My Scouse Recipes

LAMB SCOUSE

Steps:

• Toss the lamb pieces in flour and season well. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over a high heat. Working in batches, brown the lamb on all sides, adding more oil if needed, then set aside on a plate.
• Turn down the heat to medium and pour in 2 tbsp oil, tip in the onion, carrots and turnips, add a pinch of salt and cook for 8 mins until softened and coloured. Return the meat to the dish along with the ale, stock and herbs. Crumble in the stock cubes and season well.
• Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, sitting the potatoes on the top of the stew. Cook for 2 hrs until the meat is tender and the potatoes are soft. Serve with pickled cabbage or beetroot, if you like.

ME MA'S SCOUSE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan heat oil over medium heat.
• Fry carrot & onion in heated oil until onion is soft & translucent.
• Add mince & stir gently until browned, taking care not to break mince up too much.
• Barely cover with water and add stock cubes.
• Add potatoes and more water if necessary to barely cover.
• Simmer for as long as possible, stirring regularly and adding more water if necessary.
• Serve with bread and butter.

VEGAN "BEEF" AND BARLEY LOBSCOUSE STEW

Steps:

• Start by cooking your pearl barley. Place the barley in a small saucepan with the bouillon powder and cover with boiling water. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer until barley is swollen and tender (around 10 minutes). While the barley is cooking, rehydrate the beef strips.
• Place the beef strips in a large mug or a bowl. Cover with boiling water, top with a lid or small plate and leave to hydrate for 10 minutes. Once hydrated, pour through a sieve, discard the soaking water and, with a spoon, squeeze out most of the excess water in the beef. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan or cast-iron dutch oven over medium heat, place the oil, followed by the onion and the shallots. Sautee for a few minutes before adding the garlic. Continue to cook for a further minute or so, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the rehydrated beef strips followed immediately by the soy sauce and fry for another few minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the celery, carrots and potatoes and stir well to combine. Follow with the red wine then stir and allow some of the liquid to cook off. Follow with all the remaining ingredients apart from the corn flour and the fresh herb sprigs. Bring everything to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Allow the stew to simmer for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 15 minutes, test a potato by pricking with a fork. If it slides in easily then everything's cooked, if not, give it another 5 minutes with the lid on.
• Once all the vegetables are cooked, place the cornflour in a small bowl and whisk in 3 tbsp cool water until you have a smooth white liquid. Pour the liquid into the stew and stir well. The sauce will thicken very quickly so just keep stirring until it's almost perfect then turn off the heat. The sauce should be glossy and coat all of the vegetables nicely. Once the pearl barley is cooked, drain it, rinse it and add it to the stew. Give everything a good stir to combine then top with a few sprigs of fresh herbs. I serve mine with some red cabbage sauerkraut.

MY SCOUSE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 150.
• Heat up some low-fat cooking spray on the hob and stir-fry the lamb until it is browned on both sides. Transfer to a lidded casserole dish.
• Use this juice from the lamb to stir-fry the carrots and turnip until just starting to soften. Add to the casserole dish.
• Pour in the stock. Cover and cook in the oven for an hour.
• Towards the end of the cooking time, par-boil the potatoes for about 5 - 10 minutes. Add to the casserole dish with salt and a generous amount of pepper and cook at 150 for a further 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and stir. The potatoes should have gone all mushy and sludge-like.
• At this point, if you're impatient, you could eat the scouse as it is.
• But it's much better if you transfer it from the casserole into a slow cooker and leave it on medium for about 4 - 6 hours. The flavour will intensify and the lamb will be coming apart,.
• Serve with crusty bread.