Feed Me That logoWhere dinner gets done
previousnext


Title: Bacon Cawl with Three Sauces
Categories: Soup Sauce
Yield: 4 Servings

THE CAWL
1 1/2lbCollar bacon with rind
3ptWater
VEGETABLES
1 1/2lbPotatoes
1smSwede (rutabaga)
3 Mature carrots
2lgLeeks (or spring onions)
2tbChopped parsley
SAUCES FOR THE MEAT
MUSTARD AND EGG SAUCE
2ozButter
1ozFlour
1tsDry mustard powder
1/2tsPowdered tumeric
1/2ptCawl stock & milk mixed
1 Hard-boiled egg
1tbVinegar
SPICED TOMATO KETCHUP
1lbRipe tomatoes
1smOnion
1tsGround ginger
1/4tsPowdered cloves
1ozSugar
1tbMalt vinegar
  Salt and pepper
1smGreen chili (optional)
PARSLEY-AND-CHIVE SAUCE
1ozButter
1ozFlour
1/2ptCawl stock and milk mixed
2tb(heaped) chopped parsley
1tb(heaped) chopped chives
  Salt and pepper

Wash the joint to remove surface blood. Put the meat into a large clean pan and cover well with water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, cover with lid and simmer for 2 hours. Top up if the water sinks below the level of the meat - at the end of the cooking you should have 2 pints of liquor. Leave it to cool, meat and all, and lift off the white hat of grease (it makes good dripping after heating gently to drive off the water). Some families like the fat left in.

Prepare the vegetables - scrub, peel and cut them into bite-sized chunks as appropriate. Wash and slice the leeks into 1/2-inch rings. Then make the sauces.

For the MUSTARD AND EGG SAUCE: Melt 1 oz butter in a small pan. When it froths, sprinkle in the flour and fry for a moment until mixture is sandy. Stir in the mustard powder and tumeric and immediately whisk in the broth and milk. Whisk till the mixture thickens. Chop the egg and stir in. Finish with the vinegar and beat in the extra ounce of butter. Taste and add salt and pepper.

For the SPICED TOMATO KETCHUP: Chop the tomatoes, skin and chop the onion. Put all the ingredients except the optional chili into a lidded saucepan. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes. Push the contents of the pan and boil it fiercely for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve either hot or cold. Finish with a few slices of deseeded chili if you like it hot.

For the PARSLEY-AND-CHIVE SAUCE: Melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and let it cool for a moment. Whisk in the liquid gradually and stir over the heat until the mixture thickens. Mix in the herbs, taste and add salt and pepper. Reheat the meat in its broth (the cawl). Remove the meat and keep it warm while you cook the root vegetables in the broth. Five minutes before you are ready to serve, add the leeks. While the vegetables simmer, plain-boil the potatoes separately. Stir the chopped parsley into the soup just before you bring it to table.

As a second course, serve the meat with the potatoes, and the three sauces.

Source: Elisabeth Luard in "Country Living" (British), April 1989. Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

previousnext