The Broad Palate – Jan ’24

A couple of warming recipes to fend off the January chills…

Scouse (or Lobscouse) – serves 4-6

Derived from ‘lapskaus’, a traditional, one-pan stew said to have been introduced to Liverpool by Norwegian sailors, this is a great winter stand-by, using beef or lamb and January’s seasonal root vegetables. Leave out the meat if preferred. Typically served with pickled red cabbage and a doorstep of crusty fresh bread (a squeeze of HP not to be underestimated). Every household has its own version. No need to follow exact weights, go by eye.

50g butter
2 onions, coarsely chopped
3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 large carrots, peeled and roughly sliced
1 medium swede, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 cup pearl barley or dried soup mix (soaked in water for 1 hour)
750g stewing beef or lamb, preferably in thick slices (I use beef as less fatty)
Marrowbone (optional)
1.5 litres beef stock

Method:

Rinse and drain the barley/soup mix. In a large pan, melt the butter on a medium heat and seal the meat on all sides.
Add the onion and fry for 2 minutes, before adding the stock and barley/soup mix. Add marrowbone, if using.
Simmer until the meat is tender and the pulses cooked, then remove the meat onto a plate.
Season the broth with salt and pepper (plus an optional good dash of Worcestershire sauce), add the carrots and swede then after 20 mins add the potatoes and cook until everything is cooked.
Remove and discard marrowbone. Add the meat back in, check seasoning, and enjoy.

Ginger Cake

Best wrapped and kept for a few days before eating, but easier said than done. You will need a 2lb loaf tin, buttered and lined, and a hand whisk.

225g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
115g hard butter, cubed
115g black treacle
115g golden syrup (measure treacle and syrup straight into a saucepan)
115g dark muscovado sugar
275g milk (whole, preferably) (measure sugar and milk into another saucepan)
1 egg, beaten
4 balls stem ginger in syrup, chopped (Opies brand is good)

Method:

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas mark 4.
Sift dry ingredients together into a large bowl and rub in the butter (the colder your hands, the better).
Gently warm the treacle and syrup until runny but not hot. Do the same with the sugar and milk in the other pan, just enough to dissolve the sugar.
Add the treacle/syrup mixture to the dry ingredients, whisk, then add the milk/sugar mixture and the egg.
Whisk briefly until you have a smooth batter. Fold in the stem ginger pieces, ensuring they are fairly evenly dispersed.
Pour into the loaf tin, give the tin a sharp tap on the worktop and bake for around 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack. Keeps well.

Many thanks to Ann 🙂