I Love my Homeland, I love the scenery, I love the places, I love the people but most of all I love our homegrown produce and our ever growing excellence in small businesses, here are a couple of more awards and successful business owners.
If you haven’t visited yet, why not come taste and see for yourselves? I guarantee you, your senses will be heightened to a new level of excitement and surprise.
Using up my leftover Haggis from yesterday, I decided on a wee breakfast treat this morning and not only did it taste amazing it also set me up for the day and kept me full for ages.
For those of you that don’t know what Haggis is, it is a traditional Scottish Dish simply containing sheep’s pluck, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach. Haggis is basically like an oaty, spicy mince and a great source of iron, fibre and carbohydrate with no artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives. Each haggis maker will have a slightly different recipe, Scott’s from Huntly is my favourite one though.
Looking for something different to do with haggis and having some Chilli relish in the cupboard with thanks to Lynn from Everything Chilli http://www.everythingchilli.co.uk/ and my local Food Assembly, I came up with this perfect match.
Haggis – 100g – I used Scott’s of Huntly (really tasty Haggis)
2 tbsp of Beetroot and Apple Chilli Relish
Assorted Vegetables to serve
1 Pepper (Colour of your choice)
Firstly pre-heat your grill to high and slice in half the pepper then chargrill the peppers until slightly browned.
Using a microwave on high level cook the haggis for approx 2 mins per 100g.
Mash up and stir in the relish until mixed through.
Remove the peppers and spoon the haggis mixture into pepper boats……..Serve! Yummy!
On my travels back from Inverness this week, I stopped at the House of Bruar near Blair Atholl, they have an amazing Food Hall with everything Scottish and some. I picked up some lovely venison from Highland Game, Purveyors of fine foods in Dundee. With some Chorizo left over I decided this recipe, which was absolutely delicious and rich in flavour.
Serves 2
300g Diced Venison
75g Chorizo – sliced/diced
1 onion chopped
1 crushed garlic
1 tbsp smoked paprika
salt & pepper
250ml beef stock
100ml red wine (I used Merlot, perfect with venison)
1 Bay leaf
1 carrot sliced or you could use butternut squash
1 tbsp flour
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, light coat the venison with flour and add to pan to brown all over. Season.
Add the Chorizo, garlic and onion and stir through for few mins until golden.
Sprinkle in the paprika and add the carrots, pour in the beef stock and red wine, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.
I served with some wild rice but it is also lovely with boiled potatoes and green veg.
This week we celebrate Scottish Seafood Week, an eight day celebration that aims to encourage people across the UK to eat more fish, more often – and the quality and quantity of seafood that comes from the rich, clear waters around Scotland is certainly something to celebrate.
From fine-dining favourites like oysters and langoustines to beautiful fish-and-chip-shop classics like cod and haddock, Scottish seafood offers something for every taste and budget. Not to mention that the current holders of two major national competitions, run by Seafish, are from Scotland. Glasgow-based Gamba are the proud holders of the Seafood Restaurant of the Year, while Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year was handed to Frankie’s in Shetland earlier this year.
My Avocado Salsa Scottish Salmon
Serves 2
2 pieces of lovely Scottish Salmon
1/2 Avocado
1 tbsp Coriander
Juice from 1 lime
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red onion – chopped finely
1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp smoked Paprika
Salt & Pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
In a bowl, mix all the spices:- chilli, paprika, cumin, salt & pepper, then rub onto one side of the salmon, chill for 30 mins in fridge.
Meanwhile, chopped avocado into small chunks/slices, add to a bowl, mix in the red onion, lime juice, coriander and 1tsp of olive oil. Set aside.
Steam cook your salmon first then place on a griddle at high heat for a minute to seal in the spices. Alternatively, you can cook under the high grill for approx 6-7 mins until cooked through.
Place the salsa mixture on top of Salmon and serve. Yummy! The good thing with this is you can tailor to your own taste, more spicy…add more chilli….less…..add less, it’s up to you. Enjoy!
1. Coat the chicken in flour and season well, Fry chicken and onions until browned
2. Layer half the potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish, then add the chicken, then half the onions, then the black pudding and apple then with remaining onions and top with last layer of potatoes.
3. Pour in chicken stock, cook in the oven at 180 deg for 1.5 hours.
4. Add the butter and return to over to melt through, cook for 1/2 hour more.
5. Serve…..this is really yummy and filling. As you can see my partner loved it…empty plate!
I visited my local butchers (Patrick’s of Camelon), they had a new black pudding recipe with apple and onion through, they called it the Truffle Black pudding…sounding different and delicious I had to try.
1. Heat Black pudding in the microwave for 50 secs and mash up.
2. Scramble up 2 eggs adding in some crack black pepper and some chives. Serve up together.
The pudding was definately different a bit sweeter but absolutely delicious. A yummy scottish brekkie.
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