Chicken Stovies Traditional Scottish Food

TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH STOVIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Dice the onion and any peel and chop any extra potatoes you might need, plus a carrot if using.
• Roughly dice your beef or a substitute meat like sausages.
• Add Beef dripping or a substitute fat to a large hot pan.
• Add the onion to the hot fat in a layer, allow them to change colour but not to brown.
• Add the diced meat to the pan as a layer on top of the onions once they begin to change colour. Stir together. Note: If using Corned Beef then add at the end and stir through to warm up other than at this point.
• Add potatoes and any other vegetables to the mix, on top of the meat but do not stir together.
• If required make up your stock, adding the beef jelly to the mix and stirring to combine.
• Pour the stock into the pot. It should come to just below the top layer of vegetables so add more or less as necessary. Do not stir but leave everything in layers.
• Bring to the boil
• Once boiling turn down to a low simmer and cover.
• Cook for 45-60 minutes until the potatoes begin to soften and break down. Test them with a knife to see if they're ready.
• Season with salt and pepper. Only stir at this point, so that the onion caramelises and the potatoes break down when you stir.
• Serve with oatcakes or crusty bread.

SCOTTISH STOVIES

Steps:

• Heat the lard or butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onion and fry for 10 mins over a low-medium heat until softened. Add the swede, carrot and celery and fry for 5 mins.
• Stir in the meat, if using leftover roast lamb or beef, then the potatoes. Pour over the stock and season generously, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook covered for 1 hr 30 mins or until the vegetables have softened and the potatoes have broken down completely. If you're using corned beef, add this to the pan 20 mins before the end of cooking. Serve with oatcakes, or crusty bread

STOVIES

Steps:

• Melt the dripping and fry the onions in a large pan until translucent.
• Peel and slice the potatoes (about 1/4" thick).
• Rinse the starch out of the potatoes before adding to the pot.
• Dissolve the stock cube in the water and add to the pan.
• Cover and cook the potatoes on a medium heat for approx 40-45 minutes.
• Stir occasionally.
• When the potatoes are soft, add the corned beef and stir vigorously until the potatoes break up.
• Add gravy salt (Burdalls) to brown and season.
• Serve with oatcakes.

STOVED CHICKEN (CHICKEN CASSEROLE WITH POTATOES, BACON AND ONION

Steps:

• Heat half of the butter and the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken and bacon for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Place a thick layer of potato slices, then onion slices, in the base of a large ovenproof casserole. Season well, add the thyme and dot with half the remaining butter.
• Add the chicken and bacon, season to taste and dot with the remaining butter. Cover with the remaining onions and finally a layer of potatoes. Season and dot with butter. Pour over the stock.
• Cover and bake at 150°C (300°F) mark 2 for about 2 hours, until the chicken is tender and the potatoes are cooked, adding a little more hot stock if necessary.
• Just before serving sprinkle with snipped chives.

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CHICKEN WITH WHISKY AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub all over with salt, pepper and half the olive oil.
• Combine the remaining oil and butter in a lidded roasting pan and place over medium heat.
• When butter is foaming, place the chicken, breast side down, in the pan and brown for about 4-5 minutes, then turn and brown on the other side for the same length of time. Drain off most of the fat.
• Return the pan with the chicken to the heat and, working quickly, pour the whiskey over it and then set alight. Let the flame die down and then add the broth.
• Cover the chicken with the roasting pan lid (or tuck foil all the way around) and transfer to the oven to bake for about 45-50 minutes.
• When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board to rest.
• Drain off some of the accumulated fat and then set the pan on a medium high heat.
• Add a spoonful of water to loosen bits clinging to the bottom of the pan, and then add the cream, stirring as you do so.
• Bring to a boil and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the parsley to the sauce and keep warm.
• Section the chicken and serve the sauce at table with the chicken. Serves 4-6.
• Speyside Whisky Festival: Held each year at the beginning of May, the Speyside Whisky Festival provides opportunities to tour some of Scotland's most esteemed distilleries, meet the experts in the whisky industry and, the best part, taste some stellar malts. There is great fun to be had during the evenings, fueled by malt and music and the company of fellow whisky lovers from around Scotland and the world. Visit http://www.spiritofspeyside.com for more information.
• NOTE: The Famous Grouse blended whisky, which, by the way, includes these three whiskies in the blend: Glenrothes (for fragrance), Highland Park (for a light smokiness) and Macallan (for unmistakable richness and backbone).
• New Celtic Cooking.

BAKED SAUSAGE STOVIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease your baking dish.
• Peel and thinly slice the potatoes; peel and chop the onions.
• Dice the sausages.
• In a baking dish put a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions and a layer of sausage.
• Season to taste and sprinkle over half the herbs.
• Continue the layers until you have used up all the ingredients, ending with a layer of potatoes.
• Sprinkle on the rest of the herbs.
• Dissolve the stock cubes in 1 pint of hot water and pour into the baking dish.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.