Slow Salamander Dinners

Slowing down and being present are such powerful aspects of self-care, especially in a world that often encourages constant hustle. Winter’s slower pace can actually make it the perfect time to focus on being more mindful. A wonderful way to practice slowing down and being present while nurturing your well-being is cooking, but cooking mindfully and enjoying each step of the process. This month, we are starting our Slow Salamander Dinners series, celebrating cooking slowly and mindfully, and we have some delicious dishes to share with you!

This is something we always do when cooking on our Little Range Cook Stove, cooking on a range is such a joyous experience so we like to slow down and enjoy each moment! When you’re in the kitchen, it’s not just about the end result—it’s about connecting with the process, appreciating the ingredients, and nourishing both body and soul. The whole ritual from gathering your wood, setting up your fire lighters and kindling in the firebox and getting the roaring flames going, to then gently tending to it to get it up to a cooking temperature all encompasses a more mindful and natural way of cooking.

Vegan Creamy Blue Oyster Mushroom and Leek Pie

There’s nothing quite like a creamy, crusty pastry pie in the wintertime. This is a recipe from Wallflower Kitchen, but we added in our very own homegrown blue oyster mushrooms to make it extra special! We used soya milk as the milk-based alternative and we found it worked really well to get a nice creamy consistency, but we did add in another tablespoon of flour to help thicken it up slightly! You will need to get your Range oven temperature up in the high orange/red section which is around 180/200 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium leeks, trimmed and sliced into discs
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 250 g button mushrooms, sliced
• 250g oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• A pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp dairy-free butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 350 ml dairy-free milk
• ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
• A pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 roll vegan puff pastry
• 4 tbsp aquafaba (liquid from a tin chickpeas or other legume), or just 4 tbsp dairy-free milk, for glazing

Method

1. Light your Range, leaving the oven dial closed for the first 15 minutes to get the firebox nice and hot, then open up the oven dial. Place a medium saucepan on the cooktop and leave for another 15 minutes for it to heat up. You can start prepping and chopping during this part.
2. Once the pan is heated, add a drizzle of olive oil, add the chopped leeks and garlic and cook to soften for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper and herbs and cover with a lid, cook for 10 minutes or until it has reduced slightly.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add in the flour. Gradually add in the milk stirring with a whisk as you go, until you have a thickened sauce. Then add in the nutmeg and salt and pepper and pour over the leek and mushroom mixture.
5. Allow to cool slightly. Cut your sheet of pastry to size – we just added a top layer instead of the bottom and sides.
6. Pour the mixture into a pie dish, then place the pastry on top. Fold the edges down gently and press with a fork. Make a few slits with a sharp knife and with a pastry brush over some milk.
7. Cook in the range for around 30-40 minutes, checking at 30 minutes. When the pastry is nicely browned and puffed up your pie is ready!

Tuscan Chicken Soup

This one pot wonder really packs a punch with its warm flavours, nourishing veggies and it is also packed with protein – the perfect cosy dinner for a slow winters evening to nourish the soul. We found this recipe form Eat With Clarity, and we just had to give it a go cooking it on our range!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• ⅓ cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ⅓ cup white wine
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup heavy cream, dairy or non-dairy
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons salt, start with 1 and add more as needed
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups spinach

Method

1. Light your Range, and place a large pot (we used our Salamander Cook Pot) on the cooktop and leave for around 15 minutes for it to heat up. You can start prepping and chopping during this part.
2. Once the pot is heated add the olive oil and onions, sautéing them until soft. Then add in the carrots and cook until slightly softer. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and tomato pasta and sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the white wine and let simmer until it has cooked off – the alcohol will cook off but adds so much flavour!
5. Add in the chicken broth, beans, cream and spices/salt and pepper, chicken and bay leaves. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes to let all of the flavours absorb. The longer you leave it the stronger the flavour!
6. Add in the spinach and let it wilt, you can then taste and add more ingredients according to the taste and how you like it. If you like a thicker consistency then leave it bubbling away for longer.
7. Garish with fresh parsley, red pepper flakes and parmesan.
8. Settle down in front of the Range and enjoy your soul warming soup!

Hearty Veggie Stew

Stews are one of our favourite dishes to make to get in so much goodness into a meal. We love a veggie stew here at Salamander Stoves, and cooking and tending to one on our range is a lovely way to spend a blustery evening inside! This rich, savoury stew is from Brand New Vegan, and we highly recommend it!

Ingredients

Roux

• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 rib celery, minced
• 1 carrot, minced
• ¼ cup vegetable broth

Stew

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 250g button mushrooms, sliced
• 250g oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ cup red wine
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 stick celery, chopped
• 2 medium sized potatoes, chopped
• 200g tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbs Cornstarch
• 1 cup Frozen Peas

Method

1. Light your Range, and place a large pot (we used our Salamander Cook Pot) on the cooktop and leave for around 15 minutes for it to heat up. You can start prepping and chopping during this part.
2. Start by making the roux – mince the carrot, celery stalk, and small onion very fine.
3. Sauté this mixture in ¼ cup of veggie broth until the veggies are nice and soft.
4. Add the large chopped onion and continue cooking until softened.
5. Add the mushrooms and cook on medium high until they lose their liquid.
6. Season with the rosemary and italian seasoning.
7. Add the wine and deglaze any brown spots in your pan – this is what adds even more flavour!
8. After a few minutes add the rest of the broth, the tomatoes and tomato pasata.
9. Add all your chopped veggies and turn the heat up to boil.
10. Add the rest of the seasonings – but not the cornstarch.
11. Once it’s boiling, turn down the heat to low and add the peas.
12. Mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and stir this in to thicken.
13. Simmer to desired consistency – we cooked ours down for about 45 minutes, so the veggies were nice and soft and the broth was rich in flavour.

Slow Cooked Range Beef Stew

Of course we had to add in another stew – but this one is for the meaty stew lovers out there! Adding in beef to a stew not only adds in protein, but also creates more of a rich flavour. Being a slow cooked stew, this dish really encompasses our slow Salamander dinners and the notion of mindful, slow cooking. As this is a slow-cooked dinner, the range oven needs to stay consistently hot, so we would recommend using eco-logs as they burn for longer and hotter than normal dried logs.

Ingredients

• 2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 really big  carrots, halved lengthways then very chunkily sliced
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 thyme sprigs, 1 whole and 1 leaves picked
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 beef stock cubescrumbled
• 850g stewing beef cut into nice large chunks

Method

1. Light your Range, leaving the oven dial closed for the first 15 minutes to get the firebox nice and hot, then open up the oven dial. Place a large pot (we used our Salamander Cook Pot) on the cooktop and leave for another 15 minutes for it to heat up. You can start prepping and chopping during this part.
2. Once the pan is heated, add the celery, onion, carrots, 5 bay leaves and 1 whole thyme sprig with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tbsp butter.
3. Stir and allow to soften for about 10 minutes, then stir in 2 tbsp plain flour and mix until it doesn’t look dusty, then 2 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 crumbled beef stock cubes.
4. Once everything is nicely mixed, start slowly stirring in the 600ml hot water, then tip in 850g stewing beef and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Once your temperature dial has reached the orange, cover the stew and place in the Range oven for 2 1/2 hours, then uncover and cook down for another 30 minutes – 1 hr until the beef is really tender and the sauce is thick and flavourful.
6. Enjoy with some crusty bread!