Scottish Food

Mince and Tatties

Ready for some more Scottish food?  First off is Mince and Tatties which is basically Scottish comfort food.  Meat in gravy with some veggies over mashed potatoes.  What's not to like, right?  I did some searching and found a lot of Scottish families use Bisto granules to make the gravy.  I wanted to be as authentic as possible so I ordered some from Amazon.  It worked great and was so easy.

Mince and Tatties 

(printable copy) 

1 1/4 lbs. ground beef
2 lrg. onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Coleman's mustard
2 lrg. carrots, chopped
dash Worecestershire sauce
dash Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons Bisto Gravy Granules
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
butter

In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until browning, add ground beef
herbs, salt, pepper and mustard and cook until meat is no longer pink.

Once beef is browned, cover with water and add the chopped carrots, Worecestershire sauce, and Tabasco.  Leave to simmer for about an hour and a half, partially covered.  The longer you simmer the beef the more tender it will be.

Mix in Bisto granules and cook 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, place the peeled diced potatoes into a saucepan with water to cover, and place on high heat to boil for 15 minutes, or until tender.  Drain and mash with butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon beef mixture (Mince) over the mashed potatoes (Tatties) and serve with peas.

Soda Bread

This is the Soda Bread I mentioned in the last post.  We love it!  I have made it two ways.  First I made it as the recipe stated only subbing dried cranberries for the raisins.  It was so good!  Almost like a dessert bread.  I wanted to try it with a tad less sugar and no fruit for serving with soups and stews.  It works beautifully!  Now I can have my soda bread two ways depending on my needs.  

Soda Bread

(printable copy)

3 cups flour

2/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend.  Add raisin if using any.  Beat eggs and mix with buttermilk and cooled melted butter.  Add mixture to dry ingredients and stir until moistened.  Pour into greased 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  

Scottish Baps (Morning Rolls)

Bacon Baps

One of my biggest food passions is to make bread!  I love it!  I love Paul Hollywood too!  
(He makes bread, is English and has the dreamiest blue eyes)  Well, when I saw these adorable Scottish Baps (cute name, huh?)  I just had to make some. Not only where they fun to make but check out what you can do with them. My breakfast the next morning was so good and I am not a fan of breakfast sandwiches.  This however was amazing.  I toasted it with butter in the oven, 
put a spicy pepper jelly on the bottom along with a soft yolk fried egg and some bacon I had fried up earlier. It's definitely a new fav!  My husband absconded with the rest of the baps to make sandwiches for the work week.   I think he liked them....  ;)

Scottish Baps (Morning Rolls)

(printable copy)

3 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Instant Yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

2/3 cup warm milk

2/3 cup warm water 

2 tablespoons extra milk, to brush rolls

1 tablespoon extra flour, to dust rolls

Sift the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center.  

Mix the milk with the water and pour into the well.

Mix into a soft, almost sticky dough.  (you may need to add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid depending on the flour you use).

Lightly knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 4 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a lightly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled.  

Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 10 equal pieces.  

Knead lightly and roll into a flat round about 4" wide.  

Place on a prepared baking tray, spaced well apart and cover with oiled cling film to rest in a warm place for about 40 minutes.  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Just before baking, press each roll lightly with three fingers to equalize the air bubbles and prevent blistering.  Brush with milk and dust with flour. 

Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on a wire rack.  

Serve warm or toast the next day.

Cock-a-leekie Soup

Soup of any kind is one of my favorite comfort foods so I couldn't wait to try Scottish soups. The first was the Cock-a-leekie Soup which is the National soup of Scotland.  I've seen a lot of different versions but I wanted it to be really traditional.  That meant using barley instead of rice and using the prunes that are supposed to be in a Cock-a-leekie soup.  Yes, I said prunes.  Don't be scared....  they just give the broth a wonderful depth of flavor.  All my kids ate it and didn't even know they were in there.  The barley adds a wonderful nutty, chewy bite to the soup.

Cock-a-leekie Soup

(printable copy)

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 leeks, thinly sliced and washed

1 32 oz carton reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
6-8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup pearl barley
5 dried prunes, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add chicken broth, water, chicken, and thyme.
Simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes.
Remove chicken and chop.
Add pearl barley, chopped chicken and prunes and simmer for 45 more minutes.

Tattie and Leek Soup

My second Scottish soup is Tattie and Leek soup.  You know.....before I started looking up these recipes I had never (I'm so ashamed) used leeks before.  Now my husband is groaning because I use them so much!  I love the mild oniony taste and I do believe that a potato is it's best friend, they go together so well.  I also think the sour cream topping is a must!    The tangy cream really highlights all the other ingredients and being the cheese fanatic that I am......I added some....even more after the pic was taken....a lot more.  ;)

Tattie and Leek Soup

(printable copy)

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 leeks, (white and light green part only) finely chopped and cleaned well

3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

32 oz. low sodium chicken broth

1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

sour cream for topping

In a large deep skillet, melt butter on medium heat and add onions to soften.  

Add leeks and allow to cook until the leeks are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add potatoes and sprinkle with black pepper.

Add the broth and allow it to come to a boil. 

Turn the heat to low, cover and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, break down the potatoes until smooth.  

Serve topped with a healthy dobble of sour cream. and serve with Soda Bread.

Tattie Scones

Tattie Scones

(original recipe from 918 Plate)

Tattie scones are basically the hash browns of Scotland.  They are a wonderful accompaniment to any hearty breakfast.  This recipe makes a lot!  I froze part of mine to take out for future weekend breakfasts.  At one point my son was looking for something to go with the rest of the Mince (above) that was leftover.  He grabbed a few Tattie Scones and heated up the Mince on top and loved it.  I think we may have just made a new Scottish dish......?  Who knows...

Tattie Scones 

(printable copy) 

4 Russet potatoes

3/4 cups flour

3 tablespoons butter, softened

2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

Scrub potatoes and put into a large stock pot and fill with water until covered.  

Salt the water with 2 teaspoons salt.

Bring pot to a boil and cook until soft, about 25 minutes.

Let cook a bit and peel skin off the potatoes.  Rice or mash them in a large bowl.

Add in softened butter and combine with a wooden spoon.

Gently incorporate flour and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

When it begins to form a dough, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 4 balls.

Roll out a ball until it is about 1/4" thick.  Prick surface with a fork.  

Cut circle into quarters.  Bring a non-stick pan to medium-high heat and brown each scone on both sides.  

To reheat, fry on medium heat in butter.

Scottish Farmhouse Eggs and Sausage Rolls

(original sausage roll recipe from Christina's Cucina, Eggs by Food 52)

I made Farmhouse Eggs with Sausage Rolls on Valentine's Day for my husband.  It was my very first Scottish recipe and was very rich and decadent!  This is a perfect breakfast for a special occasion or for company.  It's hard to see the eggs in the picture but they are baked whole on top of the breadcrumbs and cheese then topped with half and half, chives and baked to pillowy, cheesy goodness! Absolutely scrumptious!

Scottish Farmhouse Eggs

(printable copy)

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I used sourdough chopped in my food processor)

3 tablespoons fresh chives or green onions (chopped) 

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese 

4 eggs

cayanne pepper

garlic granuales

1 cup Half and Half

chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 10" glass pie pan.

Sprinkle half of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the dish.

Sprinkle half of the cheese and chives over the breadcrumbs.

Carefully break eggs into pie pan, spacing evenly.

Top with remaining breadcrumbs, cheese and chives.

Season with cayenne pepper, garlic granules, salt and pepper.

Pour half and half over everything.

Bake until eggs are almost set, about 20 minutes.

Garnish with extra chives.  Serve immediately.

Homemade Scottish Sausage Rolls

(printable copy)

One package of puff pastry

1 lb. ground beef

water

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 teaspoon coriander (dried, ground)

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 slightly beaten egg white, to brush pastry

In a large bowl, mix together the salt with all the spices and breadcrumbs.  Add the ground beef, and about 1/2 cup of the water.   Using your hands, mix all ingredients together until it has a meatloaf texture, adding water as needed.  The sausage should hold together when it is squeezed, without being too wet.

Cut the puff pasty into rectangular(ish) pieces. 

Shape meat into logs and place close to one end of the pastry.  Don't put too much meat in or they will burst when baking.

With you finger, lightly dampen on of the egdes and press shut.  Crimp with a fork 

Put on baking sheet and score the top of the pastry with 3 or 4 small cuts and brush with egg white.

Bake sausage roll in preheated 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

I plan on trying much, much more Scottish, Irish, Welsh and English food in the future.  It seems my Ancestry.com DNA showed that I am 81% Great Britain and it says that most people living there are only 60%!   I've always known that I am English and Welsh and maybe even a little Irish but I never knew about the Scottish!   It's just the coolest thing ever!  

Share this post