The Scottish Kitchen - Meat & Game

My father's favourite sports were fishing and shooting He had his own private stretch of the river Luce in South West Scotland, and his own private shoot in the same area. Little wonder therefore, that I became very experienced in providing food (and drink) for his private shooting parties - which naturally started on "The Glorious Twelfth" of August. It was a wonderful time and our home was always full of visitors. I was kept very busy skinning rabbits and hare (making wonderful hare soup from my grandmother's recipe) as well as plucking and drawing pheasant, duck and snipe. This was a good training ground for a budding food consultant. I also learned how to skin, joint and cook venison - the many antlers in our family home were grim reminders of the deaths of these lovely animals. Strangely enough I now see them at close quarters, trotting around my front garden here in England in the early hours of the morning, bringing on my security lights. They are so elegant and I love them, even though they eat my flowers!

Haggis

There are very many recipes for haggis from the Middle Ages to the seventeenth century supposedly influenced by France. Indeed the French word hachis, means something chopped. However, the Scots continued to serve haggis, but with swede (a root vegetable which came to us from Sweden in the eighteenth century; in America known as rutabaga). Haggis is today well-known in England, if not as popular as in Scotland, as in Scotland, primarily due to the familiarity of Burn's Night celebrations on 25th January when haggis is piped in and served with champit tatties and bashed neeps (mashed potatoes and sieved cooked swede) accompanied by whisky. Indeed haggis is now readily available in shops, supermarkets and delicatessen throughout the U.K. The choice of whisky is personal and depends on whether you prefer a single, mature or blended malt, or one of the smokier peat whiskies from the Outer Isles.

I have organised many Burns Nights in Staffordshire, where I now live, to raise money for Rotary Charities and they have always been well supported and a great success. Many a time I have addressed the haggis and slit it open with my father's Sgian Dubhs, which I treasure. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are surprised to find that they like haggis!

Should you wish to try making your own version of haggis you can either cook it in a casing/sheep's stomach, or prepare a more modern version, (without the lights, which are more difficult to obtain today) and cook it in a greased pudding basin. Personally I now take the easy way out and buy a well known make (made in Scotland) stocked by most supermarkets.

Ingredients - serves 8
225g (8ozs) lamb’s liver
1 lamb’s heart, boiled and minced
225g (8 ozs) finely chopped
350g (12ozs) pinhead oatmeal
125g (4 ozs) shredded suet
Half a teaspoon each – cayenne pepper, ground allspice, salt

Method
1. Wash the liver and heart and simmer with the onion in one and a half pints water for about 35 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Chop or mince the meat, and mix with the chopped onion.

3. Place the oatmeal in a large frying pan, and stir until dry and toasted but not browned.

4. Mix meat, onion, oatmeal and suet with approx. a pint of the reserved cooking liquor.

5. Add seasoning, and turn into a large greased pudding basin. Cover with greaseproof paper, then foil and steam for at least two and a half hours.

6. Serve with champit tatties and bashed neeps, or clapshot (equal quantities of swede and potato mashed together).

Venison

Scotland is fortunate in having ample supplies of excellent venison, although with the increase in deer farming, venison is now more readily available throughout the U.K. Roe deer is reckoned to be better than fallow or red deer. When buying venison allow ample time for marinading, which is essential to ensure tenderness. Also, since it is a very lean meat, you should add fat, salt pork or streaky bacon to stews, and use it for larding roast venison. Alternatively a joint can be smeared all over with lard or dripping before roasting. The meat of the buck (male) generally has more flavour than that of the doe (female), though it usually needs to be hung for a little longer.

Venison is at its best from an animal of between eighteen months to two years old. The flesh of deer over the age of three years can be very dry, but will be improved with a good marinade. All venison improves with marinading for 2-3 days.

To Make a Marinade for a 2 - 2.5kg (4 - 5lb) joint

Ingredients
0.5 litre (1 pint) red wine
A bouquet garni
1 clove garlic, crushed
150ml (5 fl.ozs) olive oil
0.5 litre (1 pint) water
Salt
Whole black peppercorns
4 juniper berries
0.25 litre (10fl.ozs) red wine vinegar
2 medium carrots and an onion, peeled and thickly sliced

Method
Mix all these ingredients together and soak the venison joint in the marinade for 2 days in summer and 3 days in winter. Turn the joint 3-4 times daily.

To roast a joint of venison

1. Place the drained marinaded joint, prepared as recommended above, on a bed of mixed vegetables(carrots, onions and celery) and pour over .25 litre (5fl.ozs) of the marinade.

2. Roast in an oven pre-heated to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 allowing 20-25 minutes per .5 kilo(1 lb),basting regularly.

3. Place on a warm serving dish. Strain remaining marinade/juices, add a little port or brandy, and thicken by boiling briskly to reduce by half. Serve separately.

4. Serve with vegetables and redcurrant or rowan jelly.

Venison in Orange and Brandy Sauce

Ingredients - serves 4
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons brandy
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of ground coriander
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon black treacle
2 tablespoons plain flour
25g (1oz) butter
300ml (10 fl ozs) beef stock
100g (4 ozs) mushrooms, sliced
2 medium sized oranges
Salt and pepper
750g (24 ozs) shoulder venison, cubed
225g (8 ozs) small white onions, peeled

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and sear the venison, transfer to a casserole.

3. Fry the onions and garlic in the same oil until lightly browned, and add to the casserole.

4. Add the flour to the remaining oil and cook for a minute. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil.

5. Pare the rind from the oranges and cut into this strips. Add to the sauce with the juice of the oranges.

6. Stir in the brandy, tomato puree, treacle, coriander, and seasoning and pour over the contents of the casserole.

7. Cover casserole and cook in the pre-heated oven for 90 minutes.

8. Fry mushrooms in a little butter for a few minutes and add to the casserole.

9. Taste, adjust seasoning and cook for approximately a further 30 minutes or until meat is tender.

10. Serve with potatoes and a green vegetable.

Forfar Bridies

These pasties are traditionally Scottish and are mentioned by Sir James Barrie in Sentimental Tommie. He was born at Kirriemuir, a village in Forfarshire. The first Bridie baker was a Mr. Jolly in the mid-nineteenth century. I suppose you could say they are the Scottish version of the Cornish Pastie.

Ingredients - makes 4
450g (1lb) rump steak, well hung
75g (3 ozs) grated suet
2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped or grated
Salt and pepper
450g (1lb) shortcrust pastry

Method
1. Ensure that the meat is well hung, otherwise it could be tough to eat. Cut into thin strips, beat them well, and cut again till no longer than 2.5 cm (1 inch). Season with salt and pepper.

2. Make the pastry, and leave to rest in fridge for at least I hour.

3. Divide the pastry into four, and roll each out fairly thinly to an oval shape.

4. Divide and place the meat on one half of the pastry only, and top this with onion and suet.

5. Dampen the edges of the pastry, and fold the uncovered half over the filling, to enclose it.

6. Press the edges well together, and crimp together with your forefinger and thumb or a fork.

7. Make a small hole or slit in the top of each, place on a greased baking sheet, and bake in an oven pre-heated to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for about 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. If they get too brown during cooking, cover loosely with a piece of greaseproof paper.

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