Haggis and Clapshot Pie

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some would eat that want it

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

Sae let the lord be thankit.

By Robert Burns

Combining all your ingredients in a pie is a bit different from the usual ceremonial Burns night dinner with the address to the haggis and the nip of whisky but if you lead a busy life you can make and freeze it beforehand. If you are freezing it add 1 egg yolk to the mash. (defrost overnight). Try it with a nip of whisky.

Clapshot is an Orcadian dish of swede and potato mash traditionally made with dripping but I prefer to use butter. The addition of lots of freshly milled black pepper and chives makes it the perfect accompaniment to haggis.

Makes 1 large or 4-6 smaller pies

For the pastry
2 oz cold butter, cubed   
2 oz cold white cooking fat, cubed
8 oz plain flour
Pinch each of salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp chilled water

Rub the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add salt and pepper.

Add the water 1 tbsp at a time to form a firm dough. Rest the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

Roll the dough out on a floured surface, to the thickness of a £1 coin.

Use to line a 20cm pie tin (or 4-6 smaller tins) prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 7-9 minutes until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the haggis
300 g haggis, cooked to instructions or peel the skin off and cut into slices and microwave on full power for 3-4 minutes. Leave to cool and drain on kitchen paper.

For the Clapshot

500 g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
500 g turnip (swede) peeled and cut into chunks
50 g butter
2 tbsp chopped chives
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1 egg yolk (if freezing)

Boil the turnip and potatoes in separate pots, in salted water until tender.

Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the butter, pepper and if using it, the egg yolk. Beat with a hand held electric mixer until smooth.

To assemble the pie

Crumble the haggis evenly over the base of the pie crust. Pile on the clapshot.

Bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden then remove the pie from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Chinese New Year

 Easy and tasty dishes to celebrate Chinese new year.

Sesame chicken

2 teaspoons cornflour

2 tablespoons rice wine

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce

1tsp crushed chillies

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 clove crushed garlic

500g (1 lb) skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 spring onions, sliced diagonally, chopped 


For marinade: In a dish or bowl, blend cornflour with rice wine (or dry sherry); stir in lemon juice, soy sauce, chilli, ginger and garlic. Blend and stir in chicken strips to coat. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for 3 to 4 hours.


In a wok or large frying pan, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat, shaking the pan until the seeds are a golden brown colour. Remove seeds and set aside.


To same wok or frying pan, add  vegetable oil and heat slowly.


Drain chicken, reserving marinade, and stir-fry in wok a few pieces at a time, until browned. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.


 Add the spring onions and stir-fry 1 minute more.


Return chicken to pan, together with reserved marinade  and sesame oil stir over medium high heat for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly coated with the sauce. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve immediately.

Pork dumplings

Delicious little parcels of pork cooked in boiling water for a few minutes, a great and quick starter or snack.  Try them with prawns or minced chicken too.  For the dip, I mixed 2 tbsp soy sauce with the juice of 1/2 a lime and a pinch of sugar.  The dough can be bought ready made, rolled and cut, from Chinese supermarkets.

For the filling

200g lean minced pork, chicken or prawns

2 spring onions, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, grated
1" fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1/4 tsp shrimp paste

A little salt and pepper

Mix all the filling ingredients together thoroughly and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Put large pan of water on to boil.

Make the dumplings by placing a teaspoon of the pork mixture in the centre of each dough round, wet round the edges and seal with your fingers to make a crescent shape.  You can also make little pork purses by wetting the edges of the pastry and bringing them together in the centre.

Cook in batches in the boiling water for a couple of minutes they should then float to the top.  Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon.

Serve warm with a dip.

Deep fried pork with orange

200g pork tenderloin sliced (or 4 pork chops)

4 fl oz Chinese rice wine

2.5 cm ginger, finely sliced

1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion

1 tsp salt

Oil for deep frying

2 dried chillies, cut into 5mm pieces

1 strip dried ornage peel, about 5cm x 2cm

4 fl oz chicken stock

2 fl oz sesame oil

Marinate the pork with wine, half the ginger, half the spring onion and salt for 30 minutes.

Heat wok and add sufficient oil to shallow fry the pork.

Scrape off any ginger and spring onion clinging on the pork, then fry the meat until golden brown.

Drain pork and pour out all but 1 teaspoon of oil.

Stir fry the dried chillies until reddish brown, then add remaining ginger, spring onion and orange peel, stirring well.

Put in the stock and cook for 1 minute, then add pork and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Taste and add extra salt if desired, then stir in sesame oil.

Aromatic duck with pancakes

Ingredients

2 fat duck legs

3 slices fresh ginger

3 star anise

3 whole cloves

1 stick cinnamon

Pinch black peppercorns

2 spring onions

1 tbsp five spice paste

2 tbsp dry sherry

Wash the duck pieces and dry with kitchen roll then rub them with salt.

Place the duck in a bowl with the ginger, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns and spring onions, mix together the sherry and five spice paste and pour it over the duck and spices, leave to marinate for a couple of hours.

Place the duck and spices on a plate in a steamer and steam for 2-3 hours.  Top up the water occasionally.

Remove from the steamer and leave to cool (skin side up).

Heat some oil in a wok, over a medium heat and fry the duck skin side down for 6 minutes turn and cook for 1 more minute.  Drain on kitchen paper.

Shred with 2 forks and serve with Chinese pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and plum or hoisin sauce.

Pork Stroganoff

Pork is under-used when it comes to stews and casseroles, try this very tasty pork stroganoff with rice or mashed potatoes, a warming dish for this time of year, I'm sure it will become a  favourite.

Ingredients

500g pork fillet cut into thin strips
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp smoked paprika
300g button mushrooms thinly sliced
1 medium onion thinly sliced
300ml Crème Fraiche
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Salt and freshly milled pepper


Trim any fat and sinew off the pork fillet, slice in half lengthways then cut into thin strips. Toss the pork strips in the flour, paprika and seasoning

Heat a wide non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil and cook the onions for 5 minutes.
Add the pork and cook, stirring for 3 minutes 

Add the mushrooms to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously. 

Add the crème fraiche to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, add the parsley. Check the seasoning.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes

Adapted from a recipe by putporkonyourfork

Apple Tart with Almond Sponge

A lovely winter pudding which can be eaten hot with custard or creme fraiche but especially nice eaten cold with a cup of tea.

For the filling you will need 2 eating apples, peeled and cut into thin slices and 3 tbsp raspberry jam.

Top with flaked almonds before baking and brush with warm apricot jam when you remove it from the oven.

Ingredients

For the pastry

4 oz cold butter, cubed
8 oz plain flour
1 oz icing sugar
1 egg, beaten

Rub the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Sieve the icing sugar into the mixture and stir to combine.

Add the beaten egg and bring it together with your hands, forming a dough, rest the dough in the fridge while you make the almond sponge.

For the sponge

200 g butter, softened
220 caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp plain flour
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
220 g ground almonds

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, stir in the vanilla and lemon zest.

Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating the mixture between each addition.

Fold in the flour and ground almonds until it has all been incorporated.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

Grease a loose bottom flan tin with a little butter.  I used a 8" x 10" rectangular tin but a 10" round tin works just as well.

Roll out the pastry and line the flan tin.

Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the base of the pastry and lay the sliced apple on top of the jam.

Spoon on the almond sponge mix and even over the top with the back of a spoon.  Sprinkle over the flaked almonds.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes until the sponge is golden and bounces back when pushed.

Remove from the oven and brush with a little warmed apricot jam.

Leave to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Goats Cheese Red Onion and Walnut Tarts-Flavoured with maple syrup

These little tarts are so easy to make and taste great.  Have them for a starter, a snack, or with a jacket potato and coleslaw for a very quick and easy supper.  If you don't have maple syrup use runny honey (also delicious).

Ingredients

1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
200g soft goats cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 small red onion, finely sliced
Maple syrup
100 g chopped walnuts (hazlenuts are also good)

Pre-heat the oven to 200C

Cut out 5" rounds from the puff pastry, lay them on a baking tray.

Spoon 1 tsp maple syrup on each pastry round and spread to 1/2" from the edge of the pastry.

Scatter over some red onion slices and top with a slice of goats cheese.

Press some chopped walnuts into the cheese and spoon over 1/2 tsp of maple syrup.

Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and risen.

Serve hot.

Lamb Pasties

Eaten hot or cold with a salad, pasties make a delicious and filling lunch. For a main course try them with mashed potato and minted peas.

Makes 8

Ingredients

Filling

1kg stewing lamb, finely diced

110g potatoes, diced

110g swede, diced

1 large onion, chopped

1 large carrot, finely diced

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pastry

110g butter, cubed

110g lard, cubed

1 egg, beaten

75ml very cold water

450g plain flour

Large pinch salt

The pastry

Add the salt to the flour and rub in the fats to the seasoned flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Slowly add the water and mix to a very stiff dough. Knead lightly until smooth. Place in a plastic bag and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ gas 4

Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl.

Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick and cut into 15cm rounds. Divide the filling between the pastry rounds, brush the edges of the pastry with water and bring up the edges to meet at the top of the filling.

Crimp the edges of the pastry together and make a small cut to let the steam escape. Brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes until the pastry is golden.