What Does Alan Cumming Cook for His ‘Cabaret’ Cast Mates?

What do the cast members of Cabaret look forward to for refueling after one of their high-energy performances? A hearty bowl of leading man Alan Cumming‘s vegan potato stew, of course! The busy actor—he also stars in CBS’ The Good Wife and recently released his harrowing memoir, Not My Father’s Son—makes his signature Scottish “stovies” for the entire cast every Wednesday, after the matinee performance. “I am such an old granny,” he says. “I make a vegan version that is delicious in my crock pot.” Sienna Miller joins the cast on February 15 as Sally Bowles, and the Broadway blockbuster closes on March 29, so act fast if you’re a fan.

According to his memoir, Cumming’s affinity for animals goes all the way back to his childhood on a farm in Scotland. He compares the abuse that he endured as a child at the hands of his father—who once violently hacked off Cumming’s hair in a fit of rage—to that inflicted on animals on the farm. “[M]y head was propelled forward by his hand, the other one wielding a rusty pair of clippers that we used on the sheep we had in the field in front of our house,” writes Cumming. “They were blunt and dirty and they cut my skin, but my father shaved my head with them, holding me down like an animal.”

It was his concern for animals that led Cumming to go vegan several years ago after having been a vegetarian for many years. Last fall, he spoke at PETA’s news conference—during which New York was named America’s Most Vegan-Friendly City—saying, “I’ve really noticed over the last few years how many people are turning towards eating vegetarian or vegan. … I think it’s an indication of how we’re becoming more conscious of what we do to our bodies by what we put into them and what we do to the planet.”

Cumming has graciously agreed to share his famous vegan “stovies” recipe with us, so you, too, can eat like a Broadway star.

He has written the following about his recipe:

Stovies is a Scottish dish that is traditionally made with beef dripping, but I am a vegan so I have made up my own version.

It is real peasant food and ideal for people who, like me, love to have a plateful of one thing. I much prefer a mush-style dish to something with loads of different components.

Stovies are so great for parties on cold winter nights because you can just leave them on the stove and people can help themselves throughout the night as they please.

This is his recipe:

1–2 Tbsp. olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic (more, if you like)
4 large onions
8–10 large potatoes
Tamari or dark soy sauce, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
A couple of handfuls of soya mince

• In a wok or large pot, put a good old slosh of olive oil. (I normally turn the bottle upside down and count until about four.) Chop up some garlic and fry it in the olive oil for a bit. Don’t let it get crispy, but it needs to permeate the oil and make a tasty base for the stovies.
• Take the biggish onions and chop them up into fairly big chunks and add them to the olive oil and garlic. Fry them for a bit longer, then put a lid on and leave them to sweat for a bit (about five minutes).
• Now scrub and chop up the potatoes into fairly big chunks. Add to the sweating onions and garlic and leave for a bit to get all infused.
• Now comes the fun bit. Get your tamari or dark soy sauce and squirt about 20 or so squirts into the wok, then do the same with your Worcestershire sauce. You could also use BBQ sauce. Basically, the trick is to make the stovies tasty and to give it a bit of a browny colour. You do all this to taste and can also add some salt and pepper (although don’t go crazy with the salt if you are going heavy on the tamari). Then throw in a couple of big handfuls of the soya mince. (My assistant Joey thought I said soya mints the first time I asked him to buy some and had a devil of a job tracking any down.)
• Pour water into the wok so that all the ingredients are just submerged. Bring to the boil for a bit, turn it down to simmer, then go away and check your e-mails or have a bath or something.
• Stir occasionally, and once the potatoes are cooked and soft, you can give them a little beating up with a spoon to make the stovies more mushy in texture. I usually cook mine for about 30 minutes, with the lid half on, half off. Then turn them off, put the lid on, and let them cook in their own juices.
• You could also add things like hot sauce or mustard if you felt daring. Enjoy!

Makes 8-10 servings

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