Homemade Lamb Curry

Lamb isn't something that finds itself on my weekly shopping list and it isn't something I've ever cooked before. That's mainly due to the fact I didn't actually like the taste until recently but also I had little clue what to do with it- all I kept hearing was "low and slow". 

So when I was approached by Suzie at The Scotch Kitchen to blog using either certified Scotch Beef or Lamb I jumped at the chance to try out something new! My inspiration for this dish came from my discovery of the most flavoursome curry I have ever tasted from Green Gates Indian Restaurant in Stirling - my 'go to' location for amazingly authentic Indian food with great service and atmosphere!

Lamb Pardesi is the curry I refer to: a rich, spinach and mushroom based curry which holds just the right amount of 'kick', a far cry from my usual Indian Food order of chicken based dishes which are typically cooked Tandoori style (equally as tasty but just completely different).

When aiming to replicate this dish I first of all fried off the spices, sealed the lamb and then transported it all into a slow cooker so it could do the rest of the work. For my spices,instead of going out an buying several packets of new spices I wasn't sure about, I used spare packets of spice from kits I had bought previously from The Spicery. This is an excellent way of getting to know and try new spices in small amounts as well as new dishes you may never have challenged yourself to try before!

1. Prepare onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, chilli and bay leaves - the quantities of these will depend on how much lamb you are cooking and your own personal taste. However my advice is you can always add more, you can't take away! (3 large onions, 4-6 cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of each spice is usually a good start for around 2lb of meat.
2. Fry all of these off in a hot pan with oil and butter (around 100g butter and 2 tablespoons of oil)
3. Then add the lamb to the pan after dusting in a seasoned flour mix.
4. Once sealed, transfer the spiced lamb and onions to your slow cooker with chopped mushrooms (I used a mix of button and chestnut mushrooms- around 600g combined), a large bag of spinach and 3 tablespoons of tomato puree. 
5. Leave to cook "low and slow" for at least 6 hours (the longer the better) and serve with rice, naan bread or both!

 

You may be panicking about the lack of water added - don't. I've been cooking with spinach a lot recently and find it releases water during the process so don't make my mistake of drowning your food and the flavour you've built up. You can always add some towards the end of the cooking time if you do feel the dish is too dry.

My Pardesi lovely but certainly not as good as Green Gates, I have a few more attempts to go to achieve their standards, but the Scotch Lamb was delicious - it wouldn't have mattered how it had been served, the quality spoke for itself!

I would encourage all of you to give Scotch Lamb a go whether in a curry, stew or Sunday roast but also to mess around with spices in order to add flavour and depth to a dish- it's not all about heat. The Scotch Kitchen Blog is a fantastic resource, offering handy hints and tips on how to cook your Scotch meat products in new and wonderful ways so head over their now and get experimenting!

Good Luck! x  

Wine and Dine in Auchterarder!

As you may remember, a few months ago I went crazy for a new deli that opened in Auchterarder - Corbie and Cheip. For me, it was a big deal. A food enterprise which embodied wholesome morales and values, stocked local and small batch produce as well as flaunting it all in such chic vintage style! So you can imagine my excitement grew ten fold when I heard they were opening a continental style wine bar in November - I was one of the first in the queue!

Now, customers can not only enjoy fresh, local and European produce in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, they can also couple small plates and nibbles with a selection of fine wine too! Not your typical bar, certainly not a pub and without restrictions such as a menu (small plates change on a daily basis depending on what fresh and organic produce is available) Corbie and Cheip's wine bar allows a refreshing alternative to 'coffee with friends' and is a firm advocate of good company and conversation.

If you fancy an alternative night out, a new meeting place for your weekly catch up or simply want to relax after a hard days graft then pop in and sample for yourself! Plus - with the added bonus of Gleneagles train station serving the village of Auchterarder from Stirling, Dunblane, Bridge of Allan, Glasgow and Perth to name but a few, why not make a night of it!? Happy drinking! x

18th November 2015 : The bar is NOW open to the public and serves fine wine and delicious dishes until 10pm.

Bring the Smell of Highland Scotland Home!

Do you, like me, crave a wood burning fire at home yet cannot have one? Have you enjoyed a rural retreat in the Highlands of Scotland and the smell of wood fire and peat smoke brings back cosy memories? Or are you simply a Whisky buff who agrees with the statement "It's the peat that puts the soul into the spirit" and would like more of that in your own surroundings?

Well, if you can relate to any of the above,  Peatscence is certainly for you! I discovered it in the gift shop on a recent distillery tour and burning just two of these cones on the past 2 evenings has brought me great comfort and happiness - especially as it is sooooo bloody miserable outside, and dark so early!

Until we can afford to buy a country home of our own, this product will fool me into thinking I have it all already. And I'm OK with that....for now.

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Look Who's Moved into Auchterarder: Corbie & Cheip

This blog has taken quite some time to write, not because it's lengthy but because I don't know where to start! For me, there are so many plus points to the new deli in Auchterarder that I don't know which to bring to your attention first, so I thought I would start with my own highlights, and literally dump them onto the page. So, in no particular order, here goes...

• Organic vegetables sold upon, and in, a chest of drawers!
• Parking spaces for dogs!
• A 'pick your own' organic egg bar!
• Fresh ready made home dinners for one!
• A wide selection of Scottish produce from small batch and hobby producers!
• A gramophone playing 1950s background music!
• An exquisitely styled store with gentle nods to all things vintage....!

See why I found it so difficult? 

Corbie and Cheip is the brain child of German powerhouse Anne Schaeflein who wanted to bring continental style, market-place-shopping to the high street of her beloved, now hometown, Auchterarder. The founding principals of Corbie and Cheip could be summerised by:

• being to be true to our roots, 
• shopping locally whenever possible and 
• investing in our health, and that of our children, as we go! 

That's why I love it so much- it's not just a "nice shop" with lovely tasties, Corbie and Cheip really does have a moral backbone and makes me feel good about my food based indulgence!

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch event and I was gobsmacked at how all the ideas that once flowed from Anne's brain and mouth actually tied together in complete harmony and worked in the best way I've ever seen a new eatery work...genuinely! 

I'm pleased to say (and not at all suprised) that since the launch night Corbie and Cheip has gone from strength to strength - selling out of most items each week (once its gone, its gone, Anne concocts delicious dishes daily and orders produce fresh in each week!) and with plans to open a small plate and wine bar from November onwards this really is something local community food hubs could learn a thing or two from in terms of turning their local food initatives into sustainable businesses. 

With an attractively marketed brand name taking the cause of local food producers and current health issues seriously, I really do think this is the perfect enterprise!

Check out Corbie and Cheip here but most importantly pop in yourself and see what I'm raving on about - I'd love to hear what you picked up and I can promise you won't be disappointed!  

 

 Thank you Anne for bringing these delights to our doorstep, my reuseable milk bottle and egg carton will be visiting again very soon x

"I'll Cook".... be my guest!

Where do I sign???

I've recently found out about a local chef in Bridge of Allan, Kenny Wilson, who cooks to 5 star standards in....wait for it.... your home! For a foodie who loves eating fine food just as much as she enjoys trying to create home made delicacies this is the best of every world. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you just can't beat a visit to your favourite restaurant - getting all dolled up for the experience - but typically, the best conversation, the heartiest laughter and the sharing of the silliest of secrets all happen round the household dining table with friends and family. This is where Kenny's new venture I'll Cook comes in...

 

Kenny, who has over 25 years experience cooking in some of the most prestigious locations in the world, such as Gleneagles Hotel and on the QE2, not only prides himself on his ability to craft as a chef but also to source the finest of ingredients locally, bearing food sustainability in mind. Kenny selects his produce from suppliers such as Gartmorn Farm, George Campbell's of Perth and Summer Valley,  plating up delights such as Home Smoked Duck, Isle of Skye Scallops, Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Scottish Cheeses and even deep fried ice-cream!! Excuse me, I'm salivating... 

 

Tableware is included so your table will look as bonnie as any in a high class bistro and Kenny is more than happy to explain each dish during service so you really will experience a night of true private dining. If the taste of Kenny's freshly baked gluten free bread is anything to go by, I know his food will be fantastic but then again, Prince Charles, Princess Ann and the late Queen Mother wouldn't eat just anyone's food would they? That surely is testament alone to the standards Kenny is bringing to your home based work top and table. 

Now, as I go to check my diary to book Kenny as soon as possible, I will leave you with a couple of images which will surely have you reaching for yours too.

Happy fine dining folks! x

Crispy Duck A L'orange

I LOOOOVE CRISPY SKIN. There, I've said it. My guilty pleasure, I love crispy skin on duck and chicken especially - I mean super crispy, not an ounce of fat remaining. When I found out about Dollop and Scoff I immediately fell in love with their name and branding, and it got me thinking about what I could dollop their product onto and then scoff myself! When it comes to Marmalade there is a marriage made in heaven on it's way - to crispy duck!

So for my crispy warm salad I started off by roasting 3 duck legs in a preheated oven (180 degrees fan) after pricking their skin all over with a cocktail stick in order for the fat to flow out of them whilst cooking. I then assembled my salad with mixed leaves, cucumber sticks, spring onions and baby tomatoes. The only other salad item missing at this point is warm baby potatoes (to be added at the last minute).

For the dressing- I used Dollop and Scoff's  Medium Set Orange Marmalade (about 4 or 5 tablespoons worth), soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to taste. Keep adding little by little to the marmalade until you reach a point of sweet and sour you enjoy.

Finally add sesame seeds to the dressing and wait for your duck legs to emerge from the oven crispy and golden brown - they will take around 1.5 hour in total (well worth the wait). You will also want to cook a handful of baby potatoes in a pot of boiling water just before the end of the cooking time.

Once all components are ready, rip the duck legs apart (including the skin) and arrange on the plate, spoon over the delicious sweet, sour and crunchy salad dressing and there you have a  moreish Crispy Duck a l'Orange!

Happy Scoffing! x

 

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Langoustines with a Roast Garlic and Lemon Butter

I'm a biiiiig fearty when it comes to fish, well not all fish, just the super scary ones which resemble aliens rather than animals. Ones like these actually...

I like regular fish. Fish with flesh. Simple, unassuming fish that doesn't look at you when served with eyes full of sadness! Fish such as filleted salmon, cod, sea bass, haddock -you get the picture- and I often order fish when eating out as I rarely know what to 'do' with it to make it appetising! So when I agreed to embark on a fish based challenge presented by Willie Little of Fish in Crieff I really was treading water!

I knew langoustines didn't take long to cook, nor should they be masked by any heavy flavours or sauce but other than that I was a tad stumped. My innate reaction was to pair them with lemon and parsley so I went with my gut and did just that (along with a clove of roasted garlic as this gave a sweet hum to the butter). After reading a couple of articles I soon established they would be cooked in around 8 minutes (fast food indeed!) and after consulting a few videos on YouTube I was confident on how to get the blighters open.

Although I did have to 'coach' myself when cooking and handling these sea based creepy crawlies (including the removal of their "poop chute") they were very much worth it and encourage you all to visit your local fishmonger and ask for his or her recommendations. Sadly,  the vast majority of our fish caught in Scottish waters travels overseas to be enjoyed- this is down to people like me who are afraid to branch out, don't know what to do with it or have simply never tried it before! With variety in abundance, short cooking times and many health benefits associated with lean mass and essential oils, Fish is a great alternative for a week day main meal or a special weekend dinner date.

I urge you to try this receipe if you haven't before, or dabble in some other varieties of seafood should you be an regular visitor to your fishmonger already! And please.... whilst your at it.... help ME out too! This is definitely one area I will be working and experimenting more on...

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• To enjoy fresh langoustines in minutes simply place them into boiling water, cover with a lid and cook for 8 minutes. 
• Whilst they are in the pot, melt butter in a seperate pan, add coarsely chopped parsley, a clove of crushed pre-roasted garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. 
• To remove the meat from the cooked langoustines remove the head, squeeze the sharp sides together until you hear a crack (all the way along) and finally prise apart the shell to remove a relaxed 'C shape' of succulent meat. 
• This meat can then be dipped in the butter or drizzled over, either way they make a fantastic fast food starter or fancy appetiser! 

Happy fishing everyone! x

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Hot Drinks Just Jumped Up a League...

I must admit, I'm not a coffee drinker. I do like coffee and I adore the smell of it more than anything but sadly, most of the time (not always), coffee does not like me and leaves me with stomach cramps and sickness. From time to time, I run that risk as I just fancy a cup, or I'm lucky to get away consequence free but the recently discovered Counter Roast from Dollar, Clackmannashire Scotland, certainly produces blends worth taking that risk for. Hubs and I both loved the full bodied Réveillez Blend and they also produce a very satisfying decaf, as well as others, which is great for the caffeine averse like me!

I have two simple ideas for bringing your hot drinks into a league of their own (with or without a shot of dark, rich coffee). Either as an indulgent treat on Saturday afternoon, to end a dinner party with a bang or to take campfire cocoa into a whole new realm!!

Hot Buttered Rum Cappuccino

To a pot on the stove add:

• a shot of freshly brewed, deep, dark espresso  (2 if you're feeling lively)
• a good knob of butter
• a couple of drops of vanilla essence
• a shot of dark rum
• a sprinkle of brown sugar

 

Melt this all together briefly and pour into a mug, top with steamed milk and foam - sprinkle with cinnamon on top!
 

Luxury Hot Chocolatte

(Do not add coffee if you are just looking for an upgrade to your regular hot chocolate)

Melt a large bar of dark chocolate (60-70% Cocoa), a small tin of condensed milk, 1 (or 2) shots of espresso and a few large spoonfuls of double cream in a pot to provide you with a sweet, rich and heart stopping (in more ways than one) luxury chocolatte! It's that simple!

I hope you enjoy these premium hot drinks, let me know how you find them or better still - post pictures of you slurping them onto my Twitter or Facebook page! x

 

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Arbroath Smokie Smash

Arbroath Smokies: quintessentially Scottish. A rustic looking and highly flavoursome coastal treat which can be enjoyed on their own, for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. This dish is a lazy lady's (that would be me) verison of fishcakes but can certainly be enjoyed on its own as a weekday tea. 

To fully form fishcakes from this Smash: 

• Take small scoops of mixture and mould by hand into rounds
• Flatten each round slightly 
• Dip in egg wash and then breadcrumbs
• Pan fry until golden brown. 

The reason this Smash works so well, especially for a Scottish or even Harvest themed supper, is due to mix of land and sea, with earthy potatoes and deep smoked haddock. To rustle up this dish simply:

• Put your potatoes onto boil (you can roughly chop these but make sure they are appriximatly the same size as you want them to cook equally). You will also notice I have not peeled my potatoes, that again would be down to my lazy style of cooking but I honestly love the texture and taste provided by potato skins but feel free to peel beforehand if you wish!

• Whilst these are on the boil, flake apart your Arbroath Smokies (one pair)

•  Finely chop 3 spring onions and roughly chop a good handful of parsley

• Once the potatoes are soft, drain them. You are now ready to get smashing.
• Pile everything back into the same pot (potatoes, parsley, spring onions, flaked Smokie, a knob of butter and squeeze over juice of half a lemon).

• Add ground black pepper to taste, you may wish to add a pinch of salt too but taste your Smash first.

You now have a rough and ready meal, similar to that of stovies for dinner, or as mentioned you could refine it further and transform this into dainty fishcakes whilst would ideally be served with a side of Chilli Jam and fresh salad leaves.

Happy 'smoking' everyone! x

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Pumpkin and Roast Pepper Soup

Fancy a simple yet tasty soup to serve as a starter at an up and coming family get together or even to bring a change to your typical weekday packed lunch? This deliciously comforting soup was brought to mind when discovering Arnprior Pumpkins at a local food fayre...

• Start by roasting peppers and garlic cloves in a warm oven (around 180 degrees fan for 15 - 20 minutes) and chop up your pumpkin, three celery sticks and one onion.
• Sweat off your onions and celery in your soup pot and then add your pumpkin chunks.

• After roasting, add your peppers (3 in total) and 2-3 garlic cloves to your pot also. Life is too short to worry about removing the 'bitter' skins, but if you like you can roast your peppers for longer and remove the charred skins adding an even greater sweetness to your soup.

• Once everything has been added to the pot, top up with water throw in a chicken or good quality vegetable stock cube - bring to the boil,  reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
• Blend your soup in an/with an electric blender until smooth and then taste - season at this point with salt and pepper if you feel it is required.

That's it! Truly simple and certainly worth a visit to you local pumpkin patch - they aren't just for halloween :)

Happy Harvest Everyone x

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Sticky Chilli Beef Steak

This dish was inspired by my love for Asian style food and the top quality produce I've been discovering recently from the Stirlingshire region of Scotland. It's soooo exciting to try food that's been lovingly nurtured or hand made right on my doorstep and two such producers which have come together in this recipe are Falleninch Farm Butchers and The Wee Kitchen Company. 

To quickly, and easily make Asian style Sticky Chilli Beef simply follow these steps:

• Select your cut of steak  - ideally you want something that will fry quickly although there is nothing stopping you slow cooking your beef, shredding it apart and adding the jam reduction at the end! 
• If opting for the quick fry option, rub a little oil onto your steak before it hits a hot pan (rather than pouring it into the pan- you use less oil this way) and season.
• You are in the process of cooking this steak to your liking (rare/medium/well done) and as you do so you will smear Caramelised Onion and Chilli Jam on the side which looks up to you.

• Once each side has had at least one smear of jam, been flipped over and faced the heat on that side you will want to remove your steak (once cooked to your liking) and rest for a few minutes - double coating the jam will add extra flavour.  I also like to keep my steak in tin foil during its rest time just to make sure it doesn't go cold.
• Whilst resting, add a few tablespoons of jam to a few teaspoons of marsala wine in a pot and at the very last minute of heating add the steak juices which will be lying in your foil jacket. Cook and reduce down into a bubbling, sticky sauce.
• Cut you steaks into either thin or chunky strips of meat and smother in this sticky drizzle. 

These strips are fabulous in a salad and corriander loaded wrap, with coconut rice or even noddles! 

 Enjoy! x

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Cornflake Chicken in Warm Tortilla Wraps

Let's keep this short and get straight to the point as I imagine you want to eat!!!!

Whether you are making this as a main, slicing it into wraps or serving it as a chicken burger in a bun it all starts the same... and ends with you licking your lips.

Simply allow one chicken breast per person and coat each in plain flour. If your breasts are particularly big (oo-er!) you may want to butterfly them out and give a wee bash with a rolling pin first to ensure they are cooked evenly throughout by the end of the cooking time. Dip your breast in a premade egg wash (1 egg mixed with a tiny splash of milk) and then dip them into pre crushed cornflakes! The flour allows the egg wash to cling on, the egg allows the flakes to stick...

Place on a baking tray into a preheated oven at 180-200 degrees fan and cook for 20-25mins. The chicken comes out crispy yet juicy every single time and I love it! This is a healthier alternative to deep fried or battered chicken and always cures comfort food cravings for me.

Why not pair this up with the "Chunky Relish" I discuss in a seperate post? Or simply dunk into good old Heinz Tomato Sauce? I promise you won't be disappointed.

Nom nom x

Chunky Relish using The Wee Kitchen Company's Pots of Joy!

So this relish has been made to accompany "Cornflake Chicken in Warm Tortilla Wraps", however it would also go very well streamed salmon, BBQ'd pork chops or tossed through some plain cous cous as a side or snack. 

It's very simple, very quick and required no cooking itself, but this relish still packs a punch in taste, which is what we want... all thanks to The Wee Kitchen Company!

The Wee Kitchen Company was originally, as the name suggests, a hobbie for founder and owner Jennifer who established her business from the comfort of her home and 'wee kitchen'. Jen's jams, which are "handmade with love", are infused with a wide range of flavours - some subtly tickling the tastebuds, others waking them up with a full blown fog horn - which personally, I like.

Jen lovingly hand crafts several different flavours of homemade jam which can vary in consistency from batch to batch due to the irregular nature of her fresh ingredients. Varieties range from Pineapple, Ginger, Chilli and Lime to Smoked Paprika, Tomato and Coriander- they all taste delish! For this taste sensation I opted for the "Fiery Three Chilli" as I personally love the full blown mix of sweet, smokey and hot chilli peppers in this pot of pure joy.

To 3 tablespoons of jam I added very finely chopped cucumber, red onion and quartered Picccolo tomatoes. I left all ingredients covered and to one side in order to come to room temperature  (they had all been in the fridge before) aaand that's it! Told you it was simple...

Once my Cornflake Chicken had cooked, I sliced this, placed on a warm tortilla wrap and smothered with this beast of a best friend!

Please note: this relish becomes very watery due to the liquid within the cucumber and tomatoes. That doesn't take away from the flavour as they have been left to infuse however it doesn't look the best on a plate so I suggest just using the 'chunky' (now fiery) chopped items or squeeze excess water out of the veg before mixing with a grind of rock salt and a clean dish cloth or layered kitchen roll. Simples.

Close runner up to being chosen tonight was the Caramelised Onion and Chilli pot, however I think it's deep flavour would actually suit a steak far better. Go on, give them all a try for yourself and see which one you prefer, they make perfect marinades as well as a buddy to cheese boards too!

Well done Jen and Happy Munching! x

Poporopo Popcorn Salad

Before I get onto the main body of this post - the popcorn 'salad' - let me just rant and rant about relative new comers, "Poporopo". Just say that name a couple of times out loud first. It sounds delicious, moreish even,  right!!?? Well, you've just tasted their product without even taking one bite...

I genuinely love their product (and I've tasted all varieties!), love their name, their marketing and their packaging... (now would be a good time to point out I was not paid to write that, nor do I have a gun to my head). Their popcorn is THE best I've ever tasted and their range of flavours makes eating popped corn a pure joy.

Each irregularly shaped buffed ball of  corn is super charged with the thickest, crispest caramel coating and then infused with either salt, peanut butter, ginger or chilli and lime flavouring; I honestly can't pick a favourite and think it very much depends on your mood. What I can confirm though (as someone who was not sure about the latter two) is that none of them are mega heavy on flavouring so don't worry about trying the somewhat unusual, but highly pleasing, flavour combinations. 

Poporopo started producing in mass last year after a few successful trial food fayres and are now going from strength to strength. They are based in Stirling, Central Scotland, which pleases me even more as they are another example of quality local produce emerging in the past 2 years! Poporopo don't just stop at selling mere bags of the best taking popcorn you've ever tried though, they do live demonstrations for kids, wedding favours and Popcorn Bars for parties and evening receptions!

So, to the salad, well I wanted to make one of those latter flavours more accessible to you.... I know the jump from Butterkist to herb infused treats might be too big so pair it up with some familiar friends and you have yourself a pretty healthy supper time snack. PS - with 1 whole bag of Poporopo Popcorn holding the same calories as a 6 square bar of diary milk (and this receipe doesn't even use the whole bag) you're good on the weight watching front too!

Simply mix half a bag of Chilli and Lime popcorn with half a dozen chopped strawberries, very finely grated dark chocolate (80-90%) and a few fresh coriander leaves.

You think I'm mental don't you!?

I promise you,  if you like things even slightly oriental, you like unusual treats for your tastebuds and you want to tip your cap to Summer at any point during the year, then this is the salad for you.

Happy popping x