Foods from the UK

Topping

• Boil potatoes in a medium pot of salted water until cooked and soft.
• Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper, set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.

Filling

• In a large sauté pan brown meat over medium to high heat, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. I drained the liquid off and used a fork to break it up more.
• When cooked, set aside on a plate.
• Add the oil, onion, mushrooms, and celery and sauté on medium heat about 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the flour, frozen or fresh vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, cooked meat and mix well. Simmer on low about 8-10 minutes.
• Spread the meat on the bottom of casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with paprika. ( I added a sprinkle of Cheese to the topping)
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, then place under the broiler 1 to 2 minutes until the potatoes turn golden.
• Remove from oven and let it cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

• Place the red lentils in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water, set aside;
• Put the measured water and or Vegetable stock in a large soup pot, with a teaspoon of salt. Bring to boil (skim any scum off that rises to the top) then let it simmer.
• In a medium frying pan, saute the onion, carrots, celery and turnip/rutabaga in the olive oil for about 6 or 7 minutes on medium heat. Remove from the heat.
• Add the red lentils and the sautéed vegetables, and another teaspoon of salt; stir well and let simmer for about 30-45 min or until lentils are tender.
• Season soup with salt to taste and freshly ground pepper.

Bangers

• Cook sausages in medium saucepan or skillet until they are browned and cooked thoroughly.
• In the same pan add butter, olive oil, and onions, cook for 3-5m minutes until their lucent.
• Add Chicken stock and red wine and cook for another 3-4 minutes until reduced. Add Heavy Cream and cook another minute or two. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Mash

• Cook cauliflower until tender. Mash* and add butter and cheese whip till you have the consistency of Mashed Potatoes. Fold in Cheese. *Add hot cooked cauliflower to a food processor. Add butter and cream and pulse until the consistency of mashed potatoes. Pour into serving bowl and fold in cheese.
  
• Plate the Sausage and onions and the gravy add ½ cups Mashed Cauliflower to the plate and serve. Garnish with Parsley.

Overnight Oats

• The night before you want to make the dessert, toast 1/3 cup (2 oz) of the oats in a cast iron or very heavy pan until very lightly browned- this won’t take long, so keep a close eye, as you don’t want burnt oats. Next, put these oats in a bowl and cover with 1/3 cup (3 oz) of whiskey. Cover and let stand overnight to soak.

Oats and Berries

• When you are ready to make the Cranachan, toast the second batch (1/4 cup) of oats, exactly the same as you did the first ones. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Now, choose a few choice raspberries to decorate the tops and set them aside.
• Crush the rest of the raspberries in a bowl, with a spatula or fork, (just a bit, we’re not making jam) 🙂
• This is the part that is different: sprinkle the raspberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of whisky. Mix well and set aside.
• Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, then add the other 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of the whiskey. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Next, gently fold in the whiskey-soaked oats.

Assembly

• At this point, we are ready to assemble the dessert. I would recommend doing this relatively close to serving time as the dessert will taste better fresh (if possible, don’t make it in the morning to serve for dinner).