Cawl

The Welsh national broth of lamb or bacon, root vegetables, and a great many leeks, better on the second day

Origin: Wales

From the journey of Leek.

Cawl is simply the Welsh word for soup or broth, and it has been the everyday dinner of Wales for as long as there has been a record of one. It is a one-pot dish of the plainest kind: a cheap cut of lamb or a piece of salt bacon simmered slowly with whatever roots the ground gives, and leeks in quantity. What makes it Welsh rather than merely a stew is the leek, which goes in twice and in far greater volume than an English or French cook would think reasonable, and the fact that the broth and the solids were traditionally eaten as two courses, the liquid first with bread, the meat and vegetables after. Every valley has its version and the arguments are real. Lamb or bacon; swede or turnip; potatoes in the pot or boiled separately; thickened with oatmeal or left clear. The one point of agreement is that it should be made the day before. Cawl reheated is better than cawl fresh, because the fat rises and can be lifted off cold, the barley or potato thickens the broth overnight, and the flavours settle. The leek is not a background aromatic here. Wales grows the vegetable, wears it on the first of March, and puts it in the pot in handfuls. The technique that matters is the split: a first lot goes in early and cooks down to nothing, giving the broth body and sweetness, whilst a second lot goes in for the last few minutes and stays in bright green rounds. It is eaten with a wedge of Caerphilly and thick bread, and in some houses with a spoon and a fork at once.

Ingredients

Meat

1 kg lamb neck or shoulder on the bone, or a 1 kg piece of salt bacon

Broth

2.5 litres cold water
2 whole bay leaves
6 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Vegetables

3 whole carrots, cut into thick chunks
1 whole small swede, about 400 g, peeled and cut into chunks
2 whole parsnips, cut into thick chunks
600 g floury potatoes, peeled and halved

Leeks

6 whole large leeks, about 900 g, split, washed, and sliced into thick rounds

To Finish

3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

To Serve

200 g Caerphilly cheese, to serve

Method

Put the meat in a large pan, cover with the cold water, and bring slowly to the boil. Skim off the grey foam as it rises until the surface runs clear.
Add the bay, peppercorns, and salt, reduce to the barest simmer, cover, and cook for an hour and a half until the meat is beginning to yield.
Add the carrots, swede, and parsnips and simmer for a further 25 minutes.
Add the potatoes and about two-thirds of the sliced leeks and cook for a further 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Lift out the meat, pull it from the bone in large pieces, discard the bone and any gristle, and return the meat to the pan.
Ideally, cool the whole pot and refrigerate overnight, then lift off the set fat before reheating.
Reheat gently, then add the remaining third of the leeks and simmer for four to five minutes only.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Scatter with parsley.
Serve the broth first in bowls with bread, then the meat and vegetables, with crumbled Caerphilly alongside.

Notes

Nine hundred grams of leeks to a kilogram of meat looks excessive on the page and is correct. Cawl is a leek dish with lamb in it as much as the reverse. Lamb neck is the right cut: cheap, fatty, and full of connective tissue that turns to gelatine over two hours. Shoulder works. Leg does not, and will be dry. Salt bacon (cig moch) gives the older and arguably more authentic version. Soak it overnight first if it is heavily cured, and add no salt to the pot. Some households thicken with a handful of pearl barley or a spoonful of oatmeal added with the roots. Both are traditional and both are disputed. Caerphilly is the correct cheese and it is meant to be crumbled into the bowl or eaten alongside with bread. It keeps three days refrigerated and freezes well.

The Gastrographer

Name: Cawl
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Wales
Ingredients: 1 kg lamb neck or shoulder on the bone, or a 1 kg piece of salt bacon; 2.5 litres cold water; 2 whole bay leaves; 6 whole black peppercorns; 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste; 3 whole carrots, cut into thick chunks; 1 whole small swede, about 400 g, peeled and cut into chunks; 2 whole parsnips, cut into thick chunks; 600 g floury potatoes, peeled and halved; 6 whole large leeks, about 900 g, split, washed, and sliced into thick rounds; 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 200 g Caerphilly cheese, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control