haggis reimagined

across the pond

and

north a bit

january 25th

is a big deal

burn's night

as it is known

is in deference

to a favored scottish poet

robert burns

revelry is compulsory

and so is

haggis

words are read

songs are sung

and

haggis is served

prepared haggis is difficult to find

this year

i set out to make my own version

true to the spirit

however

its authenticity 

can be called to question

not for the weak of stomach

nor

those with a flair for the dramatic

my version is 

haggis-lite

using more readily available ingredients

and

served in a less traditional fashion

to learn more about burn's night supper

click here

 haggis

(printable recipe)

for the uninitiated

haggis is lovely as an appetizer

place a nice heap in a phyllo or pastry cup

and

top with mashed potatoes

roasted beet soup

i love borscht

really i do

especially on chilly nights

when 

stick to your ribs

is a necessity

sometimes, however

i like my beet soup

to be rich and creamy

without the meatiness of a borscht

that is when

i make this

vegetarian

(and vegan if you don't add the creme fraiche & butter)

it is light in heft

but not in flavor

roasted beet soup

(printable recipe)

1 lb beets-peeled*

olive oil

2 leeks--white and light green only--cleaned and cut in half

2 cloves garlic--peeled

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

4 cups vegetable broth (or water)

juice of 1/2 lemon + 1 tsp finely grated zest

knob of butter (optional)

1/4 tsp white pepper to taste (or more to taste)

salt to taste

serve with creme fraiche

preheat the oven to 350F. fill a roasting pan with the beets, leeks and whole garlic cloves.  cover lightly in olive oil and a bit of kosher salt.  toss to make sure the vegetables are all lightly coated in the oil. roast until fork tender (about 1 hour). allow the vegetables to cool slightly and then cut into medium size pieces (1 1/2-2").  toss the vegetables (beets, leeks, garlic), along with any pan juices into a stock pot.  add bay leaf, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest and cover with broth.  gently simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.  remove the bay leaf and the thyme stalk.  toss in butter (if using) working in batches, whirl the soup in a blender or food processor, until smooth.  if it becomes too thick, add a bit more broth (or water).  pour into clean stockpot as your batches reach your desired consistency.  if you wish for smooth and silky soup, push the blended soup through a fine sieve.  add pepper and taste for seasoning.  serve hot with a dollop of creme fraiche stirred through

*for my soup i used a variety of colors, you can use whichever beets you have on hand.  use red to get the great color of this soup, but golden beet soup would be beautiful as well.

scottish kilt placemats {in the craft room}

i'm planning a burn's night supper

it happens on january 25th

and is a night of 

literature, revelry

and

haggis

i thought it might be fun 

to have place settings

that match the theme

plaid and kilts

seem very scottish to me

(click here for tutorial)

*these are time consuming, but easy for anyone with basic sewing skills. if you have any questions about the tutorial or method, please leave me a comment and i will get back to you in a jiffy

venison tagine {moroccan}

i may have mentioned before

(a time or three)

that hubs is a hunter

which

affords us a freezer full of rich meats

antelope, boar, venison, elk

venison works well with the heady spices 

found in an african pantry

 

venison tagine

serves 4

(printable recipe)

1 1/2 lbs venison (or lamb) cut into chunks

1/2 cup (about) flour

olive oil

salt to taste

3/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbs garam masala-after grinding*

large pinch saffron threads

2 cups warm water

1 medium onion-grated

1 clove garlic-finely chopped

generous handful dried cranberries or cherries

1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into slivers

1 lemon-grated zest and juice

1 cup blanched almonds

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbs unsalted butter

dissolve saffron in the warm water. preheat oven to 350F. heat olive oil in bottom of heavy bottom (oven proof) pot or dutch oven.  coat the venison pieces in flour and brown in olive oil.  once brown, add in onion and cook until the onion just begins to brown on edges. toss in garlic and give it a few stirs. allow to cook a couple of minutes.  add saffron water, cover and place in preheated oven.  cook until venison is very tender about 45-60 minutes).  remove from oven, add in cranberries (or cherries if using), apricots, honey, lemon zest and juice, almonds, and honey.  place over medium heat on stove and cook for about 15 minutes more. if it appears to be too dry add a bit of warm water just to loosen a bit. if it is too watery, remove the top and cook and stir to slightly thicken.  remove from heat and stir in butter just before serving.

serve with couscous or over rice
*i use whole spices-toast them and then grind in mortar and pestle...but if you can find garam masala in your spice aisle, by all means use it!

beef and potato samosas

on a trip to india

i was slightly obsessed with street food

i had convinced myself

i would find authenticity and flavor

only imagined

what i hadn't considered

was

how difficult it would be

to convince others

to stop the car

and

dig in 

one afternoon

while sitting in the hotel bar

overlooking the taj mahal

i inquired if the kitchen could fix us a few snacks

typical of what locals might eat

surprisingly

they couldn't accommodate

unless

we took the meal 

in our room

you see

my request of samosa, pakora and the like

wasn't upmarket enough for the hotel

if we ate it in secret

they would fix it

fine.

by.

me.

lounging on our hotel room balcony

watching the sun set over the taj

while sipping cocktails

is a treat

doing it while

enjoying a loaded platter of savory treats

with

spicy chutneys

is an experience i won't soon forget

 

beef and potato samosas

(printable recipe)

(while the samosas served did not contain beef, i find it a great addition)

1 lb ground beef (max 15% fat)

1 1/2 cup russet or yukon gold potatoes--peeled and cubed

3 Tbs vegetable oil

1 cup onion--finely chopped

1 tsp garlic--finely minced

1 tsp ginger--peeled and finely minced

1 tsp thai bird chili--finely minced

juice of half a lime

2 Tbs fresh cilantro--finely chopped

square wonton wrappers (small for appetizer size)*

oil for frying

MASALA

1 Tbs whole coriander seed--toasted and ground

1 tsp whole cumin seed--toasted and ground

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric

small pinch cinnamon

1 tsp kosher salt

Boil potatoes in salted water. Mash and set aside. Saute onion in vegetable oil until golden.  Add ginger, garlic, and chili.  Stir for about 3 minutes.  Add Masala and continue to stir.  Add ground beef and continue to cook until no longer pink. Let cool. Stir in lime juice, cilantro and mashed potato.

Make a cone with the wonton wrapper, sealing sides with water.  Again using water to seal, close the cone and set on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper and dusted with cornstarch.  You may refrigerate for several hours at this point, or freeze for future use.

Heat oil in  heavy bottom pot to 350F.  Drop samosas in a few at a time, careful not to crowd the pan.  Cook until nicely browned.  Serve warm or room temperature with raita and a variety of chutney.

*you may make your own samosa wrappers, as i do on occasion when i want larger portions...but i find the wontons, while not authentic, perfectly delicious and very convenient.

Samosa Wrappers

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1/3-1 cup water

sift flour, add salt.  add water a little at a time and mix until you have a soft, but not sticky dough.  cover and let sit for about 30 minutes.  divide dough into 6 portions.  flatten each portion into a disk.  roll each disk to a 6" circle.  cover and let rest about 15 minutes.  roll each circle further into a 12" circle.  heat a griddle and toast each circle slightly (but do not fully dry out).  cut each circle into quarters.  fashion each quarter into a cone and fill.  use water or egg wash to seal the edges and close the wrapper over the filling.  fry in 350F oil until golden brown.