Scottish soup from the town of Cullen in Moray is one of those great classic soups, with most of its flavour provided by the main ingredient – smoked haddock. Traditionally, it should be made with Finnan Haddie, which is smoked haddock from Findon near Aberdeen, but any other natural smoked haddock will do.
SERVES 4
2 Arbroath Smokies
75g (3oz) unsalted butter
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
100g (3½oz) diced leek (white part only)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
200g (7oz) waxy boiled potatoes, peeled
1 litre (1¾ pints) fish stock
100ml (3½fl oz) white wine
200ml (7fl oz) milk
125ml (4½fl oz) double cream
Black pepper
2 tsp chopped chives, to garnish
1. Remove the skin and bones from the fish and flake the flesh.
2. Melt a third of the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, then add the shallots, leek and garlic. Cover the pan with a lid and sweat, without browning, for 5–10 minutes.
3. Cut the potatoes into 2cm (¾ in) dice and add to the vegetables, together with three-quarters of the flaked fish (reserving the remaining quarter for later). Cover again with the lid and cook for a further 2 minutes, then pour in the stock and wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before carefully transferring the mixture to a blender. Whizz for a few seconds, then add the milk and cream, a little at a time, and blend for 4–5 minutes or until the mixture is very smooth, then pass through a sieve into a clean pan.
5. Gently reheat then add the remaining fish and butter and season well with pepper. Divide between bowls, scatter over the chopped chives and serve with some warm crusty bread.
I think India should be on everybody’s list of places to visit, to experience the amazing range of foods and the many different people who live there. This curry takes its name from the city of Madras, in the south of India. It can be made with most meats or it can also be vegetarian. As with most Indian dishes, there were many variations but this was my favourite, from a small café and just served with flatbread. I had the recipe translated into English so that you can enjoy it as much as I did.
SERVES 4–6
800g (1¾ lb) stewing beef, cut into 2.5cm (1in) dice
4–5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
2cm (¾ in) piece of root ginger, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
12 curry leaves
3 cardamon pods, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
200ml (7fl oz) beef stock
3 tbsp tamarind paste
25g (1oz) butter
25g (1oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1. For the madras curry powder, place all of the whole spices in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, or use a pestle and mortar, and grind to a fine powder, then mix with the ground turmeric and vegetable oil.
2. Next, season the beef all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1–2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large, non-stick saucepan and, over a high heat, sear roughly a third or a half of the beef pieces for 1–2 minutes or until golden brown. Fry the rest of the beef in 1–2 more batches, removing each batch from the pan when the meat is browned and placing it on a plate while you fry the remaining pieces, adding more oil as needed.
3. Blend the chilli, garlic and ginger to a paste using a hand-held blender or a pestle and mortar and adding a splash of water if necessary.
4. Place the pan used to seal the beef back over a high heat, add 1–2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and the onion and fry for 5 minutes or until softened and starting to brown. Add 3½ tablespoons of the curry powder, along with the chilli, garlic and ginger paste, the curry leaves, cardamom and bay leaves, then stir the mixture well.
FOR THE MADRAS CURRY POWDER
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp vegetable oil
FOR THE FRIED SHALLOTS
3 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
2 tbsp plain flour
100ml (3½fl oz) vegetable oil
5. Tip in the beef and cover with the chopped tomatoes, stock and tamarind paste, then season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or until the beef is very tender. Alternatively, cook in the oven, preheated to 140C° (275°F), Gas 1, for 2 hours, or in a slow cooker for 3–4 hours.
6. For the fried shallots, first dust the shallots in the flour. Place a frying pan over a high heat, pour in the vegetable oil and fry the shallots for 2–3 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
7. Remove the lid from the curry pan, stir in the butter and chopped parsley and season to taste. Spoon the beef on to plates with some of the crispy shallots on top and serve with some plain boiled rice on the side.
Classic dishes shouldn’t be messed about with. Beef bourguignon is one of those classics and this recipe has come via the long road from my training days in France. In between the pints of French bière I got a lot of practice at dishes like hake beurre blanc, duck gizzards
