The Hairy Bikers' mushroom bourguignon cobbler recipe

Ingredients

For the mushroom bourguignon

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 12 button onions or shallots, peeled and left whole
• 300g carrots, cut into chunks
• ½ tsp sugar
• 25g butter
• 750g mushrooms (mix of portobello, chestnut, button, cremini), thickly sliced
• 1 large sprig of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• A few sage leaves, finely chopped
• 200ml red wine
• 300ml mushroom or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp mushroom ketchup
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Finely chopped parsley, to serve
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the cobbler topping

• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 50g blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 egg
• 75ml buttermilk

Method

This is a really special dish with a rich, almost meaty, flavour. It’s one of the recipes we couldn’t quite decide on – should we make it a pie, a crumble or a cobbler? So we asked you on Instagram and you voted by a slim margin for a cobbler topping. We’ve used blue cheese in ours but if you’re not a fan, a veggie Cheddar would be fine too.

First make the bourguignon. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and add the onions or shallots and the carrots. Fry over a high heat, stirring regularly, until they are dappled with dark brown patches. Sprinkle over the sugar and continue to cook for another couple of minutes to help caramelise. Remove them from the dish and set aside.

Add the butter to the casserole dish. When it starts to foam, add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat until they have reduced down. Put the onions and carrots back in the dish and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the herbs, then pour in the red wine. Bring to the boil and leave to bubble until the wine has reduced by at least a third. Add the stock, mushroom ketchup and mustard and stir until completely combined.

Bring back to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for half an hour, perhaps a little longer, until the vegetables are completely tender. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.

Meanwhile, make the cobbler topping. Put the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add half a teaspoon of salt. Add the sage and the cheese, then mix in the egg and buttermilk to make a fairly sticky dough. Form the dough into 12 small balls and space out over the top of the bourguignon. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then transfer the dish to the oven, uncovered, for a further 10–5 minutes until the cobbler topping has puffed up and is lightly browned. Serve in shallow bowls with a garnish of finely chopped parsley.

The Hairy Bikers' Veggie Feasts by Si King and Dave Myers. Published by Seven Dials on 29 October 2020, Hardback £22, eBook £12.99

For more vegetarian recipes from The Hairy Bikers try their recipe for vegetarian ramen, vegetarian enchiladas and red onion tarte tatin. Visit our hubs for vegetarian recipes and vegan recipes for more meat-free meal ideas.