Post Leftovers – New Facebook Page

I found the Post Leftovers site yesterday and thought it very timely in view of the Credit Crunch.
My post seems to have been well received – see below!

Helen Aurelius-Haddock
Cooking the classic leftover meal tomorrow. Using a mystery meat parcel from freezer (see Mark.J Kraft’s post) which turned out to be stewing beef. Making stew, Welsh style. Using up tired veg in veg basket, leeks, onions, turnips, swede, carrots and potatoes. Cut everything into edible chunks, throw in big pot except …potatoes. Add water to cover, salt and pepper, bring to boil, skim off any scum. Cover and simmer for 3 hours – put in potatoes about half and hour before serving. It then becomes a leftover in itself after the first serving, and chilled keeps for days. Hugh FW does a good leftover dish from stew. Can’t remember which book – obviously not his Fish book……………………………… I just like it again, and again and again. True winter comfort food.Read more

Post Leftovers
Love it, Helen. Do you have the Welsh name for it? Not that it’s likely that I could pronounce it, but would like to try!

Helen Aurelius-Haddock
Cawl. Technically that’s cooked with lamb, but when I was growing up,half the people I knew made it with beef, the other half with lamb. When made with lamb, women used to cool it overnight and take off the fat before serving.

Post Leftovers
I think that’s the easiest Welsh word I ever heard!!!
I love beef stews also, particularly with dumplings.

Helen Aurelius-Haddock
As I thought…………Hugh FW’S Meat Book, page 480, deals with left over stew – thoroughly endorsed by his French wife, who apparently does it with the French Cawl equivalent – Pot au Feu. Try, and enjoy!
On a final note: The (Welsh) nation seems to be divided as the consistency: Some use pearl barley and lentils to act as a thickener, others prefer the clear liquor, particularly as it is an excellent medium for dumplings (I won’t insult anyone with the recipe here) as they swell up with the liquid very well. I have to compromise at home as I am the only “liquor” advocate – I puree some vegetables for the rest of the family and stir it into their portion to act as a thickener. Tasty and inventive, even if I say so myself!