The Chef's Cookbook

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History of Scottish Dishes

April 5th, 2012 user

guest blogger

When you think of Scotland and food, what comes to mind? Chances are it’s mutton or cheese or perhaps haggis. Whatever images you might conjure up, when you vacation in the Scottish countryside it’s time to set aside your eating inhibitions and eat like the locals do. Let’s take a look at Scottish dishes then and now.

The Origins of Scottish Food

Being a country surrounded by water, it’s only natural that the first dishes Scots prepared came from the ocean and rivers – fish. But man doesn’t live on fish alone, when agriculture concerns made it to Scotland, easy-to-grow oats quickly became a staple. Oats were often served as a hot cereal or in bread.

Because of its ideal climate and geographical features, Scotland was a natural place to raise food animals. Sheep were used for food and dairy cows provided plentiful sources for cheese. Root vegetables were easy to grow and store, although potatoes didn’t show up as the carbohydrate on a Scot’s plate until the eighteenth century or so. Native herbs were used to flavor hearty stews, often served with rustic bread.

Haggis is perhaps the most famous food of Scotland. In the old days, nothing went to waste and because many Scots were mobile, they needed a food they could easily carry with them. Meat scraps and intestines were ground up with any leftovers and cooked inside of a sheep or pig stomach and thus the Scottish tradition of making haggis was born. Besides haggis, a mixture of leftovers was often fried together to make stovies.

Scottish Dishes Today

While you can still find haggis sold throughout Scotland, this traditional dish is now joined by many modern ones. One thing that hasn’t changed much is the type of meal many Scots enjoy; you’re still apt to find a big plate at dinner time filled with meat and lots of carbohydrates. Fish and cheese are still popular, too.

For the adventurous diner, a plate of black pudding is a de rigueur Scottish dish. It is made from pig’s blood and oatmeal – two staples of Scotland’s cuisine – often battered and deep fried and covered in brown sauce.

Don’t forget to top off your meal with a Scottish dessert of shortbread. Made almost entirely of butter and sugar, this is not a light dessert – but a tasty one, certainly! While you’re browsing the aisles of the local market, you might also run across a Tunnock Teacake. Go ahead and indulge in this unique Scottish treat.

When you visit Scotland why not take the advice of the old adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” or, in this instance, do as the Scots do. Take a culinary walk on the wild side and prepare some traditional Scottish fare in your cozy rental cottage.

Images: Scottish sheep (Roger Wollstadt)/Haggis, neeps and tatties (Alex Bowyer)/Flickr

About the Author

If you’re looking for a place to stay when visiting Scotland, Sharon invites you to check out Perthshire self-catering accommodation from Cottages and Castles.

5 Healthy And Unique Breakfast Foods

April 4th, 2012 user

TheSaltyChef

We find all sorts of excuses for not eating breakfast. Waking up too late to cook, being too sleepy to eat so early, or just plain forgetting are some of the more common ones. We also tend to find all sorts of excuses for eating breakfast, but a rather unhealthy one.

The heavy, fat-filled foods that make up most common breakfast foods aren’t the only addicting options that can have you saying yum. With the following recipes, it looks like you’re going to have to get a new book of excuses for why you’re not having a delicious breakfast every day, and your cereal bowl might get a break.

1. Sweet Potatoes mashed with almond butter and cinnamon

Sweet potatoes are quick to make, keep well in the fridge for a few days, and have a versatile, unique taste. As if that wasn‘t enough, sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest things you can eat. They‘re packed full of vitamins and antioxidants, such as vitamins B, C, and A, as well as fiber. Mixing sweet potatoes with a little bit of almond butter and cinnamon makes for a filling, sweet, protein-rich treat that will hold off your hunger until lunch.

To prepare the sweet potatoes, you can either boil them in water for about 20 minutes, or microwave them. If microwaving them, make sure to puncture the skin of each potato a few times with a fork and cook on high for 4-5 minutes for the first potato and an additional 2-3 minutes for each extra potato. This can be done the night before and the cooked potato refrigerated in order to save time in the morning if you wish.

If the potatoes are refrigerated, heat them up before adding the almond butter and cinnamon. This will help the butter spread and melt and will just taste better. After heating the potatoes up, add enough almond butter (probably 2 tablespoons or so) to lightly flavor the potatoes and sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon.

There really aren’t many rules to this recipe. Feel free to use whole sweet potatoes cut open with the almond butter placed inside, sliced medallions of potatoes, mashed, or even something like a french fry style cut.

2. Tofu Scramble

This classic high-protein recipe couldn’t get any easier or versatile. Just take some lightly firm tofu and a ton of vegetables of your choice and put them in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil and cook at medium heat until everything is a bit browned and cooked. Try using mushroom, spinach, onions, broccoli, green and red peppers for starters if you’re not sure what to use.

Different renditions on this recipe include adding curry spices, while others stick to just salt and pepper. The scramble can be eaten straight from skillet to plate, but putting the scramble into a wrap, burrito-style, makes for a convenient portable breakfast with some added fiber and carbohydrates.

For a more Asian infused scramble, try adding some sesame seeds and a little bit of chopped ginger and soy sauce. Go wild and throw your favorite veggies in with the tofu, and the rest is breakfast history.

3. Steel cut oats with fruit

Steel cut oats are full of fiber and have a delicious nutty flavor. They take a bit longer to cook than regular oats, but are well worth the wait. If you want to make this for breakfast but are worried about the required 25-30 minute cooking time, consider making them the night before or earlier in the week, storing them sealed tightly in your fridge, and reheating the oats as you want them. While they won’t taste as great as they do when they’re freshly cooked and piping hot, they’ll still be delicious.

Or, consider letting them cook while you’re in the shower or getting ready for work or other plans and eat them right before you leave your house. This will help keep you full for longer into the day.

Ready to give it a try? Use 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt for every 1 cup of steel cut oats. Boil the water and slowly stir in the oats. Cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes.

Add whatever type of fruit you’d like as the last step. Fresh sliced strawberries drizzled with agave, or blueberries sprinkled with powdered sugar are both great options. If peaches are in season, try some sliced peaches for a unique tangy flavor.

4. Peanut butter and fruited fruit

This is one of the healthiest and fastest recipes for a breakfast that there will ever be. Ready for it? Just take a banana, slice it down its length into two pieces and spread peanut butter down the length of each half. Put raisins, dried cranberries (or goji berries) and nuts such as almonds or walnuts all over the peanut butter. Pick up and eat. Even kids will love this one. The end.

5. Green smoothie

If you have a blender, Vitamix, or smoothie maker, there’s really no excuse to not have the time to make a green drink for breakfast. Keep a bunch of pre-chopped fruits and vegetables in a container or bag in your fridge and in the morning, reach in and pull out a mix, throw it in your blender with some water, and enjoy. Some of the best fruits and veggies to mix together at once include a mix of avocado, kale, apple, pear, agave, flax seeds, broccoli, carrot, spinach, strawberries and a few blueberries.

With smoothie drinks, don’t get hung up on recipes and measurements. After awhile you’ll naturally learn to figure out what ingredients work well together and what ones might not be the best at mingling, and just how much of each to use.

The important thing is to use organic, fresh ingredients, and make sure to start your day off with a healthy boost of energy.

Carrie Thompson works for ViJuvenate, a website selling organic foods such as organic cacao powder.

Yucatan Mexican Cuisine & Recipes – Only the Freshest Fish Vegetables Fruit

April 3rd, 2012 user

TheSaltyChef

Recipes and cookery are part of every land’s culture. This is one distinguishing trait that any place can be proud off. In Yucatan Peninsula, the beautiful and exotic panorama reverberates with its rich-tasting, unusual and fine dishes. The taste of Yucatecan dishes is described by flavor that is a result of onions and venison, tomato and corn, turkey and pork, annatto and sweet potato, and the habanero pepper as well as honey. Most of the cookery in Yucatecan was a result of their strong association with their ancestors. Yes, dishes prepared here is as old as the Maya civilization though there are the more modern variants which has been prepared with the influence of the cookery of the Old World as well as that of the Asian and Arabic culture.

Foods & Rich Cuisine From the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico:

Cuisine of Yucatecan is characterized by a wide array of distinct taste brought about by the mixing of the rich culinary sources in this land. Visiting this land and trying their food can bring about a fascinating sensation for one’s palate. But apart from the gastronomical fulfillment, taking in of Yucatecan food makes one a part of the place’s continuum.

Roots of the Yucatecan Cuisine – Healthy Ancient Mayan Diets with Corn It’s Bse Staple:

The root of Yucatecan cuisine can be traced back in the early Maya civilization which is complex and balanced at the same time. The healthy diet of this society was even picked as the best among the diets available in the pre-Columbian era. Corn plays a big part in the Maya diet which has been carried over till this day. Yucatecan still use corn as their staple food. Prepared as once-ground dough that can be made solid or liquid.

Mayan Dishes Had as Their Basis Large Amounts of the Freshest Fruits & Vegetables:

A considerable amount of fruits and vegetables make up the dishes of Maya. This was made possible by the wide variety of fruits and vegetables being cultivated by these people which include plums, avocado, mamey, tamarinds, squash, corn, tomato, sweet potato, chaya, beans, annatto, and pumpkin seeds. Traditionally, the meat sources of Maya dishes are turkey, pork, fishes as well as small fowls. Most dishes are also served with habanera pepper as well as honey. Honey similar with corn is a very important part of Maya cuisine because of their role in sacred rituals. Honey is used to prepare the wine for rituals of Maya, the balche.

Onset of the Spanish Conquistadors – A New Era in the Development of Yucatecan Food, Cuisine & Recipes:

The onset of conquistadors entering the land marked a new era in the development of Yucatecan cuisine. Together with the new people entering the land was new culture and culinary sources. Various foodstuffs were introduced in the land that include chicken, cheese, beef, rice, and wheat bread along with new spices like vinegar black pepper, and olives. These new culinary sources made possible the invention of new dishes such as “pochero”, “potaje” “queso relleno and “brazo de reina”.

About the Author:

This was a guest article by Pinto U. Morelos, Morelos can be seen wandering around markets in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico searching for only the freshest of fish , vegetables & fruits for his passion of cooking Yucatanean & Mexican flavorful savory recipes

The M Resort, Spa & Casino IS The Best!

April 2nd, 2012 user

TheSaltyChef

As some of you may know if you read my previous articles, I have recently had to go gluten free, due to medical reasons which has been a bit challenging given the fact that I love food so much. One place that my husband and I love to frequent is The M resort in Las Vegas. We try to visit at least once per month. Three weeks ago we were there and I must say the service was amazing. We were visiting with friends and decided to go to the Studio B Buffet, which I think is the best buffet in Vegas! I simply told the manager that I needed to know what items were gluten free. About five minutes later two Chefs came out to greet me and actually took the time to walk me through the hundreds of items on the buffet so they could help me stay away from the gluten. I was amazed how nice and helpful they were. We have always had great food, service and very good experiences at The M and that is why we always come back. This time it was personal and the staff did a great job to make me feel safe and valued as a customer! I have to give a shout out to Craig, a dealer we know there too. Everyone is always so nice to us! The rooms are clear and just beautiful!

Two weeks later we went back for a weekend visit and again went to the buffet. I saw the head Chef I had met from a few weeks prior when we were there and he remembered me. He was a able to make some custom dishes that were safe for me to eat! I was so happy and the food was amazing! In April they are doing all you can eat lobster every Saturday night! Thank God lobster is gluten free because I am so there!

http://www.themresort.com/dining/studiob.html

Health Benefits of Coffee vs Tea

March 13th, 2012 user

TheSaltyChef

They have been the subject of debate for many years but in the mass reservoir of drinks out there, tea and coffee are at the top of the hill and incomparable dominance. Often seen as an innocuous social drink, they form a definitive part of our lives. Tea is almost considered a panacea as it’s always mentioned in times of crisis. Like anything else we eat or drink there has been questions raised as to the health implications connected to consuming them. We are constantly bombarded with spurious facts but which ones are credible? It’s been said that too much tea can lead to raised blood pressure and heart attacks whereas too much coffee can have a negative impact on your cholesterol and increase the risks of still births. Not a natural tea growing nation, we worship these drinks but are they our friends or foes? The infographic next sets out to form a basis of discussion as to the inherent health implications.