Scots Recipes

Bannocks

Ingredients:
8 oz Flour
4 oz Butter
2 oz Caster Sugar
1 oz Chopped Almonds
1 oz Mixed Candied Peel

Steps:
Set Oven to 325F. Grease a baking sheet. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the sugar and butter and rub in to form a dough. Add the almonds and mix in the peel, making sure they are evenly distributed. Form into a thick round on a lightly floured surface and prick all over with a fork. Place on the sheet and bake for about 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool and serve sliced thinly and buttered .

Clootie Dumplings

Ingredients:
6 oz self raising flour
6 oz brown bread crumbs
6 oz suet
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
4 oz currants
6 oz sultanas
4 oz soft dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons syrup
1.5 cups milk or milk stout

Steps:
Place your cloot in boiling water. Mix all the ingredients together with the milk to make a fairly soft consistency. Make sure everything is mixed well. Take the cloot out of the water and wring, then lay it out flat and dredge well with flour. Smooth the flour over the cloot with your hands to get an even spread. Place the mixture on the cloot, draw it together evenly, leaving room for expansion, and tie the cloot with string. Put a plate in the bottom of the pot, and the cloot with the mixture on top of that. Use a large pot, big enough to allow covering the dumpling with water. That way there will b e no need to top up through the cooking. Simmer the dumpling for two and a half hours. Remove from the pot and put in a colander in the sink. Untie the string and gently pull the corners of the cloot apart. Put a plate over the dumpling in the colander and whip it over. Carefully peel the cloot away from one corner! TA DA!

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Ingredients:
3 Lb Boiling Fowl(1 to 1-1/2 kg)
3 qt Water (3 Litres)
2 Medium Onions, finely chopped
Bay Leaf, Sprig of Thyme and some Parsley Stalks
Salt
freshly ground Black Pepper
1-1/4 lbs Leeks, finely chopped (625 g)
2 oz Long Grain Rice (50g)
Garnish: Chopped Parsley
2 oz Prunes cut into strips

Steps:
Put the fowl into the water, bring to the boil and skim. Add the herbs, tied together, salt, pepper, onions and only the white part of the leeks. Simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Add the rice half an hour before the end of the cooking time. Remove the bird and leave to cool slightly. Add the green of the leek and cook for another few minutes. When the bird is cool, remove some of the flesh and chop up roughly. Return to the soup and heat through. Check seasoning, remove herbs and serve.
 

Scotch Broth

Ingredients:
1/4 lb pearl barley
1/4 lb dried pies
1/2 lb mutton or braising beef steak
water
2 tablespoons salt
3 leeks
3 carrots
1 turnip (swede)
1 small white cabbage or 5-6 leaves of kale
1 onion
1 oz parsley
A little black pepper

Steps:
Soak the barley and dried peas in water overnight. Place the beef in a saucepan, cover with cold water add the salt and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about an hour. Chop up the carrots and turnip into small cubes. Also chop the onion, leeks and cabbage (or kale) finely. Add the soaked barley and peas to the boiling mutton or beef and then add the prepared vegetables and allow the mixture to simmer for a further hour. If the level of the liquid should fall too low add extra boiling water.

Toward the end of the second hour add the chopped fresh parsley together with a little freshly ground black pepper.

The broth can be served straight away, but tastes even better upon re-heating the next day so never make small quantities of Scotch broth, always plan on two days worth. In some households the broth pot is constantly on the stove and is merely added to as required.

Great for winter months when you need a little extra warmth!

Scotch Eggs

Ingredients:
4 hard boiled eggs
half lb (225g) of sausage meat
1 egg beaten
vegetable oil for deep frying
2 oz (60g) fine white bread crumbs
2 level tablespoons of plain flour
1 teaspoon of parsley

Steps:
Dry hard boiled eggs, roll in a little flour. Next coat with sausage, then roll in flour.

Coat with beaten egg. Roll in bread crumbs.

Fry in a deep fat frying pan for 10 minutes until golden Pat with kitchen towel to remove excess fat. Cut in two and garnish with parsley.

Scottish Gingerbread

Makes 1 - 9 x 13 inch cake

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 cup beer
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup diced candied orange peel
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

Steps:
Stir together the flours, spices, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the sugar and molasses. Beat in the eggs, then the beer. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the raisins, orange peel, and almonds. Turn the batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until done. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Scottish Short Bread

Ingredients:
1 pound of butter
1 cup fruit sugar (if you have no fruit sugar use normal ground sugar)
4 cups all purpose flour

Steps:
In a mixer, mix everything until paste like.

Lightly grease a 10" x 15" pan.

Preheat oven at 325 farenheit/175 Celsius (approximately)

Pat batter into pan. Put in oven for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle sugar on top while still warm. After cooling cut into squares.

Scottish Gingerbread

Makes 1 - 9 x 13 inch cake

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 cup beer
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup diced candied orange peel
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

Steps:
Stir together the flours, spices, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the sugar and molasses. Beat in the eggs, then the beer. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the raisins, orange peel, and almonds. Turn the batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until done. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Scottish Short Bread

Ingredients:
1 pound of butter
1 cup fruit sugar (if you have no fruit sugar use normal ground sugar)
4 cups all purpose flour

Steps:
In a mixer, mix everything until paste like.

Lightly grease a 10" x 15" pan.

Preheat oven at 325 farenheit/175 Celsius (approximately)

Pat batter into pan. Put in oven for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle sugar on top while still warm. After cooling cut into squares.

Scottish Scones

Ingredients:
2 Cups self-raising flour
3 tbsp butter 1
1/2 Cup milk
pinch of salt

Steps:
Sieve the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter quickly and lightly with your fingertips. Add the salt and then using a round-bladed knife, mix in the milk a little at a time. With floured hands knead lightly to a soft dough, adding a little more milk if necessary. Roll out evenly but lightly about one finger thick on a floured board. Cut out with a pastry cutter using a quick sharp motion, but do not twist or the scones with distort as the bake. Cook on a greased baking sheet near the top of a preheated oven 425 F for 12-15 minuets These scones are best baked fresh for tea as they to stale very quickly. Brown scones are made in exactly the same way, substituting whole meal four for the half the white flour. For fruit scones add a tablespoonful of caster sugar and two tablespoonfuls of dried fruit before adding the milk.

Howtowdie
(Scottish Roast Chicken)

Ingredients:
3 lb chicken
6 ea Medium onions
1/4 c Margarine melted
1 x -oat stuffing
1 ea Large onion finely chopped
1/4 c Margarine
1 c Regular rolled oat
1 tbs Salt
1/2 tbs Ground coriander
1/2 tbs Pepper
1/8 tbs Grated nutmeg

Procedure:
Fill wishbone area of chicken with stuffing. Fasten neck skin to back with skewer. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Fill body cavity lightly. (Do not overstuff) The stuffing will expand while cooking. Place chicken, breast side up, in shallow roasting pan. Cut onions in half and arrange around the chicken. Brush chicken and onions with margarine.

Roast uncovered in 375 F oven, brushing chicken and onions several times with remaining margarine until chicken and onions are done, about 1 1/2 hours.

OAT STUFFING: Cook and stir onion in margarine in 10 inch skillet over medium heat until light brown. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until oats are golden brown and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Traditional Mead

Ingredients:
12--1/2 pounds, honey (6--1/2 of clover is the best if you can get it)
4 teaspoons, acid blend
5 teaspoons, yeast nutrient
2 packages, Pasteur Champagne yeast

Procedures:
On process, there is contention about the need to boil honey. I've seen suggestions to use campden tablets, to pasteurize by holding at 170 degrees, and to boil for only 15 minutes. Honey itself inhibits bacterial activity but does not kill organisms. Advocates of non-boiling feel too much flavor and aroma are lost by boiling. On the other hand boiling is said to ensure a clean wort and aid in clearing. I boiled, re-hydrated the yeast and pitched at 80 degrees and then have kept the carboy in a 70 degree room.

You can make it "sparkling" mead by priming with 1/2 cup of corn sugar when bottling.

Campden tables, a wine additive Use 1 tablet per gallon of wine. Contains sodium metabisulphite. Releases sulphur dioxide which acts as a sterilant & antioxidant.

Acid Blend - A blend of tartaric, malic and citric acids - this keeps it from going off.

Yeast nutrient - Use 1 tsp. Per gallon. Helps maintain a healthy fermentation

These can be purchases from any good brewer's supply store.

Quick Metheglen
(Spiced Mead)

6 wine quarts water
1/2 ounce whole nutmegs
1 lemon peel
1 quart honey
pulp 3 lemons
lemon juice

Time to completion: less than 1 month.

To every quart of honey allow six wine-quarts of water add half an ounce of nutmeg, and the peel of a lemon and the pulp from them. Boil these together, till the scum rise no more.

It must stand till it be quite cold, and when you stir it, you squeeze into it the juice of some lemons, and this will make it ripen quickly.

Ready in less then a month.

Mulled Wine

Ingredients:
75 cl bottle red wine
300 ml (1/2 pint) water
300 ml (1/2 pint) orange juice
3 tbs caster sugar
1 Mulled Wine Spice sachet
150 ml (1/4 pint) brandy
1 orange, sliced
1 apple, sliced

Place the wine, water, orange juice, sugar and Mulled Wine Spice Sachet in a large saucepan. Heat to just below boiling point and hold this temperature for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take the sachet out, add the brandy and fruit. Serve 6-8 and takes about 15 minutes.

Please note, originally the mead and wine drinks were made, then when served, they heated a metal fire poker to red hot and then shoved that into the tankard with the mead or mulled wine.

White Metheglen

Ingredients:
Handful of Rosemary Handful of Thyme honey (2 pounds) with comb
2 eggs Cinnamon Nutmeg Ginger Yeast (barm) sweet-briar berries ( wild Rose Hips)

Procedure:
Take of Sweet-briar berries, of Rosemary, broad Thyme, of each a handful. Boil them in a quantity of fair water for half an hour ; then cleanse the water from the herbs, and let it stand 24 hours, until it be thorough cold. Then put your honey into it (honey which flowed from the Combs of it self in a warm place is best) make it so strong of the honey that it bear an egg (if you will have it strong) the breadth of a groat above the Liquor. This being done, lave and bounce it very well and often, that the honey and water may incorporate and work well together. After this boil it softly over a gentle fire, and scum it. Then beat the whites of eggs with their shells, and put into it to clarify it. After this, put some of it into a vessel, and take the whites of two eggs, and a little barm, and a small quantity of fine flower ; beat them well together, and put it into the vessel close covered, that it may work. Then pour the rest into it by degrees, as you do Beer. At last take a quantity of Cinnamon, 2 or 3 races of Ginger, and two Nutmegs (for more will alter the colour of it.) Hang these in a little bag in the vessel.

Thus made, it will be as white as any White-wine.

Crowdie Cream


Often called Cranachan today, this a traditionally Scottish dessert. This recipe will make two servings (though if you have males with a hearty appetite it might only serve one!)

Ingredients:

12 oz. of raspberries or strawberries
1 cup soft Scottish cheese called crowdie or double (heavy) cream
2 tablespoons good quality honey.
2 tablespoons single malt whisky.
2-3 tablespoons of oatmeal

Steps:

Put the oatmeal a pan and turn on the heat to simmer. Stirring occasionally. This is to toast the oatmeal. Keep stirring until it is golden brown. Take about between 15-20 minutes. Once the oatmeal is toasted, turn off the heat and let it cool in the pan.

Place the crodie cheese or cream in a bowl and whisk up until soft and thick. Add the honey and single malt whisky (Talisker is especially recommended for this recipe, though Macallans and Glenfiddich are good, too!) and fold it in with the whisk until it’s mixed well.

Set aside a few of the best raspberries for decoration. Then add three at the bottom of each serving glass (Fluted Champagne glasses are perfect for this).

Add the rest of the raspberries to the cream mixture and fold in carefully, breaking up a few of the raspberries to obtain a slight colouring to the cream.

Scoop the mix into the Champagne glasses, then add cream to the top to make an even base for the oatmeal.

By now the oatmeal will be cooler. Using a teaspoon, evenly sprinkle the oatmeal over the dessert. Add a raspberry for the finishing touch and chill for about three hours, or overnight.

Rumbledethumps

Rumbledethumps is an recipe often called the Scottish version of "bubble and squeak". It is usually served as part of a meal with meat, but can be eaten on its own as a supper. For variations on Rumbledethumps add crispy chunks of bacon, spring onions, leeks or nutmeg grated on top.

Ingredients:
16 oz potatoes, peeled and diced
12 oz cabbage, finely shredded
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 tablespoons butter or butter substitute
4 tablespoons white cheddar cheese

Steps:
Heat the oven to 200°C or 400°F

Dice the potatoes and boil in a medium sized pan. When tender, drain and place back in the pan. Mash the potatoes evenly.

Shred the cabbage and slice the onion. Place the butter in a frying pan over high heat and melt. Add the cabbage and onion to the frying pan and turn until evenly coated in the butter.

Leave over the heat for a few minutes until the cabbage and onion wilts. Make sure you do not brown the vegetables

Add roughly half the cheese and all the potatoes. Stir evenly until the cheese has melted over a simmering heat

Season with salt and pepper. Place in a serving dish and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Once the cheese has melted and is golden, serve immediately.