Slow Cooker Somerset Butter Bean and Cider Casserole

When I lived in Somerset, I really enjoyed sampling the local ciders - and there were plenty of them to choose from, from genuine hand-pressed perry just up the road, proper farmhouse cider at Mudgleys, exciting growing businesses like Thatchers, which was so small in those days that none of my friends and family had heard of it, bigger established concerns like Westons, and the big boys at Showerings Cider Mill in Shepton Mallet, which was Matthew Clark back then.

There's nothing quite like the sweet and woody tang of cider. I particularly enjoyed the heady, unfiltered cider at the village wassail. On special occasions, like the village carol singing night, I would light our cul-de-sac with paper lantens and make spiced mulled cider for my neighbours. I loved making rich fruit cakes too, loaded with cider, windfall apples and sultanas.

Nowadays, it's a pleasure to pop a jugful into a casserole. It stirs up a gorgeous fragrance which takes me straight back to the Somerset orchards.

Some recipes recommend sauteing vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker, and others suggest using dried butter beans and soaking them overnight before cooking them... but this is the easy way!

Warning!

This was my first attempt at this recipe and I feel it is in need of some refinement. Next time I cook it I will reduce the amount of stock and add some apples to enhance the cidery flavour.

Ingredients

Fresh vegetables

• 225 g (8 oz) courgette
• 225 g (8 oz) trimmed aubergine
• Three celery sticks
• One onion
• One medium sized red pepper

From the store cupboard

• 400 g can of butter beans, drained (about 235 g drained weight)
• 150 ml cider (about ¼ pint)
• 700 ml vegetable stock - stock made with a stock cube is fine
• One heaped dessert spoon of cornflour or vegetable gravy granules to thicken the casserole if needed.

Seasoning

• A heaped teaspoon of chopped herbs - dried or fresh. Traditional garden herbs such as parsley, thyme and rosemary are ideal.
• Salt and pepper to taste. We prefer to avoid salt, and we add pepper individually when serving.

Method

1. Trim and chop the vegetables into bite sized chunks.
2. Put all the chopped vegetables in the slow cooker. I like to poke the aubergine down towards the bottom, as it tends to discolour if it isn't underwater.
3. Add the beans, cider, herbs and seasoning.
4. Make the stock and pour it into the slow cooker while it's still super hot.
5. Put the lid on quickly, turn the slow cooker on, and switch it to auto.
6. I left my casserole to cook for 3¼ hours (slow cookers will vary).
7. Check the consistency and add thickener as needed (cornflour or vegetable gravy granules).
8. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes.
9. Serve!

Cornflour Tip

Cornflour is inclined to go lumpy if you heat it quickly. Luckily slow cookers work at a lower temperature, so you may find that cornflour stirs in without any trouble. To play safe, I like to mix a heaped dessert spoon of cornflour to a paste with a little lukewarm water, then gradually add the hot juices from the slow cooker, stirring constantly until it's fully absorbed. When it's well-blended and smooth, pour it back into slow cooker.

Vegan Headlines

• The granules in the photo are vegetarian, not vegan.
• Henry Weston Vintage Cider is vegan, but not all Weston's ciders are.
• All Thatcher's cider is currently vegan.