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A little while ago we put out a call for Coronation Street fans to try making some of the recipes in this wonder of a book - the Coronation Street cookery book. We had a great response to our call for cookery bloggers and over the coming weeks we'll have different Coronation Street fans who will be cooking and blogging recipes from the book and letting us know how they get on!
And so, first off the chopping block are our friends from the Coronation Street podcast - Conversation Street, Gemma and Michael.
You can follow them on Twitter @ConversationStr and Facebook
Michael and Gemma chose to cook Betty's Hot Pot from the Corrie recipe book for their first cookery blog post.
And they have sent a great write-up along with some wonderful pics of Michael cooking in the kitchen at home!
And so, it's over to Michael and Gemma...
Betty’s Hotpot
Of all the dishes that could be synonymous with Coronation Street, Betty’s Hotpot is the most famous – and rightly so. A simple Lancastrian dish made from humble ingredients, the hotpot is far more than the sum of its parts. And if the characters on the street are anything to go by, this is a hotpot almost worth going to war for.
Although the only person who truly knows what’s in Betty’s Hotpot is Sean...
... we reckon this recipe is as good an approximation as you’ll ever need. (Apparently Betty Driver’s own family recipe was passed to Simon Gregson, who says it’s delicious but full of lard!) Other recipes we’ve seen include Worcestershire sauce, flour, and herbs like thyme – but the simple combination of potatoes, lamb and onions are flavour enough! And it doesn’t really get simpler than slicing and chopping everything, layering it into the hotpot dish, and leaving it to simmer for few hours in the oven. If there’s a dish you must try as a Corrie fan, it’s surely got to be this one.
After making Betty’s Hotpot, we can give you five important tips to get the perfect results every time.
1. Hotpots are a state of mind. A true hotpot can only be crafted by playing the theme tune to Coronation Street in the background.
2. Serving sizes are a myth. Any quantity of food can serve one person if that person is hungry enough.
3. Lard is underrated.
4. It’s definitely possible to accidentally eat too much lard and feel like you’re having a heart attack, but you’re probably fine.
5. Betty’s Hotpot is best consumed after a day at t’mill, or alternatively an afternoon vegging around on the sofa complaining about how hungry you are.
Betty’s Hotpot, serves 4
Adapted from The Coronation Street Cookbook
450g scrag end or best end neck of lamb, chopped
675g potatoes
1 large onion
Salt and pepper
1 pint lamb stock
30g butter / lard
Preheat the oven to 190C, 375F or gas mark 5.
Fry the lamb in oil to brown it quickly – don’t overcrowd the pan or it’ll stew! We rendered down some of the fatty offcuts from the lamb and used that as oil for extra flavour.
Betty’s recipe doesn’t specifically mention layering, but you should line the base of your dish with a layer of potatoes (we also greased the dish first with some of the lamb fat) – that’s according to Sean Wilson, who played Martin Platt and now has his own Northern cookbook! Then we added meat, onions, a layer of potatoes, and some seasoning.
Repeat this until you’re left with the top layer, which should be potatoes. Overlap them in a pattern and pour in the stock.
Brush your butter or lard on the top of the potatoes, then cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven for 2 hours.
Remove the foil and return the dish to the oven with the temperature up, to brown the potatoes.
Serve with pickled red cabbage or beetroot, or a rhubarb chutney!
Want a vegan Betty's hotpot recipe? It's here.
With thanks to Gemma and Michael for this great blog post! Check out the Coronation Street podcast - Conversation Street, and follow them on Twitter @ConversationStr and Facebook
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Needs a bottle of stout to be authentic. It was mentioned in the story line at the time of the passing of the recipe on to Sean - he commented on it. Steve and Michelle tried and failed when they didn't include the ale, just didn't taste the same. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteLooks delish!
ReplyDelete