This article on Cawl and Bernard Thomas, The Welsh Coracle King, appeared in the November 2002 Issue of the Ninnau.

CAWL CYMREIG

THE WELSH MEAT AND VEGETABLE BROTH

(One secret to a long healthy life!)

The cold season is now upon us again and all over Wales cawl is starting to be made from this year’s harvest of fresh root vegetables. The answer to the health question could be a steady diet of salmon and other fish in the summer, cawl in the winter accompanied by a little Elderflower or Elderberry wine. Such has been the diet of Bernard Thomas, the Welsh Coracle King.

I first had a phone chat with Bernard about a year ago while working on a salmon recipe for the Ninnau – Jan. 2002. I am happy to say that recipe has now become a popular item – Pasten Eog Corwgl (Coracle Salmon Pasty).

During the conversation Bernard said, “ Come visit and have a lesson on coracle making and fishing. Afterwards we’ll have a chat over a little glass of homemade wine. So, you want to know why they named me a Coracle King and how at 79 years old I can still make coracles?” Sadly, he may one of the last able to make this ancient one man fishing craft. This was an offer to accept. We agreed to a visit in late April 2002 when I would already be in Wales on a food research endeavor.

This man had single-handedly rowed across the 22 miles of rough English Channel at 52 years old. This feat earned him his illustrious title. A rural villager from Llechryd, Cardiganshire, he is as sharp as a tack and healthier than many a fifty year old.

On the day planned for the visit I awoke to a beautiful sunny day in the County of Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales. I headed north leaving the small but wonderful Cnapan Country House Hotel in Newport. I could have stayed there another week. The place is an absolute delight and the food made from all local fresh ingredients was what foodies dream about – all courtesy of proprietor Judi Cooper, one of Wales’ finest hostesses.

Fueled with Judi’s bountiful traditional Welsh breakfast, I was ready for the drive through the countryside. One can never tire of enjoying one picturesque green field roll along after another. It set the tone for a memorable day. On this Sunday morning the drive along the country roads was a peaceful mile after mile. Rounding a corner on the road, freshly edged in spring greens, the small rural village of Llechryd came into view. Its old stone houses and village buildings nestle close to each other on the north side of the Teifi Valley, safely above any risk flood threat from the river.

This day, the idyll River Teifi flows gently through valley’s meadows already painted rich green and dotted with happily grazing sheep and cattle. Several days of warm sun have performed their annual miracle that always seem to surprise and delight each time. The newly budding trees are spectacular. The brightly whitewashed farmhouses seem painted on the landscape as if by design.

On this day of rest, the farms appear tranquil, the early morning duties over with and the owners perhaps attending morning chapel or just leisurely seated around a table with a nice farm breakfast made from the freshest items. Farm breakfasts are legendary, the farm’s own newly laid brown eggs with rich yellow yolks and bacon only yesterday in the smokehouse. Also, add the old fashion homemade sausages that burst in the heat of frying forming those tasty brown, crusty parts at the edge of the casing and filing . Finish with a toasted slice or two of good Welsh cottage loaf.

Bernard’s house was easy to find. The road heading east from the Llechryd dips down towards the river and soon there’s a row of white cottages. I head for the one with a coracle prominently displayed on the front lawn. The cottage door is open; he must have heard my car door close since from within there is a hearty shout of, “Croeso, Croeso – Welcome, Welcome.” Quickly appearing is a wiry, full of life figure of a man enthusing all the goodness of Welsh rural friendship.

Entering the house one is fully aware the décor is emphatically bacheloresque and arranged for the basics of comfort and convenience. The proliferation of electronic equipment suggests a mini recording studio and a man who has not taken a back seat to the advances of technology. True to form, experiencing some true Celtic hospitality, I enjoyed an extended chat over tea and a little snack. What followed was indeed a special privilege. Bernard invited me to view perhaps the only videotape made of building a coracle from scratch. Even in its pre-edited condition you just know this will be in some future Welsh landmark historic collection.

Now that I was fully attuned to coracle making, his life history, politics – local, national and international, the conversation turns to his singing performances and poetry writing. He recited a poem he had written in Welsh of his beloved River Teifi. It was a very beautiful and a moving experience.

Next was his very enthusiastic demonstration of coracle making. This is a difficult art form that has been passed through the generations. The procedure is strenuous. Through thousands of years of trial and error there has evolved quite advanced watercraft technology making possible construction of a safe and viable one person fishing craft.

Finally, we reached a point when we could discuss his good health, vitality and longevity. The family genes help. His mother lived to 86 before dying of old age. His father died at 76 from lung disease. Bernard said, “He still lived that long in spite of being a life long tobacco smoker. He also had subjected himself to countless nights breathing smoke from a wood fire. It was the habit of local coraclers to spend nights in a riverside chimneyless salmon-spotting shed.” Bernard added, “They were nothing but fools. The whole bunch of them smelt like pork hams by morning.”

“Well,” Bernard continued, “ to tell you the truth I have always had a lot of exercise. I was a smoker because when I grew up all boys and men smoked and were expected to do so. I can tell you though women did not. But I did give up smoking quite a while back.” When asked about food, he offered “I do like my homemade cawl. I make a batch every few weeks and it lasts for several days. I make the kind using a beef brisket. I have one good meal a day.”

So there you have it, a healthy boiled one-pot meal, one meal a day - the ultimate portion control with lots of exercise! I would like to think his occasional sip of his delightful homemade elderflower or elderberry wine may also be a factor!

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RECIPE

Cawl Cymreig Twymo

Welsh Meat and Vegetable Stew – Twymo Style

By Ken Thorne, Ninnau Food Editor.

Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1 lb beef soup bones

vegetable oil, as needed

2 1/4 lb beef brisket, net weight fully trimmed, cut only to fit pot

2 lb ham hocks, smoked if available

12 oz onion (1 large), small chopped*

2 stalks celery, small chopped*

3 carrots, large, small chopped*

8 oz parsnips, small chopped*

1/2 rutabaga, medium, small chopped*

1 cup dry white wine, optional

4 qt water, replenish with canned vegetable or chicken stock

sea salt (if available) and ground black pepper to taste

4 sprigs thyme, fresh

2 sprigs rosemary

4 leaves sage, large, whole

4 springs parsley, whole

* size is not critical due to the long simmering

Next day:

4 carrots, chopped**

1/2 rutabaga, medium, chopped**

8 oz parsnips, chopped**

2 lb potatoes, chopped**

3 leeks, medium, finely chopped

4 sprigs parsley, leaves of, finely chopped

fresh crusty bread and hunk of good Welsh cheese

** about 1/2 to 5/8 inch cubes

Method:

Set the oven at 400° F, place the beef bones on a tray and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until they are nicely browned. At the same time, place some oil in a large pot (I used a 12 quart stockpot) on medium high heat and sear the brisket all over. Remove the meat and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary, then add the vegetables. Season, cook until just showing color.

Deglaze by adding the wine and scraping any brown pieces off the surfaces of the pan. Add the brisket, bones and pork hocks, pour in water, bring to a simmer. Remove any scum from the surface. Tie the fresh herbs together and add to pot. Allow to simmer gently on the stovetop or place in a 350° F oven for 4 to 5 hours until the meat is tender.

When cooled, remove and discard the beef bones. Remove the hocks, save the meat and refrigerate it. Discard hock bones. Chill the broth containing the brisket overnight.

Next day, remove all the fat from the surface of the broth. Puree the broth if you wish using an Osterizer or stick blender. Place meat on cutting board; carve brisket into about 1-inch chunks. Likewise carve up the reserved pork. Set all meat aside in the refrigerator.

For serve, bring the broth back to the boil. Add the reserved carrots, parsnips, potatoes and rutabaga to the broth. Simmer until the vegetables are almost cooked then add the leeks. Add the meats a few minutes before serving allowing them to heat through without falling apart.

Serve in a large soup bowl with crusty white bread and a chunk of Welsh cheese (if you wish). Alternatively, serve in a bowl made by scooping out 1 lb fresh round bread loaf. Sprinkle the fresh parsley on top, eat with the chunks of scooped out bread (and a nice piece of Welsh cheese). Break off parts of the saturated bread and eat as you go down the bowl!

Notes.

Cawl is a boiled one-pot meal which going back through the centuries was the only convenient way available to cook. The natural goodness of the ingredients is fully retained in the cawl. This recipe is a blend of scores of recipes. Many of the readily available published recipes are essentially very similar. Recipes from friends and relatives were useful since dialogue was possible. An attempt is made to pick out any special features from all these sources and incorporate them where possible. The current popular cooking procedures for improving flavor and healthiness are used.

The one suggestion all experienced cawl cooks emphasis is: cawl always tastes better if left overnight in the refrigerator allowing the ingredients to infuse. Skimming the fat is then easy before reheating!

Using this cooking method we make a rich stock the first day. The next day we finish the cawl by adding another batch of veggies. These are cooked for relatively short time retaining their vitamins and other goodness as well as their texture. The late addition of the leeks is a last minute flavor boost as is the generous amount of parsley garnish.

The above recipe suggests some adjustments to the traditional Welsh Cawl recipes. The meat and vegetables are browned more in line with today’s method of enhancing flavor. The late Welsh traditional food writer, Bobby Freeman, in her book, First Catch Your Peacock strongly emphasizes this technique and used it in preparing cawl for her Fishguard restaurant. The initial addition of the vegetables was treated as a mirepoix. They should be smaller chopped than the second batch of vegetables. They were caramelized (browned) before cooking for 5 hours. At the end of the cooking they will have become essentially incorporated into the broth. Deglazing is also a flavor enhancing procedure. All these little extra steps ensure a tasty broth that requires little or no use of salt.

In South Wales , they mostly use lamb in their cawl, other parts of the country use brisket of beef with or without smoked pork. Commonly a joint of bacon or ham hocks are the choices. My preference would be smoked hocks. They are inexpensive, easily available and impart good favor. They also add natural gelatin to the broth giving it extra body and smoothness without calories.

If you use lamb it’s suggested you remove the lamb bones as soon as the meat shows signs of beginning to fall off but no longer than about an hour. Long cooking of the lamb bones can have a negative impact on taste.

Mwynhewch eich Cawl – Enjoy your Cawl!

Contact Ken Thorne: WelshFoodie@aol.com

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