Christmas Cloutie Dumpling


This really is a Christmas memory of my childhood. I asked my mum if I could use this for the Christmas edition and she was delighted. This was passed down to my mum from her elderly *Auntie Puff and who knows before that, but I can say that not all old fashioned food is out of date!
This really is a treat and well worth the effort. Serve with your favorite accompaniment.
 
6 Cup Cloutie Dumpling
1 Tea cup of each :-
Fresh Breadcrumbs
Plain flour
Caster sugar
Suet (can be vegetable)
Milk
1 Teaspoon of each
Mixed spice
Cinnamon
Ground ginger
Bicarbonate of soda
1 Tablespoon of dried sago
1 Grated carrot
1 Grated apple
Mix all ingredients together and Steam in a greased bowl or as suggested
a floured cloth (Cloutie) for 3 ½ hours or more if required.
*Auntie Puff used to live beside the steam trains in Brechin
and so nick named Puff by the numerous visits by my mother and her siblings to see their Auntie beside the “Puff Puffs”
Cloutie Dumpling
NB. Use a muslin cloth.
A muslin nappy is Ideal.
Spread muslin neatly into a colander
and pour boiling water over it.
Sprinkle evenly with a fairly liberal covering of plain flour. This will be the skin of your dumpling.
Pour in dumpling mixture and tie. When tying remember to leave room for expansion.
Set a flat plate carefully into a large roomy pan of boiling water and gently place dumpling on this.
The water must be kept boiling and the pan must never be allowed to boil dry!
 

Bloody Mary


Why not spice up your festive feasting and try this very simple and warming savoury aperitif.
A silky smooth tomato and vodka cocktail lightly chilled is the perfect start and allows your taste buds to come alive and dance.
Ingredients:
3 oz tomato juice
1 shot vodka
a good squeeze of lemon juice
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
celery salt
ground pepper
Tabasco sauce for a little gentle fire!
Pour Cocktail into a highball glass with ice.
Garnish with a neatly trimmed celery stalk and a slice of lime to perch on the edge of the glass.
NB. Like all recipes please season to your own personal taste.
For the perfect Virgin Mary omit vodka from the recipe and adjust seasoning. 
 
Light Vegetable casserole with frankfurter sausage and white beans

if you just want a very simple and light dish after some heavy festive feasting then here it is.
This Recipe was designed with Frankfurter Sausage but it can be replaced with any leftover Turkey or ham finely diced. The light aromatics coming from the star anise and the orange peel give this dish a very light clean flavor.
You can serve this with simply grilled thick fillets of fish or on its own as a pottage with a few rocket leaves and freshly shaved parmesan finished with a drizzle of truffle oil and a fresh grind of black pepper
 
½ teacup Haricot Blanc Beans
1 very small star anise
1 Peeled Carrot (¼ inch) diced
1 large onion (¼ inch) diced
1 stick celery (¼ inch) diced
1 bulb fennel (¼ inch) diced
1 red pepper (¼ inch) diced
1 yellow Pepper (¼ inch) diced
4 large cloves of garlic Peeled and finely sliced
Sprig of thyme or rosemary
Enough olive oil to coat vegetables
1500mls good vegetable based stock
or light fish or shellfish stock
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pinch of saffron
1 strip of orange peel
10 sliced cooked waxy Baby Potatoes
Chopped Flat leaf parsley
Allow 1 frankfurter sausage Sliced per portion
　
Bring haricot beans to the boil in a small pan with the anise and a wee pinch of salt and simmer for about 45 minutes or until tender then drain and put aside. Keep water level topped up or the beans will take on a salty taste!
Gently sweat all the chopped vegetables including the garlic in a large based pot with olive oil, saffron, orange peel, thyme, salt and pepper. Only when the onions in the pot are half way to being cooked through add the stock... (This will stop your casserole going mushy!) Bring up to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently until the vegetables are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the casserole.
Take required quantity of casserole in a pan with plenty space adding the potatoes, frankfurter and white beans. Heat carefully to the correct temperature serve and sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle with garlic olive oil.