Scouse

Lori Avirett-Mackenzie

This historic stew has nearly as many variations as neighborhoods in Liverpool.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Stew

Cuisine English

Servings people

Calories 410 kcal

Equipment

colander

Chef's knife

cutting board

dutch oven

pie plate

spoons

measuring spoons

Metal spatula

Soup ladle

Ingredients

2-3 lb. chuck roast
¼ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
2 large sweet onions
2 lbs. russet or Idaho potatoes
4 medium carrots
2 small turnips optional
1 sprig thyme leaves
64 fl oz vegetable stock
1 bottle bitter optional (for Liverpool Football Club fans)
1 container pickled red cabbage or pickled beets

Instructions

Rinse vegetables in colander.
Chop the onions, dice the potatoes, slice the carrots, and dice the turnips (if using) roughly, remove individually to bowls.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in the pie plate.
Cut the chuck roast into bite-sized chunks, then dredge well in the flour mixture.
Warm the oil and butter in the dutch oven over a medium heat.
Add the beef chunks, in phases if necessary, and throughly brown.
Remove the browned beef to another pie plate.
Scrape up the fond, and soften the chopped onion for about 4-5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.
Add in the diced potato, and sauté for another 4 minutes.
Return the beef chunks to the pot and scrape up any additional fond that has accumulated.
Then add enough vegetable stock (substituting the bottle of bitter if you like) to completely cover (about 1.5 quarts), add the sprig of thyme, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer.
Simmer for about 60 minutes, or until the beef chunks and potatoes are tender.
Add the carrots and turnips, and more stock if necessary, and continue to cook until they are done.
Adjust the seasonings, then serve in bowls with the pickled cabbage (or beets), warm crusty bread, and butter.

Notes

Instead of chuck roast, you can use a top sirloin roast or any type of roast you prefer.
Potatoes can be any starchy potato (russet, Idaho, etc.)
I prefer using low- or no-sodium vegetable stock. Using low- or no-sodium chicken or beef stock results in a richer, heavier flavor.
Low- or no-sodium stock allows you to control the saltiness of the dish.
When dicing the potato, make some of the pieces quite small so they "melt" into the liquid, helping thicken it.
Liverpool Football Club suggested a bottle of bitter for the ultimate Scouse. My Scouse friends prefer plain stock.
Either shredded pickled red cabbage or shredded pickled beet can be used with the stew.

Nutrition

Sodium: 1216mgCalcium: 70mgVitamin C: 16mgVitamin A: 5667IUSugar: 9gFiber: 4gPotassium: 1096mgCholesterol: 82mgCalories: 410kcalTrans Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 8gFat: 16gProtein: 26gCarbohydrates: 38gIron: 4mg

Keyword English Stew