Butter bean and rosemary soup with Mull of Kintyre cheese

Serves 6

Traditionally, butter beans are often used in the Scottish kitchen – both in soups and as a vegetable beside a plate of everyday mince and tatties.  This soup is a beautifully flavoured bean soup topped with some grated Scottish Cheddar-style cheese.  I puree only about half the beans: this gives a natural thickness to the soup but leaves some whole beans for texture.

This is the sort of soup that will put hairs on your chest… or at least warm you up on a cold day out on the hills.

Ingredients

350g/12 oz dried butter beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1.2 litres/2 pints hot chicken stock

2 thick sprigs of rosemary

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g/1 ¾ oz Mull of Kintyre cheese, coarsely grated, to serve

Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Method

Soak the beans overnight, then drain and rinse.  Heath the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes.  Then add the beans, hot stock and rosemary sprigs and season with black pepper (but no salt yet).  Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender.

Remove the rosemary (and try to extract any leaves which may have dropped off).  Using a hand-held electric blender, puree about half the soup, ensuring that some beans are left whole.  Now add salt – and more pepper, if necessary – according to taste.

To serve, ladle the soup into warm bowls, and top each bowl with some of the cheese and a drizzle of the oil.

Scottish Venison Bridies

Makes 4

The smell of these bridies fills the house with fabulous aromas that not only make you want to stop everything and devour one minute it has finished cooking, you also want to bless the person that invented the bridie.

There are various tales about the etymology of the word, from the story that they were baked for bridies on their wedding day to the slightly more plausible tale of one Margaret Bridie of Glamis who sold horseshoe-shaped meat pies in Forfar market.  The horseshoe shape (they are not half moons like the cornish pastie) meant they became a lucky symbol, served at weddings and christenings. Whatever historical significance, the forfar bridie – to my mind- is a thing of glory, if properly executed, and I reckon some of the best are from James McLaren & Sons, bakers in Forfar, where I learned the famous dunting and nicking’ techniques.

The venison bridie is equally delicious and mouth-watering. Enjoy with a glass of red wine and a salad, both of which are, of course untraditional accompaniments.

Ingredients

For the pastry:-

250g/9 oz strong white flour

75g/2 ¾ oz plain flour

½ teaspoon salt

175g/6 oz unsalted butter, cubed

About 3 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:-

500g/1 lb 2 oz venison, coarsely minced (usually taken from the shin)

75g/2 ¾ oz beef suet, grated

1 small onion, peeled and finely grated

1 heaped tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

For the pastry, sift the flours and salt into a food processor. Add the butter and process until it is incorporated.  Add just enough of the water to bind it to a stiff dough.  Gather the dough in your hands, wrap it in clingfilm and chill for at least 1 hour.

For the filling, mix the venison, suet, onion and parsley and season well with salt and pepper.

Divide the pastry into four and roll each piece into an oval.  Divide the filling into four and spoon it onto the top half of each pastry oval, leaving a border round the edges.

Dampen the edges into a neat horseshoe shape.  Now ‘dunt’ ad ‘nick’ by pressing down the edges to seal them and crimping right round to give a nicely finished look.  Using a sharp knife, prick a small hole in the top of each bridie; this allows the steam to escape.  Place the bridies on a lightly buttered baking tray and chill for an hour or so.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve the bridies warm, not hot.

Smoked Haddock souffles with herb oil

Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as starter

These are really handy little souffles to have tucked away in your freezer for when you find yourself – as often I do – with a houseful of guests and not wanting to spend hours in the kitchen cooking while missing out not only on pre-prandial drinks but also on any pertinent gossip.  For the herb oil, a mixture of any of following is good: parsley, rocket, basil.

You will need 8 regular-sized ramekins (150ml/5 fl oz capacity), well buttered.

Ingredients

500g/1 lb 2 oz undyed smoked haddock fillets

350ml/12 fl oz full-fat milk

40g/1 ½ oz butter

40g/1 ½ oz plain flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

40g/1 ½ oz freshly grated Parmesan

4 large free-range eggs, separated

For the Herb Oil:-

25g/1 oz fresh herbs (see above)

About 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Dash of lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Method

Place the fish in a pan with the milk and bring slowly to the boil.  After simmering for 2 minutes, remove it from the heat, cover and leave for about 30 minutes, then drain over a sieve, reserving the liquid.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour, stirring well.  Cook for about 1 minute, then gradually add the flavoured milk and cook, whisking or stirring constantly, over a medium heat for about 3 minutes until thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the Parmesan and then the egg yolks, one at a time.

Flake the fish into a large chunks, being careful to remove any bones, and add to the mixture.

Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Carefully fold into the fish mixture one large spoonful at a time.  Divide the mixture between the 8 buttered ramekins (see above) and wipe the rims clean (spillage will inhibit even rising).  Wrap in clingfilm and freeze just as soon as possible although you may have to wait for a minute or two for them to cool.

Preheat the over to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

The herb oil is best made on the day you are going to eat the soufflés.  Process the herbs with the oil in a small blender.  Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Shortly before you are ready to eat, remove the clingfilm and place the ramekins on a baking sheet and cook them, still frozen, in the preheated over for 25-30 minutes until they puffed up and golden brown.  Break open the souffles with a teaspoon, spoon in some herb oil and serve at once.

Inverawe Smoked Etive Trout Hash

Serves 6

Although hot-smoked trout would also do this delicious breakfast dish, Inverawe cold-smoked Loch Etive trout (which resembles smoked salmon) is my favourite.  As it is added shortly before serving, it only heats through and does not cook therefore retains its distinctive flavour.

Instead of parsnips, you could use all potatoes if you prefer.

Ingredients

500g/1 lb 2 oz large potatoes, peeled

250g/9 oz parsnips, peeled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

25g/1 oz butter

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

250-300g/9-10 ½ cold-smoked trout, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill or parsley

Method

Cook the potatoes and parsnips whole in boiling salted water until just tender (about 15 minutes).  Drain well, allow to cool a little, then cut into large dice.

In a large, heavy frying pan, heat the oil and butter, and then fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft.  Add the potatoes and parsnips and fry over a medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture forms crusted, golden edges.  Season well with salt and pepper.

Stir in the smoked trout and dill or parsley and continue to cook for a further 4-5 minutes or until heated through.  Check the seasoning and serve hot.

Scrambled Eggs with Inverawe Smoked Salmon,

Serves 2

For a truly  special morning treat, make this for breakfast or brunch.  You can add more or less smoked salmon depending on how much you can afford, but do not add any more chervil since its delicate aniseed flavour should not overpower the eggs.  Smoked salmon pieces are fine and are also cheaper.

Cold Smoked trout is also good for this dish – or fresh crab meat, and instead of chervil, you could add dill or snipped chives for a change.

Serve on thick wholemeal toast or toasted bagels.  If you make it with crab instead of salmon, it is delicious served on toasted brioche.

Ingredients

6  Medium free-range eggs

2 tablespoons of single cream or top of the milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

40g/1 ½ oz butter

About 50g/1 ½ oz Inverawe smoked salmon, chopped roughly

1 heaped tablespoon freshly chopped chervil

Method

Lightly beat together the eggs and cream or top of the milk and season with plenty of salt and pepper.

Slowly melt the butter in a saucepan (or small frying pan) over a low heat, and then add the egg mixture.  Stirring constantly, cook over a low heat until still creamy and soft (up to 5 minutes, depending on your pan).

Remove from the heat to arrest the cooking and stir in the salmon and most of the chervil.  Taste and check the seasoning.  Serve in a pile on hot toast.  Sprinkle with the remaining chervil and serve at once.

Mull of Kintyre Cheese and Inverawe Smoked Ham Bread and Butter Pudding

Ingredients

Serves 6

150-175g/5.5-6oz bread sliced thickly crust left on
70g/2.5oz butter, softened
Dijon mustard
175 g/ 6oz Inverawe Smoked Ham roughly chopped
125g/4.5oz Mull of Kintyre Cheddar Coarsely grated
600ml/1 pint milk
5 large free range eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground parsley

Mull of Kintyre Cheese is a sharp, powerful Cheddar style cheese that is made the old fashioned way using unpasteurised milk on the mull of Kintyre on Scotlands West Coast
This savoury bread and butter pudding is absolutely wonderful – but don’t even consider slinging in the contents of your fridge to use up ends of things. It relies on good quality ingredients, from bread to ham and cheese. For the bread I like to use sourdough.

Method

Butter a 2 litre/3.5 pint ovenproof dish and preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas 4.
Spread the bread thickly with the butter. Then thinly with the mustard. Place half the slices in the base of the prepared dish. Top with the ham and half the cheese, then with the remaining bread, buttered-side up.

Whisk together the milk and the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley, then slowly pour the mixture over the bread, taking care to soak it all over. Scatter the remaining cheese on top. Leave to soak in for at least 20 minutes.

Put the dish in a bain marie (or a roasting tin filled halfway up the sides with hand hot water). Bake in a preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown.

Nettle Soup

Ingredients

Serve 6

250g/9oz young nettles (roughly 1 full supermarket carrier bag)
2 heaped tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
7-8 tablespoons olive oil
600g/ 1lb 5oz potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1.2 litres/2 pints of chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large free range eggs hard boiled and shelled

When you pick nettles, I need hardly say that you will need rubber gloves and scissors 9 and welly boots unless you have long trousers). Only remove the tops and the upper leaves and do not pick from plants that are in flower. Obviously, pick as far away from the roadside as possible.

And just in case you are wondering, once they are cooked, the sting (formic acid) disappears completely; all you are left with is a wonderfully rich yet sharp flavour not unlike sorrel. Just like Sorrel and Spinach, Nettles cook very quickly and in order to retain their vivid colour, I blanch them shortly after returning home and then puree them. The resulting puree will last in the fridge for 2-3 days which means that you don’t have to finish making the soup immediately. The puree can even be used as a stuffing for pasta such as ravioli or cannelloni, mixed with some ricotta and a little fresh mint.

Method

First put on your rubber gloves again, and remove the leaves from their stalks, discarding the latter. Put the leaves in a large colander and wash them really well, in several changes of water.
Bring a large pan to the boil and, once boiling, drop in all the nettle leaves. When it has  returned to the boil, blanch the nettles for 1 minute, then tip them into the colander and refresh under a cold running tap. Drain really well, squeezing them by hand and then patting them dry on kitchen paper. Place in a food processor. Add the parmesan and enough of the oil to make a thick puree. Put the puree into a bowl and, if necessary, cover and refrigerate for 2- 3 days.
When you are ready to make the soup, place the potatoes in a pan with the onion, celery and stock. Bring to the boil and cook until the vegetables are tender. Then remove from the heat and add the nettle puree. Mix in a blender and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little extra boiling water if it is too thick.
If you have to reheat, do not boil or the lovely green bright colour will fade. To serve ladle the soup into wide bowls and top each with half a hard boiled egg. Grind over some black pepper and serve.

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Traditional Scottish Clootie Dumpling

As part of our mission to bring you all the things we love about Scottish food here is our favourite recipe for traditional Clootie Dumpling. What is that? well its rich fruit pudding which was traditionally made in a cloth called a “cloot” or “clout”  the pudding is boiled inside the cloth and best served hot with lashings of custard , cream or ice cream.

If you don’t have time to make your own clootie dumpling then you can buy one ready to boil or microwave in our scottish sweets and cakes section.

The Recipe

What you need

300g plain flour
150g Beef Suet
200g currants
100g sultanas
150g sugar
grated rind of 1 orange
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
milk to mix

Start of by sifting the flour, baking powder and spices all together, Add in all the other dry ingredients to the mixture and mix well together.

Add just enough of the milk to make a stiff dough.

Dip the pudding cloth into boiling water then drain it and dust with flour. Put the dough mixture into the center of the cloth and tie up leaving room for the pudding to expand. simmer the pudding for 4 hours.

Turn the pudding out from the cloth onto a hot plate

…. Clootie Dumpling .. Done!

Scottish hampers News and Recipes

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