A Welsh feast to mark St. David's Day on D is for Dinner

To mark St. David's Day, the feast day in honour of the patron saint of Wales, CBC has three Welsh recipes to whet any appetite.

Alison Lawson with the Ottawa Welsh Society is today's guest on CBC Radio's All In A Day where she shared some of her favourite Welsh recipes.

Susan Jenkins's Cawl Cennin (leek and lamb stew)

• 2 lbs lamb cut into 1-inch cubes.
• 1 large onion sliced.
• 3 leeks sliced.
• 4 medium carrots sliced fairly thickly.
• 3 large potatoes peeled and cut into chunks.
• 2 parsnips sliced thickly.
• 1 small rutabaga cubed.
• 2 tbsp pearl barley.
• 2 tbsp oil.
• 1 ½ cups stock (chicken or vegetarian).
• Chopped parsley to garnish.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

1. Using a large stockpot or saucepan, sear the lamb in 1 tbsp of oil until brown.
2. Cover meat with water and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Drain the liquid from the pan into a bowl. Allow to cool and then skim off the fat at the surface. Add to the lamb.
4. While the lamb mixture is cooling, prepare the leeks and onion and sauté in the remaining oil in a separate pan until soft and golden brown. Make sure to clean the leeks thoroughly.
5. Add all the ingredients except the potatoes and parsley to the lamb mixture and add the stock.
6. Put a lid on the pot and simmer for 1 hour on low.
7. Add potatoes, add more stock as necessary and continue simmering until potatoes are cooked.
8. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

Susan Jenkins's Bara Brith

• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour (Brodies or similar).
• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar.
• 2 eggs.
• 3 cups raisins.
• 2 cups brewed tea.
• 2 tbsp marmalade.
• 1 to 2 tsp mixed spice.
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda.
• 1 tsp water.

Method.

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Soak the fruit in the tea overnight.
3. Mix flour with sugar.
4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in a tsp of warm/hot water.
5. Mix all ingredients together.
6. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.

Myfanwy Davies's Welsh Cake Recipe

• 1 lb. Brodies XXX Self-Raising Cake and Pastry Flour (If you don't have this brand, try another self-raising cake and pastry flour, or add 1 tbsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. salt to cake and pastry flour).
• 1 tsp. baking powder.
• 6 oz. sugar.
• 1/2 pound butter.
• Cinnamon.
• Nutmeg.
• Allspice.
• 4 oz currants.
• 2 eggs.
• Approximately 2 oz milk.

Method: 

1. Stir self-raising flour & baking powder together in a large bowl.
2. Add ½ pound butter to flour mixture. Using a knife, or pastry blender, cut butter into flour until you have small lumps. Then rub fat into flour using your hands until no lumps remain.
3. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to taste. Mix well.
4. Add currants and stir well.
5. Heat an electric griddle to 350 F.
6. Break two eggs into a see-through measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 4 oz. of wet mixture. Beat well with a fork and then add to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
7. On a floured surface, and using a floured rolling pin, roll out a portion (a third to a half) of the mixture to the thickness of a currant. Cut out cakes with a cookie cutter. Add scraps to remaining mix in bowl and repeat.
8. Grease the griddle with lard, and place Welsh cakes on griddle. They don't expand much so they can be fairly close together. Cook until golden brown on bottom, then turn and cook other side. They only take a couple of minutes per side! Remove cooked cakes to a cooling rack and sprinkle with sugar.
9. Continue until all the batter is gone.