This is a substantial and hearty dish of succulent beans in a spicy sauce, topped with fluffy scones.
The Recipe
Ingredients:
-
For The Filling
- 225g Dried beans (haricot, black eye, pinto or any other kind - or a mixture)
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons Branston Pickle or sandwich chutney
- 2 Tablespoons Worcester sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon dry mustard powder (or yellow mustard from a jar)
- 1 Teaspoon Curry powder To Thicken The Filling
- 25g soft butter
- 1 Tablespoon plain flour For The Scone Topping
- 200g Self raising flour
- 75g Butter or vegetable fat
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- Half teaspoon salt
- Cold water to mix (see recipe)
Method:
The night before you make this, put the beans in a large bowl or jug and cover them with water to twice the depth of the beans - they'll double in volume when they are fully soaked.
Drain the beans and assemble the ingredients for the filling (not the butter and flour yet though).
Place the beans, chutney, spices and sugar into a slow cooker - add just enough water to cover the beans - put on the lid and cook for six hours or until the beans are tender.
This can also be done in an ordinary covered casserole dish - which will probably only take a couple of hours in a low oven.
Check the dish now and again, adding a little more water if it looks too dry.
To thicken the sauce, blend 25g of butter with a tablespoon of plain flour in a cup - and stir this mixture a little at a time into the hot beans.
Transfer the beans into an ovenproof dish (or just leave them in the dish you cooked them in, if you didn't use a slow cooker).
This part of the recipe can be prepared up to a few days in advance - if cooled and then chilled in the fridge at this stage.
For the topping, place the flour, fat, egg, salt and herbs in a food processor and blend together.
Continue to mix, adding small amounts of cold water until it comes together into a single ball of dough.
form the dough into a rough cylinder about an inch thick on a well-floured board (you might need to cut it in half and do this in two batches).
Cut the roll of dough into chunks - again, about an inch thick, but there's no need for great precision here.
Arrange the pieces of dough on top of the beans in the dish.
I find the easiest way to do this evenly is to space some our in a symmetric pattern, then just keep filling in the gaps evenly.
Bake in a medium oven (170C) for about 45 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are browned and the sauce starts to bubble up around the edges.
Serve as main course item for up to 4 people, with your choice of accompaniments, or as a side dish or hot buffet item for more people.
