Proper scouse
This is a REAL scouse recipe from a REAL scouser. My recipe is based on my family's through my mum and her mum. Scouse is a stew from Liverpool (of which it's inhabitants get their name) and it originates from a similar Norwegian stew brought over by sailors. Every scouse family has a different recipe, some add turnip with the potatoes, some like it thick and stodgy (like mine), some like it thinner, some use beef instead of lamb, some use both, or some use just lamb (traditionally). I have seen some very odd recipes online - adding tomatoes (this is a HUGE NO-NO) or garlic or other unneeded ingredients like herbs etc. It may taste 'nicer' or more 'exciting' however the point of scouse is to be tasty, filling comfort food. I will show you how to make a classic stodgy version :) Scouse is a simple stew, cheap, cheerful and TASTY. (cooking times vary really, I'd say give it a bit longer than 2 hours; just as long as the meat is tender and the vegetables are mushy.
Ingredients
Makes: 2 bowls or thereabouts
- 1 carrot
- 2 onions (average sized)
- 5 medium potatoes (any 'fluffy' or all rounder variety), or 'as many potatoes as possible'
- 300g lamb (traditionally neck end, but you can use any cut really)
- water
- generous amount freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- a couple of splashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 stock cube (OXO® is acceptable, don't listen to some people who say it isn't) (Beef or Lamb)
Method
Prep:15min ›
Cook:2hr ›
Ready in:2hr15min
- Peel and chop the carrot, onions and the potatoes into chunks (carrot and onions into smallish chunks, potatoes into decent medium sized chunks), and add to a pan. I haven't been specific with the potatoes because it doesn't matter too much.
- Cut up the lamb into bitesize pieces, removing any large bits of fat.
- Slightly brown the lamb pieces off on both sides in a frying pan (but don't cook it). Add this to the pan. If using neck end, remove fat and keep whole, removing bone half way through cooking.
- Add hot water to the pan so that it covers the ingredients. Maybe about 3cm above.
- Add a few generous grinds of black pepper (but not too much), salt, Worcestershire sauce and the crumbled stock cube, and bring to boil.
- Turn down the heat to a medium to low setting, cover, and allow to simmer for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Keep checking and stirring from time to time so it doesn't stick or burn. The timing isn't exact, when the potatoes and carrot go mushy and the meat is soft and tender it's usually done.
- Serve into bowls.
- And that's it. Enjoy the taste of Liverpool!
Serving suggestion
MUST serve with pickled red cabbage or pickled beetroot on top (My mum loves beetroot but I'm more of a pickled cabbage person) and with some crusty buttered bread. You can swirl in a bit of HP sauce too, at the table. Delicious.
Substitution
You can make 'blind scouse' by removing the meat entirely - to make it vegetarian also omit the Worcestershire sauce and use a veggie stock cube!
Use for leftovers
Scouse butties (sandwiches) are a boss (brilliant) way of using leftover scouse! just use some nice buttered bread, spread a bit of the scouse, hot or cold, and a little bit of pickled red cabbage.
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(11)
Reviews in English (11)
Exactly how my nan used to make! Perfect stodge!! And scouse butties have to be tried. It's even better on fresh tiger bread nom nom nom - 10 May 2013
Very tasty and simple to make. Had to cook it a little longer to make the meat tender enough but all in all, would make it again. - 12 Feb 2012
Just like my nan used to make too, tastes even better the next day. Confession time....sometimes I have pickled onions in my scouse. YUM. - 25 Sep 2013