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Welsh cockle pie in a baking dish.
Victoria Haneveer

3 Classic Starter Recipes from Wales

Three Welsh starter recipes featuring leeks, Welsh cheese, pastry, eggs and cockles: rarebit, cockle pie and cheese and leek tart.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chilling Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Welsh
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
 

For the Welsh Rarebit with Leeks
  • Bread, sliced, as needed
  • 2 leeks, washed and shredded
  • 2 ounces (60g) butter
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 3 cups (720ml) milk
  • 1 ounce (30g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
  • 4 ounces (115g) Welsh goat cheese
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Welsh Cockle Pie
  • ½ pound (230g) prepared cockles
  • 8 ounces (230g) shortcrust pastry
  • 1 to 2 ounces (28 to 56g) Welsh cheese, grated, optional
  • 1 cup (240ml) white sauce
  • Chopped fresh parsley, to taste
For the Cheese and Leek Tart
  • 7 ounces (200g) shortcrust pastry
  • 3 leeks, sliced
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
  • 8 ounces (230g) Welsh cheese, grated
  • 1 ⅛ cups (270ml) white sauce

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Kitchen scale
  • Toaster
  • Cooling rack
  • Saucepan
  • Fine mesh sieve
  • Whisk
  • Mixing spoon
  • Cheese grater
  • Mixing bowl
  • Rolling pin
  • Baking dish
  • Tart pan

Method
 

Welsh Rarebit with Leeks
  1. Toast the bread and let it cool on a rack.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the leeks and cook for 3 minutes.
  3. Sift in the flour and mustard powder, then stir. Add the milk gradually while whisking, then bring to a boil.
  4. Add the goat cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and black pepper.
  5. Spread the sauce over the toast. Place under a hot broiler (grill) until bubbling and golden.
Welsh Cockle Pie
  1. Put the prepared cockles in a baking dish.
  2. Add the white sauce and parsley, then mix.
  3. Cover with shortcrust pastry and seal the edges. Sprinkle grated cheese over the pastry if using.
  4. Bake at 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
Cheese and Leek Tart
  1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
  2. Line a small tart pan with pastry and chill for 20 minutes.
  3. Line the pastry with parchment and baking beans. Blind-bake for 25 minutes.
  4. Remove the parchment and beans, then bake for another 15 minutes.
  5. While the pastry bakes, put the sliced leeks in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add a splash more water if the pan dries out, then drain well.
  6. Combine some of the cheese with enough white sauce to fill the tart, about 1 ⅛ cups (270ml) of sauce.
  7. Add the softened, drained leeks to the pastry case and arrange the egg slices over them.
  8. Add the sauce mixture and the remaining cheese. Place under a hot broiler (grill) until the cheese melts.

Notes

Times are estimates for the cheese and leek tart, the longest route in this card: about 30 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking and 20 minutes chilling. Soften the leeks while the pastry blind-bakes. Allow about 20 to 25 minutes for the rarebit or 45 to 50 minutes for the cockle pie when making either separately; the card total does not cover preparing all three dishes together.