Introduction
Scouse.
Staple
of Liverpool and surrounding areas. Great way of cooking cheap cuts
of meat and using leftover vegetables. Great for tricking children
into eating hidden veg. Filling and warming in winter, yet make it
thinner and it can be a delightful summer dish too.
Every
place has their own version of Scouse. The Welsh have Cawl, there's
Irish Stew, Lancashire Hotpot all made to similar (yet different)
recipes. Within Merseyside, everyone claims their scouse is the
best. Every family will have their own recipe with slight
differences
This
is mine...
Ingredients (serves 4 for two days)
200g
or so of lamb neck
200g
or so of a cheap cut of beef such as shin
half
a bury black pudding
1
large onion
1
stick celery
2
or 3 carrots
200g
or so of spuds. Whatever your fancy
Whatever
other leftover veg you have. I had:
half
a celeriac
4
or 5 runner beans
1
tbsp plain flour
1
tbsp paprika
2
tsp thyme
3
bay leaves
1
tbsp worcester sauce
2
tbsp of tomato puree
1
tsp marmite
1
tsp cranberry jelly
Method
For
this, I've used my slow cooker where you just bung everything in, mix
up and let sit for 5 to 6 hours, however you can easily do this in
the oven or on the hob by putting the ingredients in the order shown
and cooking for a few mins before moving on to the next
- Chop the onion, celery and carrot and put in the pan
- Mix the flour, paprika, thyme, some salt and pepper with the chopped meat. Add to the pan
- Add chopped leftover veg until the cooker/oven pan is almost full
- Finish the top with sliced taters. I like mine to go soft and mushy but still retain shape so about half centimetre slices will do this. Here I used baby new potatoes but use which ever you prefer
- Add the bay leaves and the liquid ingredients. Now mix well.
- If you have some, a good slug of red wine or dark beer will only make this nicer
- Slow cook for about 5 hours. In the oven you should cook at no higher than 140ยบ for at least 4 hours. On the hob, a low heat for at least 2 hours will probably do
- Serve with some nice crust bread and pickled cabbage (never NEVER beetroot – it's just wrong)
Enjoy
:-)
