks of vegetables. The vegetables of course can vary from season to season, but my question to you is 'When do you find yourself really wanting to eat a crumble: sweet or savory?!' If you are like me, then you answer will be 'when the weather turns dark and you want warmth and comfort'. Savoury vegetable crumbles are not a new idea, they have been around for yonky years in the Britain. In fact this recipe is adapted from one of my 1980s second hand skinny cookbooks. No photographs in it, but plenty of homely grub and illustrations: of people either eating or cooking.
I admit the flavours here are a bit on the tame side, but this way you do appreciate the flavours and bite of the vegetables more. I liked the topping, not only because it was soft and crumbly (obviously), but also crunchy from the seeds. In the future I hope to spice up this crumble with a little cumin, coriander and chilli, but right now it was good as it was. I am sharing this rather thrifty recipe with Simple LivesThursday #64 hosted by Gnowfglins.
Black
eye bean and Vegetable Crumble.
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
400g tinned black-eyed beans, drained, rinsed and
set aside
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large leek, sliced
½ swede, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon thyme
300ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
For the crumble topping
110 g rolled oats
50g plain flour
50g sunflower or pumpkin seeds
¼ teaspoon sea salt
75g butter
Method
Heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onion
until soft, then add the garlic, leek, carrots and swede and thyme ad sauté for
about 5 minutes. Then stir in the
carrots and pour in the stock , tamari, beans and season to taste.
Simmer until the vegetables are
tender. Tip into a baking tray.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6.
Now make the crumble topping.
Now make the crumble topping
Mix the oats, flour, seeds and salt in a
bowl and rub in the butter. Scatter over
the beans and vegetable mixture and bake for 30 – 40 minutes. Serve with gravy. Adapted from The Wharf Street Vegetarian Cafe Cookbook by Jill Gibbon.
