Recipes

Butternut Pumpkin and Pancetta Pasta

22 July 20252 min read

PREP: 00:10

COOKING: 00:40

4 PORTIONS

Ingredients

1/2 butternut pumpkin
4 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
8 slices pancetta, finely sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)
4 cups vegetable stock
250g dried pasta
60g parmesan, finely grated
Salt and pepper, to season

Method

Carefully remove the skin from the squash and cut it into 2cm chunks. Roughly chop the rosemary leaves.
Place a large saucepan or casserole (big enough to fit all the ingredients) on medium-low heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil
Fry the pancetta and garlic for a couple of minutes until just golden then stir in the chopped rosemary leaves, butternut squash, chilli flakes and cinnamon
Fry for 4 – 5 minutes, until the squash is a little golden. Drizzle over the maple, fry for a couple more minutes till sticky and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down a little and simmer for 3 minutes
When the squash feels about half cooked stir in the pasta. The stock should just cover the pasta, but if not add a splash more boiling water
Season generously, reduce the heat and cover the pan. Cook for a further 8 – 10 minutes – you want the pasta to be al dente so check the packet instructions
When it is ready, remove the lid, turn up the heat and continue to cook for a minute or two to reduce the stock – it shouldn’t be soupy, but still a little wet, the pasta will absorb this as it cools
Add most of the parmesan and more black pepper. Taste and tweak the seasoning
Wait for 2 – 3 minutes to absorb more of the liquid off of the heat and give it a few more stirs, until silky and glossy. Then serve with the remaining parmesan over the top

Scottish ‘Square Sausage’ Roll

This is the best sausage roll I have ever had! But first of all ,you have to make the sausage. In Scotland this sausage is called by many names, you can call it square sausage, flat sausage, square slice or Lorne and this all-beef steak version is the king. A helpful butcher suggested to use ‘outer’ fat so you will need to get that from your butcher. Makes approx 14 square slices 1kg Beef Flank steak (you can get your butcher to mince it for you) 200g Beef fat/outer fat, minced 100g fine breadcrumbs (I used panko and blitzed them to a fine crumb) 175ml cold water Half tsp carmine extract powder (cochineal) is optional but retains the red colour 2 tsp salt 1 tsp each of ground mace, nutmeg, coriander, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper Mix it all well together then press it into a plastic wrap lined loaf tin, 22cm x 11cm x 7cm, using your hand and a spatula to get it well compressed. Cover it over with the plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours, I left mine overnight. Cut it into slices, I found a bread knife worked the best! Freezes really well once sliced, drop a little piece of greaseproof paper between each slice for ease of separating! Makes 6 Square sausage rolls 1 x pack rolled puff pastry (I use @careme) divided into 6 6 slices square sausage (homemade or butcher bought) Approx 2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 small brown onions (or one large) 1 tbsp Scottish whisky 1 tsp light brown sugar Finley slice your onion and soften in olive oil, when soft add your whisky and let the alcohol bubble off, then stir through your brown sugar over the heat for a few minutes. Leave to cool. Divide your puff pastry into 6 strips to fit your sausage. Divide the onions between the pastry strips and shape into the rough size of the sausage. Brush each slice of sausage with Dijon mustard and lay mustard side down on the onions. Fold over your pastry and seal with an egg wash. Place square sausage rolls seam side down on a baking sheet, egg wash tops and get into a preheated fan oven at 180c for 30 mins until golden and delicious. Remove to a wire rack to cool a little and serve. I served mine with a beer and homemade brown sauce.

Recipes

Scottish Perkins Biscuits

This recipe is based on one that was handed down to me by a family friend. She very kindly shared her mother’s handwritten recipe book with me, likely a very similar vintage to my own grandmothers. The oatmeal here is ‘Scottish oatmeal’ so if you only have rolled oats, blitz to smaller flakes in a food processor before making. Tradition would dictate a blanched almond on the top, but I prefer a square of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt – matches to the chewy spiced biscuits so well. Makes 24 biscuits 225g oatmeal (fine ground) 225g plain flour 170g soft brown sugar 1.5 tsp bicarbonate soda 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp cinnamon Half tsp nutmeg Quarter tsp ground cloves Pinch of salt 115g butter, cubed 85g black treacle or molasses 85g golden syrup 1 beaten egg Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub in the cubed butter till it resembles breadcrumbs. Gently warm the treacle and golden syrup in a pan, then add to the bowl with 1 beaten egg. Mix thoroughly together to a stiff dough, then using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, place onto baking trays spaced apart, then top with either a blanched almond or a square of dark chocolate. Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 15 minutes. When golden brown, remove from oven and birl a glass around each cookie to make them circular and even, sprinkle a little flaky salt over the dark chocolate Leave to cool then enjoy with a cuppa.

Recipes

Scotch Broth

This particular recipe, like many, is an heirloom recipe. My mum always made Scotch Broth after she had made a potted Hough and used the remainder of the beef Hough stock as the base. She never gave me precise quantities of the other ingredients so I have just gone with my best judgement…Any stock here would work but tradition would say that it’s started with a beef Hough or lamb/mutton pieces with the bone in. Of course, you can use a stock cube or ready made stock too. The lamb shanks will deepen the flavour of any stock you use. Serves 4 2 litres of beef or lamb stock (homemade or other) 2 lamb shanks 1 chopped onion (130g) 2 grated carrots (120g) 2 stalks of celery chopped (80g) 1 small turnip, grated (350g) 100g each of split yellow peas, split green peas, red lentils & pearl barley. (You can use a 400g pack of ‘soup mix’ if preferred) 2 Bay leaves, small bunch of thyme & parsley all tied together Season then sear your lamb shanks in a bit of dripping or oil until browned all over, then add your other ingredients. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer until the lamb is tender and soft. Shred the meat, discard the bones, then add the shredded meat back into the pot. Remove the herbs and discard. Leave to cool then into the fridge overnight. The next day, gently skim the fat from the surface and discard. Reheat the soup and serve with either some kale stirred through or my kale pesto. I served mine with a toasted slice off my porridge focaccia with a bone marrow butter.

Recipes

Porridge Focaccia

A Scottish twist on this popular Italian bread! This is such a fabulous dough, gorgeous when it’s fresh and brilliant toasted with soup Porridge: 50g fine Scottish oatmeal (or oat bran) 300ml water 20ml olive oil 10ml honey Dough: 450g strong white bread flour 250ml tepid water 7g instant yeast 10g salt (plus flaky salt for sprinkling) Extra olive oil for baking… Make the porridge then stir through the olive oil and honey. Remove to a bowl to cool. Add the flour and salt to a large bowl, mix then add the porridge, stirring till it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the yeast and water and mix thoroughly. Cover and leave for 15 minutes. With a wet hand, grab up the edge of the dough, stretch it up and place on the top – do this on all the 4 corners of the dough then flip the whole thing over. Cover for 15 minutes then repeat. Do this 4 times over the course of an hour – every 15 minutes. You should see the tension of the dough increasing every time. Oil another large bowl and put the dough in, flipping till it’s all covered in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day you will be met with a jiggly bubbly dough. Tip out onto an oiled and lined baking tray, using oiled fingers letter fold the two sides into the middle then flip. Gently ease it out to a rectangle and leave till doubled in size and filling the tray. Drizzle in olive oil, sprinkle with oatmeal, dimple all over with your fingers, sprinkle with flaky salt. Give it a shoogle – so satisfying! Get into a preheated oven at 200c for 25-30 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool then slice and enjoy.