While The Hill in the Dark Grove is a fictional novel, since it is written by a Welsh author, I found some of the Welsh words and phrases as well as references to what the characters were eating very intriguing. One of these was Welsh Cawl, which I immediately looked up and found to be a hearty soup that uses what the cook has on hand, frequently throwing in ham or lamb along with root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, parsnips or swede (rutabaga), and leeks. I found a recipe and made some of my own, which I served alongside home baked bread.
Welsh Cawl
Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds ham hock (or Welsh beef or the neck or shoulder of Welsh lamb)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
3 leeks, washed and sliced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 small bunch fresh parsley
Vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1) Place the ham hock in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours over a low heat until the meat is falling off the bone. Leave overnight to cool.
2) The following day skim off any fat that has risen to the surface. Cut the meat off the bone and return to the stock.
3) Add onion and garlic to a soup pot. Heat until onions are almost translucent.
4) Add the leeks, carrots, and parsnips to the soup pan. Cook until leeks have also softened.
5) Add potatoes, ham pieces, and ham stock to the soup pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are to desired softness, adding vegetable stock or water if needed to desired broth consistency.
6) Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste while serving.
There were additional recipes in the book that I would like to make at some point, including wimberry pie and bara birth bread. Wimberry pie has a top and bottom crust. I did locate wimberries (or bilberries) that I could get shipped from a company in the Northwest, however, the amount of fruit needed for a pie was more than I wanted to spend. So, I have not yet made this, or a similar, pie. Bara birth is a light spiced almost fruit cake bread typically slathered with salted butter. I don't have access to enough of the types of dried fruits used, and I'm not super fond of fruit cakes, so I decided not to make this bread. But I did want to include in case any readers have an interest in making it!
