Tussock Hotpot

The Tussock Hotpot is one of many really unique recipe ideas that I'd like to try to bring to life that kind of intimidate me. This particular idea comes from the book The Long Patrol, when the "famous Tussock hotpot" was described: "In a huge earthenware basin coated with a golden piecrust was a delicious medley of corn, carrots, mushrooms, turnips, winter cabbage, and onions, in a thick, rich gravy full of Mem's secret herbs." I was surprised to see corn mentioned, since all other foods in Redwall are indigenous to the British Isles. You don't find any mention to things like squash or citrus, (although I did use lemon peel in my first jam recipe), and this is the only mention of corn in the entire series. I decided to combine the onions and herbed gravy and use my onion sauce recipe here. I hesitantly recommend using a store-bought pie crust for this just because the vegetables themselves will take a lot of time and effort. I did have trouble with a store-bought crust crumbling to nothing, though, so I don't have any pictures of the finished pie.

Tussock Hotpot

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 turnip
• 3 large white mushrooms
• 2 carrots
• 1 small head cabbage
• 1 cup corn
• 1 recipe onion sauce
• 1 box containing 2 pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Peel the turnips and slice them thinly (I used the 1/8" setting on my mandolin)
   
3. Slice the mushrooms thinly
   
4. Peel and slice the carrots thinly
   
5. Shred the cabbage leaves, discarding the tough outer leaves and the hard center veins
6. Line a pie pan with one crust
7. Layer the turnips along the bottom of the crust
   
8. Layer the mushrooms on top of the turnips
   
9. Layer the carrots on top of the mushrooms
   
10. Layer the shredded lettuce on top of the carrots
    
11. Sprinkle corn evenly over the cabbage
    
12. Pour the onion sauce evenly over the corn
    
13. Top with remaining pie crust, pinch shut, and cut slits into the top to release steam
    
14. Bake for 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown

Seedcake

It's always bewildered me that banana bread is considered "bread" while poppy cake is considered "cake" when they're both highly-sweetened baked loaves...Anyway, this seed cake tastes wonderful even with half the sugar I mention in this recipe, so feel free to make it as sweet -- or not sweet -- as you like. Be careful when folding the wet ingredients into the dry -- the vinegar and baking soda will react to make bubbles and you don't want to pop those.

Seedcake

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt
   
3. In another bowl, whisk together milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until well combined
   
4. Pour the wet ingredients into dry and carefully fold together
   
5. Pour batter into a loaf pan that you've either greased or lined with parchment paper
   
6. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown

Onion Sauce

Onion sauce was mentioned all over the Redwall universe and was poured over a half dozen different dishes and cooked into another several. I recommend using sweet onions for this recipe, but white onions would also work.

Onion Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups of sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 sweet onion
• 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Directions

1. Slice onion into thin strips
   
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the onion for about 10 minutes, or until it starts to soften
   
3. Cover the saucepan and lower heat to medium low, then cook onion for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 or so, until the onion is really soft and starting to caramelize
   
4. Stir flour into onions, then add remaining ingredients to the saucepan
   
5. Bring to a boil and keep there for 15 minutes, or until sauce is thickened
   

Cheesebread

Cheesebread was mentioned twice in the book Loamhedge, first when three young Redwallers sneak out of the abbey to go to a festival, and later when refreshments are brought to watchers working to keep enemies from climbing over the wall. I decided to make it in the style of quick, fluffy drop biscuits infused with cheese shreds . I highly recommend eating these warm, while the cheese is gooey and the biscuits are super soft. I left these simple because I wanted the mild monterey cheese to stand out. Feel free to add herbs if you like, or to use a stronger cheese.

Cheesebread

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Yield: 10 biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Monterey jack)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Mix together the flour and baking powder
   
3. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or two knives until the butter pieces are smaller than peas
   
4. Add milk and mix until just combined (dough will be sticky)
   
5. Fold in cheese
   
6. Drop in 10 lumps on a baking sheet (they don't need to be pretty, but try to make them all similar sizes so they bake at the same speed)
   
7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown