twice this week i’ve reached for the packet of peas in the freezer. shame on me, but also much excitement.

there’s a changing of the guards taking place at the moment (the mountains are calling the writer in my midst) and we’ve been apathetically interviewing potential housemates. last night, after a second visit, the deal was done and in a few weeks all will be a bit more stable at home again (with a flurry of painters in between).

this is the leek and bean cassoulet from my favourite cookbook of the moment, veganomicon.

the stew
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups of veges stock
a couple of tablespoons of flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, thinly sliced
3 golden shallots, cubed
3 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (how much fin is the garlic crusher?)
a big tablespoon of chopped thyme
3/4 cup frozen peas
a tin of white beans – we used butter, but the smaller ones could be better

stir the flour into the vege stock
boil the diced potatoes till tender, set aside
in the dutch oven, saute the leeks, carrots and shallots in the vege oil until soft and almost browning.
add the garlic, thyme and salt and pepper
cook for a minute, then add the cooked potatoes and frozen peas and vege stock
simmer for about 7 minutes

the scones (or swans, as paul called them)
3/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
1.5 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
salt
1/4 cup nuttelex

put the vinegar into the soy milk and let it curdle
mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the nuttelex and use your fingers to make it breadcrumb like.
add the curdled milk and stir it all together. it needs to be dough like, a little sticky but not too much (i had to add more flour)
make small balls of the dough and cover the stew with them

bake in a hot oven until the scones are golden brown

(it’s also great cold for lunch the next day with tomato pickles)