I THOUGHT I should see the year out with a truly traditional chicken dish, rarely served today, but always included in Scottish cookery books. When I was a child, chicken wasn't eaten on the scale it is today, nor was it a cheap option for a quick family meal, or a dubious, deep-fried, takeaway treat. Chicken was served only on special occasions and sometimes at New Year, instead of the traditional butcher’s steak pie.
MANY of our Christmas traditions are associated with pre-Christian times, reflecting ancient Celtic festivals. These celebrations were mostly aligned with the calendar, particularly the phases of the sun, which was worshipped religiously, as were the moon and the stars. Yuletide took place around the days of the northern winter solstice, when providing light and warmth during the long hours of darkness and low temperatures would have been important to survival. Grand feasts were also enjoyed, using food and drink made from the plentiful times of harvest, prepared, preserved and stored away in readiness.
MY most useful kitchen tool is a canelle knife. Fashionable, fancy gadgets may come and go, but this is my most treasured item and perfect for a very specific job: cutting thin strips from the rind of citrus fruits. I don’t use the type of knife which makes a single cut, but one which has five little blades that dig into the zest and pull away very thin strips, avoiding the bitter pith. Fresh lemon and orange rind is one of my favourite flavourings, enhancing dishes of all kinds. If you don’t have a canelle knife, ask for one for Christmas!
MAKING shellfish bisque isn’t something you’ll do every day, but you may be planning for the festive season it is definitely worth trying. Since the mid-1980s I must have made hundreds of pots of bisque using Skye shellfish at the restaurant. Crab, lobster and prawns were the most common ingredients, but I also made one with squat lobsters, or “squatties” as they are affectionately known.
TODAY is stir-up Sunday, traditionally the day you should make your Christmas puddings, inviting family, friends and neighbours into your warm kitchen to help stir the mixture before cooking. Everyone should take a turn and make a wish while doing so. As I am not making Christmas pudding this year, I thought I'd use the day to make my own mincemeat for mince pies, as this mixture also needs plenty of strong arms to stir it well.
AS winter snow begins to cover the Highland hills, wild red deer head for lower ground. Driving through Scotland, I see many beautiful sights, often including deer discreetly camouflaged against the landscape. Whole herds can be seen peacefully grazing, usually at a safe distance. However, a single deer leaping from the roadside can prove hazardous, particularly if it is a large stag with a magnificent set of antlers. I am also conscious that wild herds have grown in number over recent years and how important it is to manage these on large and mountainous Highland estates.
CHRISTMAS cakes and puddings are traditionally prepared well in advance to give them plenty of time to mature and develop their intense flavour. Using a high proportion of dried fruits and nuts, flavoured with citrus, spices and a good measure of alcohol, these items also require long, slow baking. It is great to have everything made ahead of time, saving on last-minute preparations as Christmas and New Year arrangements descend upon all of us.
THE game season is in full swing and the dandiest bird of all is the handsome male pheasant, often seen from the roadside, pecking in recently harvested fields, or around the hedgerows laden with over-ripe berries. His female partner, although more tender and plump to eat, is dowdier in colouring and not always as visible. Rising from the undergrowth with a distinctly harsh, double squawk, these birds flap clumsily into the air, flying low; perhaps too easy a target. Driving through the Scottish countryside, there are many signs of shooting parties on open farmland, on the hunt for pheasant and partridge in particular, at this time of year.
THERE are all kinds of Scottish recipes for gingerbread, with many of them handed down through families over generations. Delectably yielding, treacly sweet and spicy all at the same time, it is an irresistible teatime treat and perfect to have on-hand in the cake tin for any guisers knocking at your door on Hallowe’en. Cut into chunky squares, or sliced as a thick slab and buttered liberally, it's glorious on a cold winter’s day. Even the smell of it baking, brought back childhood memories when I tested the recipe for this column.
