The origin of the name is unclear but
Labskaus was first mentioned in Germany
The seafarers from Northern Germany naturally came to
Liverpool docks and passed on the recipe which was adopted to such an extent
that those working in Liverpool docks were called
‘Scoucers’ after this dish.
In the 19th Century thousands of
Welsh people flocked to Liverpool to find
work. They brought the recipe back with
them and adjusted it slightly depending on where they lived, the local
ingredients available and include either beef, lamb or pork.
Each family in North
Wales will have their own version of Lobsgóws this is my version with a few added ingredients from the
traditional.
Serves 4 to 5
500g Diced beef (traditional shin beef but I tend to use
stewing steak)
500g Diced Potatoes
250g Diced carrots
250g Chopped onions
250g Diced parsnips
250g Diced Swede
2 tablespoons
2 teaspoon Sherry vinegar
3 teaspoon Red Current Jelly
2 teaspoons Worcester sauce
1 teaspoon Thyme
¼ teaspoon Pepper
Stock enough to cover
Salt to taste
Add oil to a heavy base casserole dish and fry the meat in
batches until brown.
Remove meat from dish and reduce the heat and gently fry the
onion until soft.
Return beef to casserole dish add the stock, vinegar,
redcurrant jelly, Worcester sauce, thyme and pepper.
Place casserole dish in a preheated oven
at 160ºC and cook for 1 hour.
Add the diced vegetables and more stock to cover if needed and
return to the oven at 150ºC for a further two hours.
Check after 1 hour to see if more water
is required and taste, add more seasoning if required.
After cooking for 2 hours check if meat is nice and tender, if
not cook for a further ½ hour.
This dish can then be served with crusty bread, but it will
taste even better if left for one day and then reheated.
