A cosy bowl of soup is perfect for the cold Scottish Winter months. We have so many delicious and popular soups in Scotland and I have chosen three of my favourites to share with you all. We will be making a delicious Smoked Ham Hough soup with lentils and grated roots and a hearty tattie soup made with the most delicious stock. Last but not least is the lovely creamy oatmeal soup made with root vegetables and a good chicken stock. All three recipes are rich in flavour.
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Pear Mincemeat & Caramel Tart
This delicious pear, mincemeat and caramel tart is really lovely served with the Scottish real dairy traditional Ice cream from Mackie’s of Scotland. It works so well with the caramel sauce and the tart is so sparkly with all of the sprinkled glitter. Its the perfect dessert around the Christmas and Hogmany period.
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Vlog 1 – Walk in the Forest & Parsnip Cake
I love a slow walk in the old forest at any time of year but late winter often brings such cold temperatures. There was a touch of warmth today from the sun and it lifted my cold winter spirit and brought such hope and excitement for the warmer seasons ahead.
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Slow Cooked Beef and Dumplings Stew
This hearty slow cooked traditional beef stew went down a treat on a cold Sunday afternoon. Tender meaty chunks, seasonal vegetables and buttery dumplings. A delicious winter meal for the family and really easy to put together in advance in the slow cooker.
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Butternut Blue Soup
We ate this delicious butternut squash soup with some locally made blue cheese from our Scottish farmers market. It was lovely served with some of my homemade apple and cheddar cheese soda bread. What a cheesy feast!
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Chilli Cheese Bake
Although we have had a relatively mild winter this year we are still enjoying our hearty warming winter foods this January. This is a family favourite made into something deliciously special with the addition of some good quality sharp cheddar, the use of local beef, organic tomatoes and fresh herbs.
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Christmas Tree Wholemeal Spelt Rolls
These fluffy rolls are perfect served alongside the ‘Creamy mushroom & chestnut pate’. Serve them freshly baked, warm out of the oven and pour the drizzle over just as your about to eat them. Delicious!
Recipe – Creamy Mushroom & Chestnut Pate
Ingredients
2tbsp of dried yeast
750ml warm almond milk
50g of coconut oil
950g of wholemeal spelt flour
2tsp of salt
1/2 finely chopped red onion
2 finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup of olive oil
Finely chopped rosemary (or other chopped herbs)
Mix the yeast, warm almond milk and coconut oil together in a large bowl and leave for 15mins. Sift the flour and salt into the bowl. Stir together until a dough forms, adding a little extra flour or milk to create a non sticky dough. I love to use the dough hook on my kitchen aid to form the dough and for the kneading but hands work just as well.
Remove and knead the dough for 10 minutes on a floured surface. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to rise for one hour in a warm place.
Tip the dough back out onto the floured work surface and knead it again. Split the dough in half and keep splitting until you have around 26 small pieces.
Place some of them out onto a greased baking tray in the shape of your choice. I decided on a Christmas tree shape. Leave to rise again for 20minutes.
Bake at 200oc for 20-25mins. Meanwhile fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil on a gentle heat until soft. Set aside for drizzling.
Remove rolls and add the drizzle to serve. Best enjoyed immediately. Enjoy!
Aubergine Winter Stew, Flatbreads & Tzatziki
Slow Cooked Aubergine Spicy Stew
This was so delicious I feel hungry just writing about it again! Delicious slow cooked aubergine in spices with a hint of chilli. You could adjust the recipe if you like your food hotter in taste or perhaps add a freshly sliced chilli in there also. The tzatziki on the top went so well with the spiced food and the breads were great for dipping into the sauce and dip. A little salad such as tomato and cucumber would work well on the side.
– Start by chopping all the aubergine into small 1cm style pieces (obviously you don’t need to get the ruler out) then chop the onion into small pieces and grate the garlic and ginger.
– Stir fry the coconut oil, aubergine, onion, garlic and ginger for a few minutes until lightly cooked.
– Add the lightly cooked aubergine etc. to the slow cooker, add the spices, tomato paste, honey or maple syrup and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
– Adjust the necessary settings on your slow cooker and cook until soft, around 4hrs.
– Serve with fluffy rice, tzatziki, flatbreads and salad.
Tzatziki Dip
This tzatziki dip is so fresh and garlicky tasting it goes really well with the cooked aubergine and the raw garlic is good for fighting all sorts of bugs.
- Scoop the yoghurt into a bowl.
- Grate the courgette and garlic into the yoghurt.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice, salt and pepper, chopped mint and stir.
- Sprinkle with chopped mint.
Wholemeal Flatbreads
These flat breads are a lovely warming addition to the aubergine stew and are great for dipping into the dip and sauce.
They are so simple to make, I’m sure there are better ways but all I do is add a few cups of wholemeal flour to the kitchen aid with the dough hook on (you could hand mix and knead) and a tsp of sugar, season with salt and pepper, add warm warm water and mix until a dough is formed. Leave for an hr and roll into little balls, flatten to desired thickness and lightly cook in a tiny amount of olive oil or coconut oil in the frying pan.
If I’ve missed anything or you have any questions please drop me a comment.
Love and blessings!
Angie x