Traditional Welsh Cawl

The Recycled Cook

By Adrian Sleeman

Traditional Welsh Cawl

Making leftover food into even tastier dishes is all about using your imagination to its fullest. What better place to start than with a Welsh classic, "Cawl", which in Welsh simply means mixture.

This is a dish that you will find in rural areas all over the world, with many different names and variations: Caldo, Cazuela, Cock-a-leekie or Ajiaco to name but a few but they all have one thing in common, they are cheap, wholesome, warming and satisfying.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_soup

The thing about recycling food is that you need to plan ahead, that way you waste little and make far more of the food you are cooking. So what is "Cawl" made from? 

Ingredients:

• 2 Litres of Stock (see below for method)
  
  
• A whole chicken carcass (you can also use leftover pieces of Beef or Lamb)
  
  
• Whatever root vegetables you have; Carrots, Swede, Potatoes, Parsnips, Turnips (peeled and roughly chopped)
   
• 1 Large Celery stalk, 2 bay Leaves, Parsley and any other herbs you have left over

 

Method:

It is here that I differ from my grandmother as I start off with Olive oil in a large heavy saucepan, chop and fry some onions, celery and garlic (What the Italians call a "Sofrito"). Heat these gently until softened then take off the heat. Add the chopped up chicken carcass (don't worry about being delicate as you will be straining this later).

Cut up the carcass into manageable pieces, add it to the "Sofrito" with enough cold water to cover the bones. Raid your fridge for any left over vegetables: Onions, Carrots, Swede,  Celery, etc. Add these to the water with any herbs you might have. 

If you don't have  fresh herbs dried herbs will do just fine, just add about half the amount that you would of fresh herbs. Season to taste with sea salt and coarse ground black pepper.

This is the time to get creative, I have never yet
cooked "Cawl" twice in the same way,  my Mamgu (grandmother) would have not approved of this but I like to add Star Anis and crushed Garlic cloves. 

Add whatever you have available, it is a leftover dish after all, At this stage you are only looking to add flavour so don't worry too much if the vegetables are passed their best but avoid any that are actually mouldy.

Simmer this stock for about a hour but there it will not hurt to cook this for longer, just make sure to add enough water as you will need enough volume for the final "Cawl". If you want you could even use a slow cooker to prepare this stage while you are at work.

Let this cool and strain through a sieve then shred any meat off the bones back into the pot, this should literally fall off the bone. Peel and slice some fresh root vegetables, add these to the pot and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the vegetables are just soft.

What vegetables you add at this stage are entirely up to you, it can either be a mixture (that is what cawl means) or, as is common in Wales, predominantly leeks and potato (Cawl Cenin) or cabbage and potato (Cawl Caboch). Season to taste and serve with fresh crusty bread and a nice mature cheese (A traditional Caerphilly or Havod Cheddar work particularly well).

 

Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx