Roots, barley and lamb cawl with cheddar puffs
Serves: 6
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Roots, barley and lamb cawl with cheddar puffs
Cawl is the Welsh term for a soup or broth with lots of root vegetables and lamb. This stew-like version is deliciously hearty and has pearl barley added which gives a lovely texture and soaks up all the flavours. Serve it with these super simple cheesy pastry puffs for added crunch
Serves: 6
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
587Kcal
Fat
31gr
Saturates
14gr
Carbs
45gr
Sugars
11gr
Fibre
9gr
Protein
23gr
Salt
1.7gr
Angela Boggiano
Angela is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe developer who has worked in the industry for over 20 years. Testament to her Italian roots, she is always planning one meal ahead and good food is at the forefront of her mind.
See more of Angela Boggiano’s recipes
Angela Boggiano
Angela is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe developer who has worked in the industry for over 20 years. Testament to her Italian roots, she is always planning one meal ahead and good food is at the forefront of her mind.
See more of Angela Boggiano’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium lamb shanks, about 425g each
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 leek, trimmed, halved lengthways and chopped
- 2 medium parsnips, about 250g, chopped into 1cm cubes
- 250g peeled celeriac, chopped into 1cm cubes
- 350g carrots, chopped into 1cm cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp picked thyme leaves
- 100g pearl barley, rinsed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 x 500ml bottle of ale
- 1.5ltr vegetable, chicken or lamb stock (made using 2 stockpots or cubes)
- 150g shredded kale
For the cheddar puffs
- 1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
- 100g mature cheddar, grated
- 3 tbsp milk
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 150°C, fan 130°C, gas 2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-based casserole. Season the lamb shanks, then brown them all over on a high heat. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan with the onion and leek, and cook for 4-5 minutes on medium until starting to soften. Tip in the parsnips, celeriac, carrots, bay leaves and thyme with some seasoning, then cook everything together for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the pearl barley and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Pour in the ale and the stock and return the lamb to the pan – don’t worry that it looks like there is too much liquid at this point, as the barley will absorb a lot of it. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours. The vegetables, barley and lamb should all be tender, with the meat coming off the bone easily – cook for another 15-30 minutes if necessary. Remove the bay leaves, check the seasoning, add the kale and stir through. Return to the oven for a final 5 minutes of cooking.
- Meanwhile, unroll the pastry sheet and give it another roll with a rolling pin until it’s quite thin. Cut the pastry in half, scatter most of the cheese over one piece, then put the other piece on top. Roll the pastry together to seal in the cheese. Using a 6cm pastry cutter, stamp out 18 or so rounds and put on a lined baking tray. Brush with milk and sprinkle the tops with the rest of the cheese. Trimmings can be re-rolled and used to make cheese straws.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and increase the temperature to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Bake the puffs for 12-15 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Lift the lamb shanks out to a board and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into large shreds, then stir this back through the cawl. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with the cheddar puffs.
