Vegetarian Welsh Cawl Hot Pot

In anticipation of St David's Day, I made this Welsh Cawl Hot Pot yesterday afternoon.

Most people in the U.K are familiar with Lancashire Hot Pot made more famous by a barmaid called Betty (now deceased) in a popular British soap drama called Coronation Street.  It was Betty's signature dish at the Rovers Return Inn - a English pub.   

Hot Pot is a slow cooked recipe traditionally made with lamb and vegetables, but as this is a vegetarian blog I made mine with some vegan mock 'lamb' meat pieces.  I also decided to give this Hot Pot a Welsh touch with the addition of leeks and good Welsh cheese.  

Actually this can easily be a vegan Welsh Cawl Hot Pot, if you omit the cheese, but as I had some Dragon Welsh Caerphilly and Colliers Welsh Cheddar I opted to use them.  Although not authentic in any way, I enjoyed my vegetarian Welsh Hot Pot alternative.  It delivered on flavour, texture and substance.  there was also some gravy juices sitting at the bottom of the hot pot when it came out of the oven that made for moist mock 'lamb' pieces.  I served the finished dish with some steamed broccoli heads. 

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Welsh Gnocchi in Perl Las Leek Cream Sauce

Over the past few months, I've been eating a lot of vegan dishes and cheese has not been part of my diet much, so  yesterday I had planned to remake my Welsh Goats Cheese Gnocchi, but it quickly turned into a slightly more rich and decadent version.   Read on and you'll see how. 

This time the gnocchi  was coated in a copious amounts of creamy cheese sauce, bulked up with sauteed sweet baby Welsh leeks.  And when I say cheese sauce, I mean Welsh cheese.  I could have gone down the obvious Welsh cheese route by choosing Caerfilli/Caerphilly cheese, but I wanted to ring the changes and this time picked up some creamy blue Perl Las whilst in Cardiff city on Saturday.  Perl Las means 'blue pearl' and is made by a family business called Caws Cenarth.  I discovered it only last year upon my return (from Scotland) back to Wales.  It really is unlike any other blue cheese I've tasted. 

The Original Glamorgan Dog

Not a Welsh Rarebit in Sight. No Sir!

Why?! Because we have something even better - the Glamorgan Dog; or if you want to be a bit downright dirty, then call it The Vegi  Glamorgan Daug.

In anticipation of St Davids tomorrow, I have been offering Glamorgan Sausage Dogs  (based on the American Hot Dog) all week.  I have to admit, they are not yet as popular as the vegetarian burgers I make or the eyebrow raising and conversation starting Elvis Presley Bagel - but they do certainly get the thumbs up for flavour.

I could easily have served up Welsh Rarebit like many eateries here in Wales, but to me Welsh Rarebit is effectively  just cheese on toast jazzed up a little with some designer leaves on the side.  I guess its the celebrity chef Gary Rhodes affect, some of you may remember when he made the humble and homely Bread and Pudding fashionable to eat at high end restaurants.  So some places can get away charging almost £7 for cheese on toast, but not here - here we are going a little bit modern and its only under £3.  The Glamorgan Sausage known as Selsig Morgannwg in W elsh is made from Caerphilly cheese, leeks, breadcrumbs, mustard, seasoning and binded with egg yolk is freshly made and cooked and then put into a finger roll, that is generously filled with home-made coleslaw and a good squirt of French Mustard, on the side for garnish if you so wish - some salted crisps.  For my Glamorgan Sausage recipe follow this link.

Alongside the vegetarian Glamorgan Dog, I have also been making a Vegetarian Chilli Dog, a fat vegetarian sausage doused generously with home-made chilli (or to keep it strictly Welsh topped with my take on what would be a Welsh Chilli Con Carne) and then prettily tarted up with some jalapeno peppers.  The soured cream and extra Welsh cheddar cheese is optional, but more about that later.

I will also share you more original Welsh inspired delights over the next few days including the Welsh Chilli Con Carne, just got to remember to take my camera with me.  And if you can't wait, here are some Vegan and Vegetarian Welsh dishes from previous years featured on my blog.  Or click on this link and I mustn't forget my Welsh Eggs!

Casnewydds Best Dish

A few good months ago, I entered a local cooking competition in South Wales - Newport's Best Dish based on the cookery show Britain's Best Dish.   Newport (known in welsh as Casnewydd)  Best Dish is in its second year.  I am not one for competitions and especially not those where I am placed in the limelight.  So my reasoning for entering was two-fold. One to experience what it was like to cook under pressure, and to a strict deadline; and two, to use the competition as means to promote the cafeteria when it officially opened early this month.   But the fact is there has hardly been any promotion of the competition and its outcome by the organisers or the local council on its web pages of the winner or the runners up.  To add to this very little if any  interest has been shown by the local media of the competition. Never mind.

Anyway, the dish I decided to enter was deliberately chosen to highlight my Welsh heritage and my return to home - Wales - my Caerphilly Cheese, Leek and Potato Pie.    My dish came runner up, third in fact - not bad for a vegetarian dish I think. 

I also entered this pie into lovethegarden in March where the theme was to cook with leeks.  The competition was judged by Kerstin Rodgers also known as Ms Marmite from The Secret Garden Club. I was fortunate to come runner up and win my very own copy of her cookbook: Supper Club - see here.  

Since opening the cafe these individual pies have been made every week.  They have been popular with customers - to eat in warm or take out.  The recipe can be found here.  I do sometimes glaze these Caerphilly Cheese, Leek and Potato Pie with egg wash.  

Caerphilly Cheese, Leek and Potato Pie

Well this is the first proper recipe I have made in my new home: Caerphilly Cheese, Leek and Potato Pie.  Its going to take me a while to get used to the kitchen lay-out though.  In my previous  galley style tiny kitchen, I just used to just literally turn around to get something.  Now I have to walk a few paces, yeah I know such hard work. 

I was actually going to make four individual pies, similar to these Cauliflower pies. I changed my mind though in case I had unexpected visitors and made a large family friendly pie instead.   I have to admit, it is not the prettiest of pies I have ever made and sliced it doesn't look so pretty either, but its packed with texture and real Welsh flavours. Its real food after all.  I should also add its good both warm and cold.

Caerphilly cheese as the name suggests was originally made in Caerphilly, South Wales.  You may be interested to note as I am, that last year the town of Caerphilly held its first annual The Big Cheese event.  I hope to check it out the event in person this year.  

Now back to the cheese, Caerphilly cheese is a ivory-white crumbly cheese with a very delicate flavour.  It is fondly known as 'the crumblies'.  I like it because it holds its shape well when cooked.  I've used Caerphilly cheese many times, and not so long ago in a South Asian street food recipe: the popular Pakoras aka onion bhajis.  See my Caerphilly Cheese Pakora recipe here if your intrigued.  They really were good. 

Not that I have ever eaten a pork pie, but the pastry reminds me of it, which is why I think these would have also been perfect as individual hand held pies.  Also not that you can see it well, I used my alphabet cookie cutters to cut out 'Croeso' translated 'Welcome' in Welsh, but it's got a bit lost on baking.  I am submitting this recipe into a competition calling for Leek Recipes . Of course, as a Welshcake - how can I resist.  It is also being hosted by lovethegarden.com and being judged by the rather marvellous Kerstin Rodgers also known as Ms Marmite from The Secret Garden Club.  I've been hogging a copy of her book from the library since I joined: Supper Club, but I have to admit - I would love to have a signed copy of my own, as well as gardening vouchers to spend.  So let's see how this pie goes down with the judges. 

On another note, I am so glad to get back in the kitchen.  Time now to turn my thoughts to the growing space outside too.  Seeds need sowing.  Oh I haven't been this excited in a long while.   

Updated: March 2012 - Fellow blogger Patty at Poppycock and Other Creative Nonsense made a variation of this pie, please follow this link to see.  It is rather pretty.

Caerphilly Cheese, Leek and Potato Pie
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
For the pastry (to line a 7 - 8 inch round cake tin)
225g plain flour
pinch of salt
65g butter, diced
65g vegetarian suet
1 egg, beaten
You can cheat and make it also with readymade shopbought shortcrust pastry
For the filling
400g potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely slice
1 large leek or 2 medium leeks, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
200g Caerphilly cheese, coarsely chopped
Method for the pastry
Sift the flour into the bowl with salt, then rub in the butter with your fingertips and stir in the suet.  Add a little cold water to make a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Method for the filling
Boil the potatoes for the filling in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water until soft, then drain.
Heat the oil in a wide pan or frying pan, add the onions, leeks and garlic and fry until very soft.  Season well and allow to cool.
Combine the fried vegetables with the boiled potatoes and the rest of the filling ingredients, then allow to cool.
To assemble the Pie
Set aside enough pastry for the top lid.  Roll out the rest on a lightly floured surface to fit snuggly into your round baking tin.  It must come up at the sides, so press gently.  Place all the filling in the pastry round and press down, then roll out the remaining pastry to the size of your cake tin and cut out round with a knife.  Gently ease it on top of the filling.  Bring the sides of the pastry down and pinch around it to bind.  Brush with egg wash, then bake for 30 - 35 minutes at gas mark 6/200oC.  Allow to cool, before removing from the tin.

Glorified Laverbread cakes aka the Welsh Vegetarian Burger

My oldest nephew has come up for a long weekend and with him he brought me some goodies from Wales. Here are a few.
Laverbread oatcakes, cranberry cheese - not very Welsh I know, but very seasonal and a bread board inscribed in Welsh 'Bara Cartref wedi ei wneud a chariad' which translates as 'Home made bread made with love'. I have some tinned laverbread too. I actually still have a stash left over from his last visit. Laverbread also known as 'Seaweed bread' is seaweed porphyra umbilicalis gathered from rocks around the coast. It is rinsed repeatedly in changes of water to get rid of grit and sand, then soaked in fresh water to reduce its strong salty flavour. Then it is cooked gently in water until it is reduced to a mush literally. I like to describe it as the 'Saag of the Welsh world'.

I would never have described Laverbread as gourmet food. Apart from the way it looks - jet green, its distinct smell from the iodine content was more likely to turn people off it before they even had a chance to try some. But it seems that things are changing. The 200g tin my nephew gave me cost almost £3.00. Looks to me that laverbread in Wales is making a comeback. The best known dish made with laver is laverbread cakes. Its a very simple recipe, 200g laverbread is combined with 50g rolled oats then fried. It is often served at part of a Welsh breakfast.  Talking of gourmet food, my nephew told me that there is even a Laverbread Caviar, now that is one I look forward to seeing, and if its vegetarian - even trying - so I hope he brings me some next time he comes up to visit me here in Scotland.

Anyway, yesterday in an effort to use some of my store cupboard ingredients one of which included a tin of laverbread, I decided to create some Welsh Vegetarian Burgers for Brunch.
Now in all my time of growing up and living in Wales, I have never ever had a Welsh Vegetarian burger, so thought wouldn't it be cool to create one, or at least attempt to create one using the recipe for 'laverbread cakes' as a starting point. I had bucket loads of leeks picked up on Saturday, but no Caerphilly cheese. You can't make a Welsh vegetarian burger without Caerphilly yells my nephew. He is right. I remembered the last time I tried to make a Welsh recipe I struggled to find Caerphilly cheese in Scotland. I searched high and low for the real stuff, even the West Ends cheesemonger informed they did not keep any. Anyway, determined that I was going to make some burgers with the laverbread and Caerphilly cheese it occurred me to try, this place which opened up early last year. Well I was so glad I did. I was the first person to get a wedge of Caerphilly cheese from the wheel. It wasn't particularly cheap, but it was worth this novelty treat - a little taste of home. These Welsh Vegetarian burgers or 'glorified Laverbread cakes' as my nephew called them, were a great success.

Glorified laverbread cakes aka the Welsh Vegetarian Burger
Makes 5 - 6
Ingredients120g tinned laverbread
75g - 100g rolled oats, medium or jumbo (I used a mixture of both)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek, washed and sliced
50g fresh breadcrumbs
50g Caerphilly cheese, grated or vegan alternative
1 teaspoon mustard
Pepper to taste
Vegetable or olive oil for shallow frying
Method
In a bowl, add the laverbread and rolled oats and combine well. Set aside for it to firm up.
In the meantime, heat olive oil and add leeks and cook on low heat until soft. Stir into the laverbread and oat mix, then add in the breadcrumbs and combine well. Gently stir in the Caerphilly cheese or vegan alternative, mustard and pepper to taste. Then divide the mixture into 5 or 6 balls and shape into patties or burgers. You can either leave these in the fridge to firm up or cook immediately. Heat about 4 tablespoons oil, when hot add the burgers, shallow fry for about 4 minutes before flipping over and cooking for another 4 minutes or until golden. Press gently with a spatula if necessary. Enjoy immediately, either in a bread roll or as a side with wedges or chips.

Caerphilly cheese and Welsh pakoras

As a welsh girl, I have to say a few words about Welsh cheese, and in particular Caerphilly cheese as I have been cooking a lot with it recently. This vegetarian cheese is made in South and West Wales. When young, Caerphilly has a moist, supple texture and fresh taste. However, with age, it becomes creamier around the edges and more flavoursome. This welsh cheese is less crumbly than its English counterparts such as Wensleydale and Lancashire.

If you get a chance try and get hold of a proper mature Caerphilly cheese. It really makes a difference from the crumbliness of a supermarket one. The real Caerphilly cheese has a proper rind with a soft yellowing edge and a creamy centre. Hence the famous Welsh rarebit, cheese on toast – you won’t get that lovely melty sheen with a crumbly cheese. Saying that I found it really difficult to track down authentic Caerphilly cheese in any of the local Scottish supermarket, I even tried I J Mellis: the West Ends best cheese monger who informed me that they no longer stock it, but had similar crumbly type cheese. Eventually I did track some down, but it was a supermarkets brand, not the real stuff, it will have to do for now.
You can make pakoras from any vegetable: aubergines, mushrooms as long as you make them with besan, also known as gram flour (chick pea flour). These pakoras are made with welsh flavours: finely shredded leeks and cubes of Caerphilly cheese. I served them with grated carrots stirred through natural yogurt , yes they are the carrots from the garden plot. I appreciate this may not be to everyones taste, but have a try at least.

Pakoras are not the easiest to photograph, they look rather messy, but let me tell you they are so delicious, you'll be going back for more.

Traditional Welsh Pakora recipe

Makes about 12

Ingredients

100g potato, cut into small even sizes cubes
110g Caerphilly cheese, Wensleydale, Lancashire or cheddar will also work but the taste will be different, cut into small cubes

150g gram flour

1 leek, finely sliced

½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 – 2 fresh green chilli, minced
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

Salt to taste
Cold water to bind mix

Oil for deep frying

Method

Place 150g gram flour in a large mixing bowl along with the potato cubes, leeks, cheese, fresh chilli, cumin seeds, chilli powder and salt. Now mix together. Add enough water to bind, you want to achieve a free form dropping consistency.

Heat the oil in a large pan or deep fat fryer, drop a few large tablespoons of batter gently into the hot oil, cook on one side for a couple of minutes until crispy and then turn over until the other side is crisp and golden too. Do this until all the pakora mix is used. Eat immediately, while fresh and crispy.