To a Haggis - a new way with a traditional favourite 1/2
I am a huge fan of haggis. Many people are a bit squeamish, but it's really just a big, round, peppery lamb sausage, so don't be put off and do try some. There are also some very good vegetarian versions of the haggis now, if you are not a meat eater.
You can eat haggis at any time of year but there is a huge peak in demand around the 25th January, the birthday of
Robert Burns, Scotland's National Bard. There are Burns Supper celebrations everywhere just now in Scotland and, indeed, all over the world, so why not have a look at Scotland.Org and in particular the
Celebrate Scotland pages where you can find out about events happening in Scotland, particularly this year, the Y
ear of Homecoming, 2014.
But back to the haggis! There are many different ways to use Haggis in your cooking and on Scotland.org you will find some restaurant quality recipes prepared by Jacqueline O'Donnel
Dingwall Haggis Bon Bons
and
Vegetarian haggis with hisky glazed turnip pearls, straw potatoes with chive and malt cream sauce
Both recipes look delicious, but do recommend the use of a deep fat fryer which is something I do not have. However, nothing daunted, I scanned the recipes to see what I could learn and decided that I would try something just a little bit different.
First microwave your haggis, I read the instructions on the back of the haggis, this involving much squinting and removal of my glasses to read the tiny writing. Normally I would simmer the haggis in water for an hour, but was pleased to see that I could 'deconstruct' the haggis (take all the packing off), slice and cube it and microwave for 9 minutes. I have a top power model of microwave so it only took 6 minutes to heat it through, brilliant!
Second add cream and whisky to your 'neeps' or turnips (Swede), you know the orange one.
I would usually add butter and black pepper to my turnip and then mash, but this time I added a splash of double cream and a tablespoon of whisky. Oh my goodness, what a fantastic addition, you couldn't really taste the whisky but the mashed turnip tasted fantastic, sweet and very very moreish. I will be doing this every time, it was outstanding.
I'll be back later in the week with a way to make one small 2-3 person haggis stretch to feed 6-8 people. In the meantime check out the
Address to a Haggis in many and varied languages.
Labels: Burns Night, haggis, mashed potato, Neeps, potato, Scotland, Scottish, swede, Tatties
Fish Pie with Scallops
I can't remember when Fish Pie became our Good Friday tradition, well that's the thing about traditions, isn't it? You don't really plan them, they just grow from good ideas. Over the years I've made a variety of different versions and, as I am taking part in the the
Fish is the Dish,
Healthy Happy Hearts campaign, eating two portions of fish for six weeks, it was an ideal way to get one of my fish portions.
Fish Pie with Scallops (Serves 6)
Printable Recipe
1 fillet of Haddock
1 fillet of Salmon
1 fillet of Saithe
12 scallops
Fish can be varied according to availability and personal preference2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and sliced
Fish stock powder (I used Essential Cuisine)
optional
For the sauce:
500ml milk
2 tsp cornflour
seasoning
For the topping:
6 large potatoes, peeled, quartered, boiled and mashed with a little milk and butter
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Poach the fish in 300ml milk with a tsp of fish stock powder. Poach for 15
mins until fish is cooked.
3. Lift out the fish and place on a plate to cool a little.
4. Flake the fish removing any bones.
5. Measure the warm milk used to poach the fish and top up to 500ml.
6. Mix cornflour with a little cold milk and add the cornflour mixture to the warm milk.
7. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken, season to taste.
8. Place the flaked fish in an ovenproof dish add the sliced hard
boiled eggs and top with the raw scallops.
As they don't take long to
cook its better to put them in raw and they will be cooked in the oven.
9. Pour over the white sauce.
10. Cover the sauce with the mashed potatoes and fork up the potato to create crispy bits.
11. Place the dish on an oven tray and place in the oven for 15 minutes
until the sauce is bubbling and the potato topping is golden brown and
crisp.
I served the Fish Pie with Asparagus, sauted in butter with a little water to create some steam.
The fish was tender with the delicious, plump scallops adding a touch of luxury to this comforting fish dish.
Find out more about the Healthy Happy Hearts 6 week plan.
Labels: aspargus, fish, Fish is the Dish, haddock, mashed potato, saithe, salmon, scallops
Potato Cakes
It is very rare that I have left over mashed potatoes. I'm usually very good at estimating quantities for two or three, but I did rather overestimate for our New Year Day lunch and, as well as the left over cauliflower cheese that I used to make
Cauliflower Cheese Soup, there was some left over red cabbage and quite a lot of mashed potato.
This month, Elizabeth of
Elizabeth's Kitchen is hosting Turquoise Lemons'
'No Waste Food Challenge' and it was fortunate for me, she chose 'mashed potatoes' as the ingredient not to waste!
My first thought was that I would make gnocchi with the mash but I had some sausages and the red cabbage that I wanted to use and somehow I just didn't fancy gnocchi with that, so instead I made some homely potato cakes.
Potato Cakes
The quantities in this recipe are approximate, adjust depending on the quantity of mash you have left over.
Ingredients
Mashed potato
Spring Onions, chopped
Parsley, chopped
Plain flour
Egg, beaten
Seasoning
 |
| There is no celery in the potato cakes, it was on the work surface and somehow ended up in the photo! |
Put the mash in a bowl and if it is cold and clumped together, break it up with a fork. Add spring onions, parsley and seasoning and a little plain flour, I only needed 1 dessertspoon for this large bowlful of mash. Mix this until it is evening distributed. Add beaten egg and mix together, I used two eggs to get the mix to the right consistency.
Form the potato mixture into cakes and place on clingfilm on a baking tray. Place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours until it firms up.
Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and fry a few potato cakes at a time, turning after a couple of minutes. When they are browned on both sides, place on a baking tray and place in the oven at 180C for another 10 minutes to make sure they are hot all the way through.
I've made potato cakes before, but usually they fall apart, I think the little bit of flour and the fridge chilling was the key to them holding together, you could add other things to the mash, but no big pieces or they will definitely fall apart!
Labels: mashed potato, No Waste Food Challenge, potato cakes
Mince Beef Pie - A Family Heritage
I did not get into cooking without some family heritage.
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| My Mum in the 1960's |
My mother is an excellent and adventurous cook and a competitive baker (in a Kirstie's Homemade way).
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| Gran in the 1930's |
Her mother used to cut recipes by Elizabeth David from the newspaper. I know because I have her cookery books and those cuttings fell out when I opened them.
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| Great Grandfather |
On my Dad's side, his maternal grandfather was a baker,
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| Granny and Grandpa |
and his dad, my grandfather, was a butcher with his own business.
So back to the pie! My mum used to make this pie which she learned from my grandpa, the butcher, she taught me how to make it too.
It is so simple and so delicious and every now and again I trot out this recipe again, it never fails.
Minced Beef Pie
500g mince beef
small onion, finely chopped
salt & pepper
1 egg
3 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 packet of puff pastry, the ordinary stuff will do you don't need the butter puff pastry.
Mix the filling ingredients together (keep a little egg for egg wash)
Roll out just under half the pastry and line a metal pie dish or pyrex pie plate.
Press the filling mix into the pie dish, brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash, roll out the rest of the pastry to make a lid, crimp the edges. Make two slits in the top to let the steam out.
Bake at 200C for 40 minutes until golden brown.
I served my pie with mashed potatoes and red cabbage baked with apple and red wine vinegar.Labels: Beef, family, mashed potato, Mince, Pie, puff pastry, red cabbage
