by Anna Mather

Created on: August 30, 2010   Last Updated: September 01, 2010

This Beef Stew recipe is a dish native to my hometown Liverpool, UK. It is called Scouse and is a very popular meal in the city but also an important part of Liverpool's history. The name Scouse is a corruption of the original name for the meal that comes from 'Lobskause' and was brought to Liverpool by Northern European sailors who docked in the city. This stew is incredibly simple to make and a warming, hearty meal for a cold winters evening or any time really. Traditionally it is served with pickled beetroot, red cabbage and crusty bread on the side. Once the preparation is done the hard work is over as it is just a matter of waiting for it to slowly cook.

Ingredients:

Half a pound of stewing steak

1 large onion

1 pound of carrots

5 pound of potatoes

2 Oxo cubes

2 Cloves of Garlic (optional but really adds to flavour!)

Handful of garden peas (optional)

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:

Firstly you need to fry the stewing steak for a few minutes to seal the meat. Peel the potatoes and dice them into large pieces. Peel and slice the carrots.  Put the steak into a large pan, then the potatoes on top of the meat followed by the carrots, peas and any other left over veg that you choose to use ( sometimes a bit of cabbage or broccoli adds a nice extra to the dish) and add the peeled, diced onion.  fill the pan with water until it covers all of the ingredients and bring to the boil. Crumble in the Oxo cubes and add the garlic, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Once the water has started to boil turn the temperature right down low and leave for 2 to 3 hours to slowly cook.

Scouse keeps for about two days and many people prefer to prepare it the day before they want to serve it as it thickens up when left to sit. You can also make 'Blind Scouse' which is scouse either without the meat or with a cheaper alternative to stewing steak such as mince or you can put a pastry lid on top of your pan of scouse to make a lovely, impressive hot-pot!

Enjoy!

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