The art and science of washing-up
Quick Spring Cawl Recipe
I’ve just moved into a new flat, which means I’m surrounded by boxes with bits and bobs in that don’t really have a natural home (where did the funnel even come from?), and various piles of kitchen gadgetry whose uses I have to figure out again. But for the first time in a long time, I have a flat with a dishwasher. Hurrah! Dirty dishes be gone!
In truth, washing-up has never really bothered me to that extent and there’s something quite nice for a person with cold hands about plunging them into a warm, soapy bowl of water. The only big issue I have with washing-up is the leaning over part. A lot of sinks and countertops are set quite low and bending over the sink as a tall person doesn’t half make your back ache. First World problems, I know! But there’s something about the mundane nature, the routine, that let’s you ponder life’s bigger dilemmas (global warming, the pandemic, did I leave the iron on?) and gives you time to reflect as you wash, rinse, repeat. This is the art of washing-up (well, that and managing to balance as many items on top of each other without them falling).
(I just figured out the gun looking device in the gadget pile by the kettle! It’s an olive pitter!)
Now, think for a moment. How did you learn how to wash-up the dishes? It’s not something that you’re taught really, you just sort of pick it up, but I definitely learned how to do it from my Nannie Gwen. She always used a washing-up bowl in the sink, so that glasses were less likely to smash and you didn’t use so much water. I watched countless times as she washed and stacked dishes in a set order, glasses first, then cups, bowls, plates etc. The science of clean dishes (and no tumblers that taste of last night’s Bolognese). The water always seemed to be so piping hot that I wonder how she could put her hands in it – and it always had a good splash of Fairy Liquid. Nan relied on a cotton dishcloth for everything, including wiping up, washing, and even getting spilled dinner stains out of jumpers. My Nan also had the uncanny ability to ring out a dishcloth to almost bone dry, which seems extraordinary as in later life she suffered with arthritis.
Without realising of course, I wash up in this exact same way myself now – well, until I got my dishwasher this week. We grew up with a dishwasher at home. My Mum had insisted on one. She was not going to waste precious moments washing-up that could be spent with my brother and me – and who can blame her? Perhaps as well, it came from years of watching my Nan tirelessly repeat the wash, drain, put away routine. Even my Nan, who thought the idea of a dishwasher frivolous, was brought around to its marvels when she realised you could clear all the dirty dishes into it off the worktops so the kitchen looked tidy just in case someone came round. Cleanliness being next to godliness for my Nan, compared to my Mum’s mantra: there’s more to life than washing-up. Thinking about it, my Nan probably thought this way too, which is why she washed up as she went, even if there were only a few dishes, and always did it before bed so as not to face dirty dishes first thing.
Perhaps I’ll just hand wash these few bits from lunch, if I can just find the box with the dishcloths in first…
The Recipe
Quick Spring Cawl
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I love leftovers. And this lighter take on a cawl is ideal for spring weather, when the sun in shining but there’s still a bit of a nip in the air. You can use whatever leftover meat you have or leave it out entirely and add extra veg. I’m using lamb here as that’s what I cooked this week but you could use chicken, beef or ham.
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
750ml lamb stock (or whatever stock you have, using at least two stock cubes)
1 bay leaf
About 250g leftover roast lamb (or whatever meat you have), cut into bitesized pieces
400g (1 tin) cooked cannellini beans, drained and washed
1 small leek, roughly shopped
Handful (about 12 leaves) fresh mint
Method
Put the potatoes, carrots, onion, stock, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables have softened (about 20 minutes).
Tip in the cannellini beans, leftover lamb and leeks and add some fresh black pepper, and continue to cook for a further five minutes.
Just before serving, roughly tear up the mint leaves and stir through.
If you try the recipe out, don’t forget to tag any photos with #mywelshkitchen.
The Playlist
To me, cooking and music go hand in hand, whether that’s singing at the top of your voice using a wooden spoon as a microphone while waiting for pasta to boil, or dancing around with the oven gloves on as the oven timer counts down. Here are this week’s ideas for your Welsh Kitchen playlist.
First this week we have a clip from the BBC archives of Eartha Kitt when she appeared on the BBC Wales programme Late Call with Ronnie Williams. Here she sings in Welsh (she could apparently speak four languages and sing in seven), Mae Nghariad I'n Fenws. Then we have the rich tones of The Morriston Orpheus Choir with their take on the Welsh classic, Gwahoddiad.
Gwahoddiad by The Morriston Orpheus Choir
The Pantry
Good food is nothing without good ingredients and thankfully there are plenty of fantastic Welsh products on the market. Here is where you’ll find recommendations to stock up your cupboard, fridge or fruit bowl.
Hard Lines Coffee
I popped to see some friends in Cardiff the other day and we stopped at the fantastic Hard Lines in Canton for a cup of their small-batch roasted coffee. The good news is that they sell their roasts online – as well as a whole host of fun merchandise and even coffee subscriptions. Their mission: “We select, roast and serve great coffee that’s been sourced sustainably with the aim of building long lasting relationships at origin. We believe that what we’re trying to build is about more than just good coffee. We aim to keep it fresh, fun and not too serious throughout”.