Celebrate... Burns Night

Well tonight is Burns Night, a night that celebrates the life and works of Scottish poet Robert Burns. I grew up not that far from the Scottish borders, and my family has Scottish heritage, so I guess that's why we often celebrated the night when I was younger - my sister and I even kept up the tradition ourselves after leaving home. There are a few variations on what is eaten for Burns Supper, but it almost always includes a Haggis, served with tatties and neeps. Here however, I'm sharing a traditional boarder region side dish that was a favourite of mine when I was younger. It has a great name and is also a great way of using up left overs. The below instructions are non portion specific, just a rough guide to preparation - you can play about with it to suit you.


Rumbledethumps: Mix cooked shredded onion and cabbage with mashed potato, and plenty of salt, pepper and butter. Place in an oven proof dish with a quality hard cheese (Mull of Kintyre Cheddar is excellent) on top and heat in the oven on 200C until cheese is golden and bubbly.

And that's it. Serve as a side, along with the best Scotch you can get your hands on (my tipple of choice, Glen Morangie). Failing that, go all Glasgow and hoof a bottle of Buckfast into you.

And for an added blend of Scottish Culture, here's a wee video from You Tube of the classic Still Game




Image: Darren Robertson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Courgette Cupcakes with Pistachio and Lime

Adapted from an existing recipe in the Susannah Blake's Cupcake Heaven (see below) I have made a few adjustments to ensure that this is a full vegan recipe, yet still holds together without the addition of an egg. The tangy lime topping is what really makes this an usual cupcake variation.

Image: zmkstudio / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Oven 160C, makes 12

Seeds from 3 cardamom pods, crushed
70ml of ground nut oil
50g of caster sugar and 50 g of dark brown sugar
100g of courgette, coarsely grated
50g of chopped pistachio nuts (I do these until a fine, almost breadcrumb like texture in the blender, but chopping will suffice)
120g of self raising flour
Half a teaspoon of baking powder

Mix together crushed seeds, oil and sugar until thick and sandy in texture. Add the courgette and nuts, then sift in the flour and baking powder.

Spoon into paper cases and cook for 20 minutes, checking after 15. Skewer centre of cake to ensure it's done, turn out onto wire rack to cool.

To decorate:

Finely grated zest and juice of two limes
85g of caste sugar
50g of shelled pistachio chopped (more coarsely than for the cupcake mix)

Gradually heat the zest, juice and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved (rolling the lime under hand for a few seconds before cutting and squeezing makes juicing easier).

Whack the heat right up and boil rapidly for about a minute, before removing from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, stir in the nuts than as it begins to thicken, spool onto the cupcakes.

The original version and other great cupcake recipes can be found in Cupcake Heaven, available via Amazon.

Mushroom and Kale Grain combo.

This vegan recipe is very similar to risotto, but uses Soya milk instead of cows milk, cream or cheese. The key in bringing out the flavours is in the limited selection of ingredients and this needs very little seasoning other than salt and black pepper - so no onion, lemon or vinegar (soy milk tends to have a sharpness that doesn't need these additions). You can use rice, barley or almost any grain cooked to instruction, but for this quick version I've used bulgar wheat, which is generally lower in calories and relatively inexpensive too. You could also serve this as a side dish

Serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

150g of Bulgar Wheat
200g of woodland or chestnut mushrooms, whole or halved.
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed/chopped
300ml unsweetened soya milk
Half a courgette (medium) grated.
Aubergine pesto, two heaped tablespoons (if buying store bought pest, check that it is egg free)

Two large handfuls of kale, chopped
Toasted Sesame Seed or Ground Nut Oil
A sprinkling of mixed sesame and linseed to finish each plate.

In a large pan heat up your oil on moderate heat, add your mushrooms and garlic and stir gently until the mushrooms are soft and browning. At this point you may want to add a little more oil as most of it will have been soaked up.

Rinse your bulgar wheat in a sieve until the water runs clear then add it or partially cooked rice/grain to the pan and stir rapidly for a few minutes, making sure it is fully coated with oil and not sticking to the pan. Add your pesto, courgette and milk, gradually. At this point it will probably look a little greyish, but don't worry, it'll brighten up as the excess oil is combined.

Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, but continue to stir and add the Kale, making sure first that any tough stalks have been trimmed. Keep stirring until the kale is well mixed, shrunken and the mixture is soft and lighter, porridge-like colour. If it seems dry, you can add a little more water or soy milk. Cooking time will vary depending on grain used, but in this case it takes around 7-10 minutes.

Serve in bowls, drizzled with a little oil and sprinkled with the sesame and linseed. Season to taste.

Image: Graham Maddrell / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Which is better pollock or cod? There's only one way to find out...FIGHT!!!

I like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. Yes he's a bit posh, and some of his rhetoric and ideas can be interpreted as somewhat elitist, but I always get the feeling that he is a genuine, passionate man, who cares about the food issues he champions, albeit with a certain air of naivety (his complete dismay at a mother's insistence on prioritizing low cost over animal welfare in his Chicken Run a few years back did demonstrate more than a little blind spot when relating to people of a limited income).

But he really is at his best when he is pointing out the all round benefits of a sensible relationship between legislators, industry and consumer, which he managed perfectly in last nights Fish Fight on Channel 4. Taking a look at the laws and culture in place with regards to fishing and our appetite for fish, major umbrage was take with the quite frankly shocking amount 'throw back' that current EU species quota results in. 'Throw back' is the return of perfectly consumable dead fish into the sea, that it is illegal to retain and sell once fishermen have reached their monthly limit.

Many fisherman argue that net/haul quotas and limited fishing days would be more effective, meaning that they can keep everything caught, and reduce the amount of time and money spent trawling for allowed species, especially as each trawl results in the capture and waste of the fish that quotas were originally intended to protect. Of course if this was to be applied there may be some danger of overfishing, with fishermen directly targeting waters where more popular and profitable fish are found, but that is where consumer responsibility comes into play.

Cod is a hugely popular fish in restaurants and chippies, and of course supermarkets across the country. However, more responsible selection from consumers, extending their pallet to include other, more sustainable fish, would ensure that the pressure on Cod supplies would be alleviated. It was with mixed feelings that I watched the attempts of River Cottage chef Tim as he tried to introduce oily fish to the chippie menu in the form of a Mackerel Bap. While some costumers were eventually coerced into going against the grain and trying the alternative combo, many were still unswerving in their craving for the traditional dish - this despite a Seafood Choices Alliance study reporting that 79% of European fish consumers state environmental factors in choosing their fishy dish. A change in attitude it seems, may be almost as time consuming as a change in EU law.

There are ways to help though, as always by making an effort at home or when dining out. If you are a fish lover who'd like to adopt a more sustainable and varied diet, Greenpeace UK have an guide that can be obtained either via download or by post by clicking on http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/oceans/forms/order-your-free-fish-guide

If you missed last night's opening episode of the Hugh's Fish Fight is available on 4OD and future episodes will be looking at the global effects of fishing.

Join the fight
http://www.fishfight.net/sign-up


Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net