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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