Like many provincial dishes, country soups or broths differed in many family homes, villages and towns, the ingredients that by tradition went into them were dominated by the seasons or by what was to hand.
Cawl is no different, although it appears that the earliest most basic cawl recipes possibly used bacon as opposed to the high-priced cuts of lamb (which started to be chosen in the 20th Century). This is a recipe for a reliable Welsh Cawl, on the other hand, there is no accepted recipe for cawl.
Cawl was the dish most commonly served for dinner on the farm during the winter months in Wales, our recipe is usually served with crusty bread and Caerphilly cheese, but we have had it served to us with Twmplen or Tymplen (suet dumplings).
Trim the meat of fat so far as possible, and chop into large, diced chunks, in a large saucepan cover the meat with cold water, add the salt and pepper, bring to the boil, and simmer slowly for 1 hour, then leave it to get cold and skim off all the excess fat.
Put in all the vegetables except one leek, the potatoes the pearl barley and half the parsley, cover and simmer very slowly on a low heat for 2 hours, (add more water if necessary) then add the potatoes then the thyme and bay leaf bundled with string and continue cooking for 40 minutes. Allow to cool and store in the fridge overnight.
Optional: Twmplen – Dumplings: Into a mixing bowl sift in the flour then rub in the softened lard to make a mixture similar to breadcrumbs, sprinkle in the sea salt and shredded suet.
In a cup dissolve the bicarbonate of soda into the buttermilk and pour it gradually into the flour to make a light dough mixture, add more flour if a little wet or more buttermilk if a little dry.
Shape the dough into small, similar sized balls in your hands and let them rest in the fridge for 30 minutes then use them in the cawl on the day you are serving it.
Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling cawl, turn the heat down after ten minutes, and cook through for 90 minutes (they will almost double in size).
To Serve: The next day reheat the Cawl on a gentle simmer for 90 minutes (if adding in the dumplings) or just 30 minutes (if served without the dumplings). When re-heating the cawl add the remainder of the parsley, taste for seasoning and adjust, finely chop the remaining leek on top with five minutes to go. Serve hot in bowls with garnish of Parsley, warm, crusty, wholesome bread and Caerphilly cheese.
Note: all the best cawl’s are made the day before they are eaten, skim the fat off the top when cooked and cold and allow the flavours to develop and fuse overnight.
As to whether the Cawl should be thickened or not (a soup as opposed to a broth) this is a matter of regional and even family recipe inclinations. Nevertheless, wide-ranging consensus judges that a Cawl should be a well-seasoned broth full of the flavours of the meat and vegetables, and not thickened like a soup.
Twmplen or Tymplen.
The one and only thing to remember when plonking dumplings into a broth or stew are that the broth needs to be hot, boiling and bubbling when putting them in, this is to help keep the dumpling shape and reliability, and then the heat under the cawl can be turned down after 10 minutes or so. The dumplings can simmer in the broth for about 90 minutes
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (327g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 6 Servings | ||
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Calories: 290 | ||
Calories from Fat: 39 (13%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 4.4g | 6 % | |
Saturated Fat 0.5g | 2 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 1g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 1.9g | ||
Cholesterol 0mg | 0 % | |
Sodium 42mg | 1 % | |
Potassium 574.7mg | 15 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 46.8g | 14 % | |
Dietary Fiber 9g | 36 % | |
Sugars, other 37.9g | ||
Protein 15.4g | 22 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 290
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