Great Chieftain O’ the Pudding Race

January 24, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Eat, drink and be merry. That certainly sums up all the Burns suppers I’ve enjoyed in the past. Celebrating the life of Robert Burns, it’s great traditional Scottish entertainment with toasts, poetry, and singing, and if you’re lucky a few jolly jigs and reels.
Apart from the great man Rabbie, the centre piece of the celebration is the haggis, and do we Scots revere any other food like this?

Fair fa’ yer honest, sonsie face,
Great Chieftain o’ the puddin’ race!’

Gone are the days of a traditional, plain haggis neeps and tatties dinner. Food to celebrate Burns night has been elevated to new levels with even the much loved haggis, traditionally made from the cheapest of ingredients, being transformed into fine dining.

Having friends around for a burns supper was always a great night in our house although once again I’ll be celebrating the night at Chef Jacqueline O’Donnell’s ‘Sisters Jordanhill Restaurant‘ in Glasgow. I know the food will be fantastic, good hearty Scottish food along with lots of great Scottish entertainment and the obligatory few wee drams. What else would you expect?

If you’re having a night at home to celebrate, Chef Jacqueline has come up with a couple of recipes that really give the haggis a makeover with a few extra Scottish flavours.

Dingwall Haggis Bon Bons with
Crisp Potato Fritter, Creamed Turnip
and Malt Whisky Grain Mustard Sauce.

Ingredients
1 kg quality haggis
2 large potatoes
1 swede
50ml double cream
1 tbsp Arran wholegrain mustard
500 ml chicken stock
25ml malt whisky
1 egg beaten
100g fresh breadcrumbs
100g plain flour

Serves: 6
Preparation Method
Recommend using an electric fryer for potatoes and haggis.

Cut the haggis into small pieces and roll into balls. Once this has
been done roll them in a little flour, followed by the beaten egg
and then the breadcrumbs (this is best all done in advance).
Bake the potatoes until just about cooked through, allow to cool
then peel and cut into chunky rectangles.

Cook the swede in cold water, then bring to the boil until soft.
Place cooked swede in a food processor or blender with a splash
of double cream, and then season to taste.

To cook the potatoes, make the batter by whisking the flour and
water together until smooth. Dip the potatoes in to coat them
in the batter and then put them straight into an electric fryer
(Temp 170c). Cook until golden brown and crisp.
Bring chicken stock to the boil and reduce down by 2/
3 then add the mustard followed by the whisky. Allow to cool slightly.

Adjust electric fryer to 160°c, gently lower the Bon mix into the
fryer and cook for 3-4 minutes until a light golden brown.
To serve, spoon turnip purée onto plate, place potato fritter on
top and arrange three Haggis Bon Bons with the fritter.

Drizzle some Whisky Grain Mustard Sauce over the top, and
add a little extra on the side.

Vegetarian Haggis with Whisky Glazed
Turnip Pearls, Straw potatoes and
Chive and Malt Cream Sauce

Ingredients
Individual vegetarian haggis x 6
1 whole swede
25ml blended whisky
25g soft brown sugar
25g butter
2 large potatoes
(peeled and cut into matchsticks
steep in cold water)
200ml double cream
25ml malt whisky
1 small handful of
chives chopped finely

Serves: 6
Preparation Method
Recommend using an electric fryer
Cut swede into quarters and bring to the boil until cooked.
Using a melon baller, press into the turnip and scoop out into
ball / pearl shapes.
Add the whisky, butter and sugar into a shallow pan and reduce
until syrupy then add the turnip pearls and cook for a few minutes
until pearls are nicely glazed and golden.
Poach individual haggis for 15 minutes in light simmering water.
Peel and cut the potatoes into matchsticks and rinse in cold
water. Drain and pat dry, then gently fry at 170°c until golden
(be careful as they cook quickly).
Bring the double cream and malt whisky to the boil and reduce
slightly. The mixture should be sticky enough to coat the back
of a spoon.
To serve, place a spoonful of the Straw potatoes onto plate and
place the haggis in the centre.
Place the turnip pearls around the haggis and drizzle the Chive
and Malt Cream Sauce over the dish.

More recipes and tips on how to celebrate Burns Night, can be found at www.scotland.org

Jacqueline O’Donnell is Chef/Patron of The Sisters Restaurants in Glasgow. Both restaurants offer good hearty Scottish cuisine or as Jacqueline says, ‘dishes that your Gran might have put on the table’.

A words on Scotland’s Favourite Dish – The Haggis

Although I’m not cooking this Burn’s night, the haggis is in the fridge and it will be served as the traditional haggis, neeps & tatties. Once cooked, it will be blessed with a wee dram and a whisky sauce will be offered on the side. There’s a few excellent brands of haggis to chose from, but my favourite is Ramsay of Carluke. Produced to the Ramsay family’s secret and original recipe it has been the choice in our family for many years.

Thanks to Andrew Ramsay for Haggis photographs and for producing such a wonderful tasting haggis.

Recipe photographs courtesy of Smarts Scotland

TRICK or TREAT

October 30, 2012 By Rachel Leave a Comment

‘Add a Pinch of Salt’

For many the appearance of the bright orange pumpkin in the shops usually means Halloween is on its way and images of lanterns are the first thought. However, the pumpkin is a great fruit, yes it is a fruit, not a vegetable and a versatile one at that . For me it signals that not only is Halloween around the corner but that Autumn has arrived and it’s time for a change of flavours in the kitchen. Different seasons bring new colours, new aromas, and the pumpkin denotes warm, spicy earthy tones that add comfort to food as we move away from salads and the lightness and freshness of summer food.

Pumpkin works well in casseroles and curries, as a soup, in risotto as a stuffing for certain pasta, a roasted veg and even in a cake or a dessert. When I mentioned that I was making a selection of cakes and desserts with my pumpkin haul, there were a few raised eyebrows in the house, not surprising as my boys would never eat it as a savoury dish, preferring to carve it in to a lantern to go trick or treating or to adorn the doorstep on Halloween. However, like other fruit or vegetable cakes it makes a lovely addition as it lends a nice subtle sweetness and moistness to a sponge cake and it’s also a nice change for a cheesecake or pie. Warm spices such as cinnamon, ginger and chilli compliment the flavour of pumpkin as do sweet flavours such as orange and surprisingly for some chocolate. These recipes make a nice change from the soups and savoury dishes and where possible I have reduced the calorie content by using oil or ‘lighter’ ingredients.

Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake with Chocolate Ginger Sauce

Ingredients 225g digestive biscuits

60g butter

Juice and zest of 1 orange

340g cooked pumpkin. Either roast or steam

25g fresh ginger grated

225g golden caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

4 eggs

Sauce

175g Plain chocolate

50g butter

1 tbsp ginger wine or a tbsp of the syrup from the preserved ginger.

2 pieces of preserved ginger (from a jar) chopped

Place the chocolate, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water, stir until melted and creamy. Stir in the ginger and set aside until needed.

Cheesecake

Heat the oven to 170oc /. Fan Gas 3

Grease and line a 10 in/25cm loose bottomed cake tin.

Crush the digestive biscuits into fine crumbs.

Melt the butter over a low heat, stir in the biscuit crumbs along with the orange zest Press the biscuit crumb mix into the base of the tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, pumpkin, grated ginger, sugar, and cinnamon until the mixture is smooth. A food mixer will make this much easier.

Beat the eggs and fold into the pumpkin mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for approximately 90 mins until set and a skewer comes out clean. Once cool,turn onto a serving plate, cover and chill overnight. To serve, dust lightly with icing sugar and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Pumpkin and apple samosas

Makes 12

1 packet of Filo pastry

Filling Ingredients

225g pumpkin chopped into a small dice

110g apples chopped into a small dice

25g sultanas

25g grated ginger

1 tbsp plain flour

Light muscovada sugar Combine the filling ingredients together. Unroll the Filo, and cover with a damp tea towel.

Take one sheet of pastry and brush with melted butter or oil, fold one third, brush again and fold I the final third to make one long strip of pastry.

Place a spoonful of the filling at one corner end of the Filo and fold diagonally to make a triangle. Continue folding until you reach the end of the pastry strip and have formed a triangle parcel. Brush with melted butter or oil, place on a baking sheet and bake, 200C/ 180c fan Gas 6 for 20 – 30 mins until crisp and golden.

Allow to cool slightly, dust lightly with icing sugar and serve with low fat creme fraiche or Greek yoghurt.

My next healthier Halloween offering is my Chocolate & Orange Pumpkin cake and although it contains sugar , there’s no artificial colourings. This is a recipe I have adapted from my Mother in laws chocolate cake and the various carrot cakes I have made over the years. It’s made with fresh pumpkin and rapeseed oil as I find using oil makes for a more moist cake and much lower in saturated fat than butter.

The frosting is made with light cream cheese, icing sugar and grated orange rind, although a lighter option is an orange drizzle icing.

Ingredients

Cake

300g self raising flour

300g light muscovada sugar

1tbsp ginger

2.5 tsp cinnamon

60g cocoa powder (Green and Blacks gives the best flavour)

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs beaten

140 ml rapeseed oil

30 ml natural yoghurt

Zest of 1 orange

650g pumpkin grated.

Frosting

200g light cream cheese

85g butter

100g icing sugar

Zest of 1 orange

Approx 2 tbsp orange juice.

Oven Temp 180oc/ fan 160oc gas 4

30×20 cm loose bottomed cake tin – greased and lined with baking parchment

Put the dry ingredients, flour,sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and salt in to a large mixing bowl.

Beat the eggs, add the oil and yoghurt and orange zest and mix well. Fold in to the dry ingredients and then stir in the grated pumpkin ensuring that it is mixed well.

Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 35 – 40 mins or until springy to touch.

Frosting

Beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the orange zest / juice until you achieve the desired flavour.

I find too much zest and juice makes the finished flavour to orangey and can be overpowering for the flavour of the cake. Using a palette knife to spread and swirl the frosting over the cake. Decorate as required.

Notes. Once frosted the cake keep well for a few days in the fridge. Lower the calorie count by using an orange drizzle icing.

Orange Drizzle Icing

Juice of 1 orange and zest of 1/2. 100g granulated sugar Mix ingredients together and drizzle over cake.

My thanks to Alice Strange at www.potiki.com for permission to use the ‘Add a Pinch of Salt’ print and to Debra at www.gardensinspiredblogspot.com for allowing use of the pumpkin and garden pictures.

Rhubarb Syrup

May 29, 2012 By Rachel 4 Comments

Rhubarb Syrup

Rhubarb, those big deep pink stocks with huge parasol leaves have grown in the garden of every house I’ve ever lived in. There are now two areas in my garden where it grows and one of those plants originated from a plant in the family garden nearly 30 years ago so in my garden it’s a real prized plant.

An early rhubarb memory for me is a stick of rhubarb and a bag of sugar, ironic given that I’ve called this blog ” A Wee Pinch of Sugar.” What I have discovered over many years of cooking is that there is so much more to rhubarb than a bag of sugar or a crumble. And, there is nothing more satisfying than cooking with produce that has been grown in your own garden.

This year I’m determined to make better use of the rhubarb from the garden, unlike some previous years where my freezer has been overflowing with sufficient quantities that kept the family in crumbles and pies throughout the winter months.

Rhubarb syrup, a recipe I found in the wonderful book “Prepped” by Vanessa Kimbell was my first attempt at doing something completely different and I’m delighted with the result. Vanessa describes it as a multipurpose staple and there are various recipes in her book including the syrup, sorbets, pâté and pasta, all of which sound absolutely delicious. The finished syrup has a wonderful sweetness and as well as including in the various “Prepped” recipes I’ll be experimenting with my own recipes.

Rhubarb Syrup
Makes 700ml – 1 litre
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 45 minutes

1 kg fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped
180ml water
450g caster sugar

Put the rhubarb in a heavy based saucepan.Add the water, cover and cook on a low heat until the rhubarb has liquified.This can take up to 30 minutes depending on the age and thickness of the rhubarb.

Strain off the liquid and pour it back into the saucepan, return the pan to the heat and stir in the sugar .
Bring the mixture to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and decant into a sterilised 1 litre jar or bottle, making sure it is well sealed.

Keep for up to about 6-8 weeks in the fridge.

My grateful thanks to Author Vanesa Kimbell for allowing me reproduce this recipe from her book “Prepped.”

Blog Link

I’ve also added this post to A Green and Rosie Life blog link up