Scottish Recipes
Taigh na Mara Highland Shortbread
Perfect for Hogmanay, Burns' Night, or whenever you fancy!
8 oz plain flour
4 oz cornflour
4 oz icing sugar
8 oz vegan margarine
Sprinkle of fine caster sugar
1. Sieve plain flour, cornflour and icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Rub in margarine until you have a breadcrumb consistency. Knead to form a stiff dough.
3. Press dough on to an oiled baking tray in a layer about 1/2 inch deep. Prick all over and cut into triangular sections.
4. Bake for about 35 minutes at 180C/350F until light golden brown. Re-cut the sections and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Haggis
2 oz vegan margarine
4 oz oats
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
4 tbsp walnut oil
2 oz chopped mixed nuts
200g tin kidney beans (drained)
4 oz mushrooms (finely chopped)
1 medium / large carrot (finely chopped)
3 tsp yeast extract
2 tsp black pepper
Sprinkle cayenne pepper
Small sprigs thyme, parsley, sage (finely chopped)
Small scraping nutmeg
Juice from half a lime
Nip of whisky
1. Toast the oats in a saucepan with the margarine until golden brown - be careful not to burn them, keep stirring with a wooden spoon.
2. Fry the onions in the walnut oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly for 5 minutes to ensure flavours combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes in a medium/hot oven. Serve with neeps and tatties for the perfect Burns' Supper.
Blackbun
The traditional cake served to first footers at Hogmanay, who came to wish a Happy New Year and cadge a wee dram! Blackbun should be made about a month in advance to give it time to mature before eating.
Shortcrust pastry
10 oz self raising flour
1 tsp salt
4 oz vegan margarine
Soya milk to bind
Filling
1 lb raisins
1/2 lb dates
1/2 lb currants
2 oz apricots (dried, chopped)
4 oz almonds (chopped)
4 oz muscovado sugar
8 oz plain flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 pint soya yoghurt
1/4 pint whisky
1. First make the shortcrust pastry. Add all dry ingredients, rub in margarine and then bind with the milk.
2. To make the filling mix all the filling ingredients together.
3. Roll out pastry into a large rectangle. Line middle of pastry with filling and roll up into a big 'sausage'. Bake in medium / hot oven for half an hour.
The following recipes are from "Rainbows and Wellies" The Taigh Na Mara Cookbook
Coconut Mousse
6 lemons
1 packet creamed coconut
1/4 pint orange juice
Pinch salt
2 sheets of nori seaweed (sushi seaweed)
Lolla Rosso lettuce
Olives
18 oatcakes
Lemon jelly dressing
Sprig of herbs
1. Cut a small slice off the bottom of the lemons so they will stand up. Throw away the bottom. Cut a larger slice off the top of the lemon, enough so the lemon can be scraped out. Keep the tops.
2. Scrape out all the lemon from the inside, so that just the shell of the lemon remains. Keep the lemon you have removed.
3. Chop up the creamed coconut and add the orange juice, melt in a microwave or in a saucepan (take care not to burn) for a few minutes until soft then blend together with a spoon.
4. Add 2 floz lemon juice from the inside of the lemons and a pinch of salt.
5. Put creamed coconut in the freezer or fridge to chill for about an hour until it stiffens, stir vigorously. When coconut is thoroughly chilled it should be the consistency of cream cheese or hummus: add more lemon juice if too stiff.
6. Toast seaweed on hob or over a flame. Toast for a few seconds on each side until green and translucent. Crumble up into the creamed coconut and mix thoroughly.
7. Fill each lemon 'shell' with mousse until overflowing, put lemon top back on top of mousse. Serve on bed of lettuce and lemon jelly dressing with olives, oat cakes and a sprig of herbs.
Bonnie Prince Pudding
2 tsp vegetable oil
13 oz oyster mushrooms
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 dssp tamari
1 onions, chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
4 1/2 oz walnuts
1 red pepper, chopped
4 1/2 oz fresh tomatoes
3 tsp arrowroot
1 dssp tomato puree
2 tbsp orange juice
1 dssp yeast extract
1 tbsp date syrup
1 tsp pepper
Pastry
10 oz self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 oz very cold vegan margarine
1 small carton (4 1/2 fl oz) soya yoghurt
4 1/2 fl oz soya milk
6 x 5cm metal pudding tins or ramekins
1. In a deep frying pan or wok fry sliced oyster mushrooms in oil with the mustard seeds and a splash of tamari. After a couple of minutes add onions and continue frying. Then add carrot, walnuts and red peppers, Put the lid on the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile chop the tomatoes and add to the pan.
3. Make liquid with 3 teaspoons of arrowroot mixed with tomato puree. Blend thin with 1/3 pint orange juice then whilst continually stirring add to mix to thicken. Add yeast extract, date syrup and pepper and slowly simmer on a low heat.
4. Make pastry: rub margarine in to flour and salt until evenly distributed and you have a breadcrumb consistency. Blend in soya yoghurt and a few tablespoons of soya milk until pliable.
5. Roll out pastry onto a floured surface. Cut rounds double the size of tins for base and same size as tins for top.
6. Press pastry bases into the oiled pots or ramekins, fill with mushroom mixture. Cap with pastry top. Cover tops with squares of foil.
7. Put on a tray and fill tray with boiling water about a 1/3 up the side. Broil in oven for 30-45 minutes at 200C until risen.
Mashed Potato with Rosemary
6 potatoes
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped and 6 sprigs to decorate
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon vegan margarine
3 tablespoon soya cream
1. Wash and finely chop potatoes (with skins). Boil in minimum amount of water (not enough to submerge, just enough to prevent burning) for 20 minutes until soft.
2. Add rosemary, salt, pepper, margarine and soya cream then mash.
Carrots in Orange Juice
6 medium carrots
1/4 pint orange juice
6 chives
1. Cut carrots into thin strips and simmer in orange juice for a few minutes.
2. Use the chives to tie them up in bundles.
Lemon Broccoli
6 sprigs broccoli
Salt and pepper
Juice of one lemon
Dash of olive oil
1. Break off 6 large florets of broccoli. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Steam for 7 minutes.
Hector's Haggis Boats
Courgette sailing ships loaded with haggis on a high sea of lollo rosso in lemon jelly dressing
6 courgettes
Tamari and oil
4 oz oats
2 oz vegan margarine
4 tablespoons walnut oil
1 oz vegan margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 oz chopped mixed nuts
7 oz (200g tin) red kidney beans (no juice)
4 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium to large carrot, finely chopped
3 teaspoons yeast extract
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 sprinkle cayenne pepper
Small sprigs of thyme, parsley and sage, finely chopped
Nutmeg, small scraping
Juice of half a lime
Nip of whisky
12 slices cucumber - for sails
12 red pepper triangles - for flags
1 Lolla Rosso lettuce
1. Take a sliver off the bottom of the courgettes to make firm. Hollow out to make boats but leave about a 1/4 at the front to stick the sails into. Paint insides with a little tamari and oil.
2. Meanwhile toast the oats in a saucepan with the margarine until golden brown - be careful not to burn them, keep stirring with your spurtle (porridge stick - wooden spoon will do).
3. Fry the onions in the walnut oil and 1oz of margarine. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly for five minutes to ensure flavours combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stuff mixture into courgettes. Cook for about 30 minutes in a medium/hot oven until courgettes are hot but not too soft.
5. Make sails and flags with cucumber and red pepper on cocktail sticks and place at each end of courgettes. Serve on sea of lolla rosso lettuce.
Chocolate Mousse
6 oz chocolate (plain)
2 fl oz orange juice
8 oz tofu
2 oz muscovado sugar
4 oz vegan margarine
1 oz dates or apricots
1/5 gill/1 floz whisky
1 shot Cointreau
1. Melt chocolate in the orange juice. Blend all other ingredients together then add the melted chocolate whilst blending. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.