Parsnip and walnut cake with citrus icing

Parsnip and walnut cake
175 g  plain flour
5 g baking powder
5 g bicarbonate of soda
5 g ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
300 ml sunflower oil
350 g caster sugar
3 large eggs
225 g grated raw parsnip
60 g chopped walnuts
zest of one lemon

Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt together.
Place the oil and sugar in a large bowl, beat with an electric whisk then add the eggs one at a time until all are combined.
Fold in the dry ingredients, then the parsnip, the walnuts and the lemon zest.
Grease and flour a 25 cm diameter cake tin, pour in the mixture and cook in the over at 180C / gas mark 4 for 45 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170C / gas mark 3 and cook for another 20 minutes.
It may be necessary to cover the tin with baking paper if it appears to be cooking too fast
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then remove from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Citrus icing
150 g unsalted butter at room temperature
300 g icing sugar
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
juice of half a lemon
25 ml milk

Place the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and cream together, then add the zests and lemon juice.
Add the milk until you achieve a spreadable consistency, then spread evenly over the cooled parsnip and walnut cake.

Haggis

Ingredients
1 sheep's stomach bag and pluck (heart, liver, lungs and windpipe)
250g-1kg/½lb-2lb pinhead oatmeal, or a mixture of medium and pinhead
125g-500g/4oz-1lb suet, finely chopped
4 onions, finely chopped
2-4 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried mixed herbs, or 2 tsp chopped fresh herbs

Method

1. Begin the day before you want to cook the haggis. Wash the stomach bag in cold water, scrape and clean well. Place into a large bowl of clean, cold water.

2. Wash the pluck and place it into a pan of boiling water. Let the windpipe lie over the side of the pan and place a small jar underneath to catch the drips. Simmer gently until all parts are tender - this depends on the age of the animal but is usually between one and two hours.

3. Place the cooked pluck into a large basin, cover with the cooking liquid and leave overnight.

4. The next day, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

5. For the stuffing, spread the oatmeal out on a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and toast for around ten minutes, or until thoroughly dried out but not browned.

6. Drain the pluck, reserving the cooking liquid. Cut the windpipe off and discard, along with any skin and black parts. Chop or mince the heart and lungs and grate the liver. Place into a large bowl and mix well.

7. Add the toasted oatmeal, suet, onions, salt, pepper, herbs and about 570ml/1 pint of the liquid the pluck was boiled in and mix well.

8. Drain the stomach bag. Fill the bag to just over half full with the stuffing mixture. Press out the air, sew up the top of the bag and prick with a long needle.

9. Place the haggis into boiling water and simmer for three hours, pricking with aneedle again when it swells. Alternatively, the bag may be cut into several pieces to make smaller haggis, in which case cook for only 1½-2 hours.

10. Serve hot with 'neeps', 'tatties' and a glass of good blended whisky.

New Year buns

For about 20 - 30 buns

500 g / 1 lb wheat flour
500 ml / 1 pint water
1 oz / 30 g sugar
40 g / 1½ oz yeast
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a few drops of lemon juice
100 g raisins
50 g freshly and finely chopped apple

Dissolve the yeast in the water and briefly mix. Add flour and gently mix with the mixer at the lowest possible power. Mix the raisins, apple, sugar and condiments and allow to rise for 45 minutes. Scoop the mixture with a large spoon, and slide it into hot oil (180C), allow to bake for 6 minutes, or until brown. You need to turn the bun in the oil half way through the baking process.

Serve with icing sugar sprinkled on top.

Ceann Cropaig

Had another addition to my Recipe Book journal:

Ceann Cropaig

Ingredients
1 medium / large cod
Cod is not easily available these days; 2 small haddocks or ling will do as well
liver of the same fish, chopped finely
enough fine oatmeal to make a binding mixture
rough salt to taste  

Required utensils
one large pan
a pudding bowl
grease proof paper / aluminium foil
string  

Method
Clean the head of the cod
Stuff the mixture of liver, oatmeal and rough salt into the head.
Sprinkle with flour or dry oatmeal to seal
Cover with grease-proof paper and tie with cotton or string
Place the remainder of the fish in a large pan and add water until it just covers the fish. Bring the water to the boil
When boiling point is reached, place the prepared head in the pan. The water should come halfway up the head
Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 or 30 minutes depending on the size of the fish
Any surplus of the liver/oatmeal mixture can be placed in a pudding bowl in the water alongside the boiling fish and head, allowing water to come halfway up the side of the bowl  

Local variations
Finely chopped onions are added to the liver/oatmeal mixture in some districts  

Fresh fruit salad

3 oz / 80 g sugar
juice of half a lemon
selection of 4 to 6 fruits, e.g:

apples
pears
oranges
bananas
grapes (green or black)
melon
peach

Dissolve the sugar in 300 ml of water over a gentle heat, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Cool, and add the lemon juice.

Prepare the fruits:
quarter, core and slice the apples
peel and segment the oranges
slice the bananas
halve and seed the grapes
peel and segment the peaches
scoop orbs out of the lemon with a small scoop (1 in)

Put each fruit into the syrup as it is ready

Mix them all together and if possible leave to stand for 2-3 hours to allow the flavours to blend.

The fruitsalad will keep up to 3 days, but the banana needs replacing every day.

Cranachan

For 2 people

1 tablespoon of fine oatmeal
150 g raspberries
140 g double cream
1 dessert spoon of thick honey
1 tablespoon of whisky

Under a moderate grill, gently toast the oatmeal in a small baking tin for a few minutes, until crisp (but not burnt).

Whisk the cream, honey, whisky and the toasted oatmeal. Add a third of the raspberries.

In a large goblet, place another third of the raspberries at the bottom. Layer on the cream mixture and top off with the final third of the raspberries. Dust with icing sugar.

Take a leek

Ingredients

500 g of raw leeks per person
potatoes
powdered thickening agent
vinegar

Cut the dark green leaves from the leeks, as well as the root part. If the leek has a hard (opaque white) or hollow core, remove that part. Wash thoroughly.

Chop the leeks into slices 5- 10 mm (1/3 - 2/3 inches) thick and place in a large pan with plenty of water. Bring to the boil and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes.;
Boil the potatoes simultaneously.
Prepare a mixture of 1 - 2 teaspoons of thickening agent (e.g.: arrowroot) with 30 ml of vinegar.

After draining off excess water from the leeks, stir in the mixture, which should thicken.

Serve leeks and potatoes, with fried minced meat balls or other suitable meat.