Food file:
Some foods don't need to be complicated to be good.
Welsh rarebit is most definitely one of them.
At its heart, it's cheese on toast — but calling Welsh rarebit simply cheese on toast feels a little unfair.
The cheese is melted into a rich, savoury sauce with mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a splash of ale, spooned generously over thick bread and grilled until bubbling and golden.
Simple.
Comforting.
And very, very good.
Despite the name, no rabbit is involved.
The dish was originally known as Welsh rabbit, with references going back to the 18th century. How it acquired the name is still debated.
Whatever you choose to call it, it has become one of those wonderfully traditional Welsh dishes that proves you don't need a long list of ingredients to make something delicious.
And living here in Wales, it seems only right that Welsh rarebit should eventually find its way into the Tenacious kitchen.
Welsh Rarebit
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 200g mature Welsh Cheddar, grated
- 25g butter
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- A good grind of black pepper
- 4 thick slices of good bread
Optional: a little extra mustard or Worcestershire sauce if you like yours with a bit more bite.
Method
1. Toast the bread
Lightly toast your bread on both sides. You want it just beginning to colour rather than completely crisp, as it's going back under the grill later.
Set aside while you make the rarebit mixture.
2. Make the sauce
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan.
Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
Turn the heat down low and add the grated cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted.
Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and plenty of black pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a minute or two before stirring in the egg yolk.
You should now have a gloriously thick, cheesy mixture.
3. Load the toast
Place the toast on a baking tray and spoon the rarebit mixture generously over each slice, taking it almost to the edges.
Don't be stingy.
This is not the time for a delicate scraping of cheese.
4. Grill
Place under a hot grill for a few minutes until the top is bubbling, golden and beginning to catch in places.
Keep an eye on it — the difference between beautifully browned and I've burnt the rarebit can be surprisingly brief.
Serve immediately.
Make It Your Own
I love recipes like this because they're made for tinkering.
Try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little heat, swap the English mustard for wholegrain, or add a spoonful of caramelised onion beneath the cheese mixture.
You could serve it simply on its own, with a handful of chopped herbs, or alongside tomatoes roasted until they're sweet and beginning to collapse. I just chopped a few shallots, herbs and tomatoes and added them fresh on top.
The Tenacious Bit
I think sometimes we get so caught up in searching for new recipes, new ingredients, and new ways of eating that we forget the simple things people have been making for generations.
Bread.
Cheese.
Mustard.
Nothing particularly fashionable.
Nothing that needs photographing from seventeen different angles before you're allowed to eat it.
Just proper food.
Perhaps that's why dishes like Welsh rarebit endure.
Because sometimes what we really want isn't something new.
It's something warm, familiar and bubbling under the grill.
Preferably eaten while it's still far too hot.
And with the crispy bit of cheese from the edge of the tray claimed by the cook.
Before you go...
Perhaps this week, make something simple.
Something warm, comforting and made simply because you fancy eating it.
Good food doesn't always need to be complicated, expensive or perfect.
Sometimes it's just about taking a few ingredients, making something delicious and sitting down long enough to enjoy it.
And if you're wondering what else might be cooking, you'll find more recipes, stories and everyday inspiration waiting for you here at Tenacious Wellness. www.tenaciouswellness.co.uk