Gastroblog

[enitharmon]

Esther (semioticghosts) tells me she enjoys my foodie posts. So I'll make them a regular feature.

There was no vegetable box from Riverford Organics last week, so there are no fresh greeens in my cupboard. I'm using up roots, so today it's time to take another step towards the Best Hotpot South Of Rawtenstall project. This isn't a New Year resolution, it's a long term project. If we were a nation as proud of our food as the French or Italians there would be a Hotpot Trail arnd Clitheroe and pubs and restaurants vying with each other to be recognised as purveying the best Hotpot. These things don't happen and it's a national disgrace.

Of course, you need a proper traditional Hotpot to do it properly - you can get one from the excellent Lakeland Limited. And you really need mature mutton, not lamb, but mutton is hard to find and some neck of lamb just has to do, sometimes.

And this is what you do. You take

• 500g neck of mutton or lam, chopped up
  
• 500g onions, sliced thinly
  
• 1kg potatoes, peeled and sliced
  
• salt, pepper, butter and water
  

Heat the oven to 200C. Put the meat and vegetables in the pot in layers. Season each layer with salt and pepper. Finish with a layer of sliced potato at the top. Pour melted butter on the top layer. Cover the pot and put it in the heated oven for 30 minutes. After this time, lower the oven temperature to 140C and cook for two-and-a-half hours. Take the cover off the pot for the last half hour.

Traditionally Hotpot is served with pickled red cabbage. Sauerkraut goes with it very nicely too, and so does thinly-shredded white cabbage sautéed briefly in hot oil with garlic and ginger.

Today I had a small celeriac that needed using up, so I peeled and sliced that and added it as an extra layer. I'm looking forward to seeing what effect that has.