RECIPES From Cerys Matthews, Angela Gray and Beca Lyne-Pirkis

CERYS’S CAWL Cerys Matthews handpicked this traditional wintry Welsh dish to share with us from her cookbook Where the Wild Cooks Go. “I absolutely love cooking,” says the singer. “That’s why I created this book; it’s a go-to for anyone cooking for groups with different dietary requirements, with its variety of flexible recipes for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters alike.”

Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 1 leek, chopped Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 large carrot, chopped 1 large parsnip, chopped 400g swede, chopped 400g potato, chopped 2 sprigs of thyme 1.2 litres of water (plus vegetable stock cube optional) 1 x 400g cooked butter beans, with their liquid (or other peas/beans, like pre-cooked chickpeas, kidney beans, black eyed peas, peas or fava beans) A handful fresh parsley, chopped Method • Put the onions and leeks in a pan with a glug of oil and sauté with a pinch of salt until soft, 10 minutes or so. • Stir in the rest of the peeled, chopped vegetables, the herbs and the water, bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer until the vegetables are all tender, around 30 minutes. • Add the butter beans with the liquid and stir through. Keep at a gentle simmer, season to taste. At this point it’s technically ready, but can be left now at the lowest setting, to wait for you. • Serve in bowls (traditionally wooden ones, with wooden spoons, but hey), sprinkle with chopped parsley. On the table, offer a chunk of cheese and the grater, and the salt and pepper. Non-veg option: Add small pieces of browned lamb (fried up quickly in hot oil before you fry the onion, remove from pan and set aside, adding back in at step 2). Traditionally, cheap cuts like the neck were used, so the longer you simmer, the less tough the meat; taste to see and keep adding water if it gets too thick and risks catching at the bottom.

Where the Wild Cooks Go, published by Penguin; www.cerysmatthews.co.uk

BEEF COBBLER

Angela Gray, who runs a cookery school at Llanerch Vineyard, has brought out a new cookbook, Delicious Bundles. During lockdown, Angela began creating food ‘bundles’ which customers ordered online and ate at home. Thanks to their success, she decided to collate the bundles into a new cookbook. Here’s one of our favourites…

Ingredients 500g trimmed slow-cook cut of beef

Seasoning 2 flat tsps sea salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 flat tsp garlic granules, 1 flat tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp sugar 1 tbsp plain flour Sunflower oil for frying 1 large onion, finely diced 200g smoked pancetta, diced 2 celery sticks, sliced 2 large carrots, chopped 4 cloves garlic, sliced 150g button mushrooms, sliced 2 stems of fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 300ml fruity red wine 500ml beef stock Sea salt and black pepper To thicken and flavour 1 dessertspoon of plain flour 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard 1 dessertspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp tomato purée Scone topping 450g self-raising flour 1 tbsp baking powder 120g salted butter ½ tsp sea salt 150g extra mature cheddar, grated 100ml soured cream 150ml milk 1 medium egg, beaten with 1 tbsp of water, for glazing 2 tbsp of chopped herbs, such as parsley, chives, thyme Method • Mix the seasoning ingredients and add the flour. Coat all the pieces of beef with the seasoned flour, reserving any excess flour for the sauce. • Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a pan and brown the beef in batches, making sure they sizzle as they hit the oil and are lightly browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a casserole/gratin dish. • Check the oil to make sure any sediment from cooking is not burnt; if it is, wipe out the pan and add 2 tbsp of fresh oil. • Add the onion, pancetta, celery and carrot. Cover with a lid and sweat for up to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. • Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme stems and bay leaves, scraping up any sticky juices from the pan. Now add the wine and use this to dissolve any sticky bits. • Pour in the stock, add the beef and any resting juices into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a slow simmer and pop the lid on. Cook slowly for about two hours, until the meat is soft. • Meanwhile, make the scones. Place the flour, baking powder, butter and sea salt in a food processor and blend to a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add the herbs and three-quarters of the grated cheese and pulse to blend. Add the soured cream and half the milk, pulse to blend. Add enough of the remaining milk to form a firm but combined dough. • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and bring into a ball. Place in a bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to rest for around 20 minutes. • Next, thicken the beef. First, discard the thyme and bay, then mix all the ingredients, plus three tbsp of water, to make a smooth paste. Whisk this into the sauce. • After resting, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 3.5cm thick. Use a 7cm round cutter to cut out the scones and arrange on top of the beef. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. • Place the cobbler on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C/Fan 150°C/ Gas 3 for 30-40 minutes or until the scones are golden.

Delicious Bundles, published by Graffeg; www. angelagray.co.uk

THE LUNA COCKTAIL Vermut Bar on Westgate Street shares its take on a classic sour, which incorporates familiar festive flavours of brandy and orange, but with a Spanish twist

Ingredients: • 50ml Alvear Vermut Rojo • 15ml Barbadillo Solera Reserva Brandy • 12.5ml gomme (2:1 sugar and water) • 25ml lemon juice • 1 egg white

Method: • In a chilled cocktail shaker; add all ingredients and shake vigorously with ice • Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a stylish coupette glass • Add a slice of twisted orange peel to garnish • To make this vegan, substitute the egg white for 25ml of chickpea water www.ultracomida.co.uk

TRADITIONAL FRUIT CAKE

Cardiff-based military wife and TV cook Beca Lyne-Pirkis has just released her new cookbook Feeding My Army, which features everything from wartime hardship meals to fare fit for a prime minister. Every page delivers recipes inspired by her family’s experience of over a hundred years of army life...

Ingredients (makes one 20cm/8-inch round cake) 200g dried cranberries 200g currants 200g sultanas 200g raisins 75g candied or mixed peel 125g glace/candied cherries 7-8 tbsp brandy/rum/sherry/whatever you fancy 1½ tbsp treacle zest of 1½ small lemons zest of 1½ small oranges juice of 1 small orange 225g butter 225g brown sugar 4 eggs 225g plain flour 1½ tsp mixed spice 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground cinnamon 40g ground almonds 60g slivered almonds

Method • Preheat the oven to 130°C fan/150°C/gas mark • Grease and line a deep 20cm/8-inch cake tin with two layers of greaseproof paper, making sure that the paper comes up higher than the tin by an inch. I also wrap the outside of the tin with newspaper and tie it with string; this gives the cake extra protection for the slow bake. • You can soak the dried fruit in the brandy and orange juice overnight if you like. Place all the dried fruit in a bowl and add the brandy, orange juice, zest and treacle. Give it a good stir and put to one side. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light in colour. Gradually add the eggs then the flour and spices. • Add the ground and slivered almonds to the fruit and brandy, and then pack the mixture into the cake tin. Make sure you press the mixture down as you’re filling the tin, ensuring there are no air holes. Smooth the top and then lightly cover the cake with a round of greased greaseproof paper with a small hole in the middle for you to test later with a skewer. • Place in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 3½-4½ hours. The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Once baked, leave to rest on a cooling rack. I leave it under a tea towel overnight. Gently remove from the tin and feed with brandy, about 1-2 tbsp should do the trick. Wrap it in double greaseproof paper and then double foil and place in a tin (it will ‘sweat’ in a Tupperware box). Keep it cool and feed with brandy regularly. I tend to make the cake at least three months ahead of the big day, just so that it has longer to mature and take on more brandy! I always cover the cake with marzipan and icing ahead of adding any decorations. Feeding my Army, published by published by Gomer; @becalynepirkis