Writing and thoughts from NE Scotland
In another effort to increase my sauce experience I had a quick go at a beurre blanc to go with some coley I was having for tea.
I again turned to Michelle Roux’s excellent Sauces book for the basic recipe. The original recipe was for twice as much sauce and used cream but I decided for the fish that a lemon zing was more suitable. Continue reading “Pan fried coley with lemon beurre blanc”
I set aside a load of time yesterday for my first attempt at making my own beef stock. Unfortunately my plan was scuppered by Morrison’s not having any bones left (they had some in the morning apparently) and the butchers being closed due to illness. I had the time to spare so it would be a shame not to spend it cooking something. We have a flourishing rosemary bush in the garden and there was some good mince on the shelf in front of me which made think that meatballs would be a good idea. Continue reading “Rosemary meatballs in tomato sauce”
First of all, sorry about the pictures of this one. One of these days I’ll learn to do the sauce last but yesterday was not that day. I was planning to have my glamorous and able assistant see to the tatties while I made the sauce for the veal, but of course the phone rang as soon as the meat hit the pan. Instead of remaining calm and working through everything in a relaxed manner I panicked.
What I should have done was make the mash then leave it on a low heat to keep warm while I made the sauce. What I actually did was put the veal in the oven to rest, start the sauce then drain the tatties and start mashing them while the sauce reduced…and reduced…and continued to reduce some more until there was hardly any of it left. Oops. Continue reading “Veal escalopes with sage and garlic sauce”
I tried gnocchi for the first time recently in a local restaurant and thought it was brilliant. Little tattie dumplings covered in cheese and garlic, awesome. As far as culinary revelations go I’m sure you’re picking your jaw off the floor as you read this, but put trust me, they’re the future!
OK, so I’m a bit behind the curve. I guess there’s always a first time to taste something even if it’s as common as gnocchi. But after trying it a few months ago I decided I thought I should have a bash at making it myself. It seemed simple enough; mix some tatties, flour and an egg, knead into a dough and then chop into the little dumplings and boil for a few minutes. How hard could that be? Continue reading “Potato gnocchi in spicy tomato sauce.”
Ah lamb. I love lamb. Tragically, I don’t get to eat nearly enough of it but a recent knee injury has resulted in a couple of my evenings being freed from the iron grip of training. So instead of beans on toast twice a week, I’ve got more time to do something a bit more substantial.
As on those nights when I’m away we do our own thing for tea anyway I don’t feel like I’m being especially unsociable by using last night’s opportunity to cook a couple of lamb chops. Continue reading “Lamb Chops in Rosemary Gravy”
Mince and Skirlie 