Oh Food of Scotland

The Feast of St. Andrew

It was in 1320 that St. Andrew was officially named Patron Saint of Scotland.

'Tiz said that the 9th Century King Angus was preparing for a battle against the English when St. Andrew appeared to him in a dream, promising victory.

Then on the day of the battle an X, the symbol of St. Andrew (and subsequent Saltire flag of Scotland), appeared in the sky. Angus vowed that if they won, St Andrew would be made the patron saint of Scotland - and that is exactly what happened.

Breakfast

Every feast day begins with a good Scottish Breakfast and we have just the sauce to make it go down a treat - fit for a Saint.

Stokes Breakfast Collection - Fit for a Saint

Order your 'Breakfast Collection' - HERE

Scottish Mussels & 
a Dead Pony*

Don't be afraid of mussels, they are so easy to cook. Just remember - discard any open shells before cooking and any closed shells after cooking.

Base your quantities on 1kg of cleaned mussels for 2 people or nibbles for 4. Cook out 2 chopped shallots, 3 cloves of grated garlic and 4 or 5 chopped rashers of smoked streaky bacon until soft.

Add 1 tsp of chopped thyme and a handful of chopped parsley, stirring the herbs in with 3 tbsp of Stokes Chipotle Ketchup for smoky warmth and 2 or 3 tsp of our Classic English Mustard for depth.

* Gently add the mussels and a bottle of Brewdog Dead Pony Club - Scottish Pale Ale.

Bring this to boil then simmer (lid on tightly) for 3 or 4 minutes. Lift the mussels from the pan to a serving bowl (discarding any that haven't opened). Stir 150 ml of cream into the cooking liquor before pouring it back over the mussels to share with a good hunk of fresh bread. 

Venison Casserole

This simple Scottish classic is big on colourful flavour. A bowlful with a chunk of bread and glass of red wine is delicious for lunch. With a pile of roasted potatoes and winter roots it's a genius supper - with a heavier red wine or two.

Brown about 800 g of cubed venison shoulder in batches and set it aside.

Deglaze the pan with 250 ml of red wine and a knob of butter. Reduce the liquid then return the seared venison with 7 or 8 small shallots, 4 carrots cut into chunks and two sticks of sliced celery.

Stir in 2 tbsp of flour, 4 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup and pour in the remaining wine (1 bottle in all) with 3 or 4 sprigs of thyme. Cover and simmer gently for 2 hours.

Before serving, add a couple of decent glugs of Stokes Brown Sauce, stir it in and serve. The rich sauce now carries a gentle sweetness of dates, Worcestershire sauce and Persian spices to lift the deep red wine gravy.

Clapshot & Haggis Pie

Haggis neeps & tatties is the traditional Scottish trio but this dish uses 'clapshot' which originated in Orkney. It is basically a mash of neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes), sometimes including chives or onions. We're going to make this 'shepherd's pie' style combining haggis and minced beef as the base, with clapshot on the top.

Peel, cut, boil, mash and cool equal amounts of tatties and neeps. The lovely, buttery combined mash will spread smoothly over the meaty base.

Cook 450 g (approx) of haggis to the packet's instructions and set aside.

Gently fry 1 diced onion and 1 grated carrot in a little butter then add 450 g of minced beef. When the meat colours, add 3 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup, 1 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce, 2 tsp of chopped thyme leaves and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Stir in 2 tbsp of flour and pour in about 500 ml of beef stock. A few peas add sweetness and a little colour. Simmer for 20 minutes then carefully add the cooked haggis. If there is too much liquid, increase the heat to reduce it; if it's too thick then add more stock. Haggis is very highly seasoned so be careful and taste it first if you're thinking of adding more.

Slange var ~ cheers !

Simmer for a further 10 minutes then spoon it all into a casserole dish. It's easier to layer the mashed clapshot when the meat has cooled.

Cover the meat with the clapshot then pop it into a medium hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

For the Whisky Gravy: Boil the alcohol off 150 ml of whisky for 2 minutes then stir in 1 tbsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard and 2 tbsp of Stokes Cranberry Sauce.

In a separate pan, boil 500 ml of beef stock to reduce it by half then pour it into the whisky and mustard with 100 ml of double cream, heating it up before serving.

Cranachan

A traditional Scottish dessert of oats, cream, whisky and raspberries. It's a delicious way to clean the palate.

Toast 85 g of porridge oats in a dry pan being careful not to burn them.

Whip 500 ml of double cream to soft peaks. Now very gently (lovingly shall we say) fold in: 7 tbsp of whisky; 3 tbsp of Stokes Raspberry Extra Jam; 3 tbsp of honey; and 400 g of fresh raspberries. Spoon the mixture into glass bowls with the toasted oats and serve.

Once you are used to the ingredients, try creating a deconstructed Cranachan, layering the ingredients for visual effect.

Once you've tried this, you'll never want to make a trifle again.

Oh Flower of Flavour

Order your 'Winter Larder' - HERE

More foodie thoughts for the week:


 


Colourful Cooking - 
We take, slice, shred and cook Winter's Ruby Red Cabbage as a classic for Christmas and for the vibrant colour too - here.









For the Love of Cheese - 
If you like cheese, you'll love these - here.

 






Foodie Favourites - 
Don't miss the fun on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram - here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150