Frosty paws and a kitchen full of cinnamon
At Meg’s Table
There’s a slightly ridiculous amount of tissue paper in my HQ kitchen this week. Add a pile of cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices, and Meg’s Scottish Kitchen HQ is looking decidedly like Santa’s grotto. I’ve spent the past two days making up Christmas hampers to take into Made in Argyll in Oban on Thursday, and I’m enjoying every bit of it.
After more than thirty years in hospitality, my Christmas clock runs a little differently. In July I’m thinking about menus. In September it’s mincemeat, Christmas cakes and puddings. Then the diary starts filling up and, before I know it, I’m wondering where November went.
Since we moved to Dalavich, I’ve found there’s room to enjoy the build-up. I still like getting the mincemeat made early, but I also like having time to stand back and admire a kitchen full of dried oranges before I clear it all away to make supper.
The rhubarb hasn’t read the calendar
Bella and Bracken seem to think a frosty morning improves every smell in the forest. A stretch of path we’ve walked plenty of times suddenly requires a thorough investigation. I’m happy to let them take their time. With the last leaves coming down and the colours here in Argyll still putting on a show, there’s plenty for me to look at while they get on with whatever it is they’re doing.
Back home, Simon’s been getting the garden ready for winter. The peonies and delphiniums are cut back and most of the garden is settling down for a rest. The rhubarb, which clearly hasn’t read the calendar, is already sending up new shoots.
This Saturday 7 November, Dalavich is having its community bonfire, with fireworks and refreshments. I’m making bags of cinder toffee for those braving the cold. Simon will represent us at the bonfire, and I’ll be at home with the dogs. A quiet evening in with a bowl of something warm sounds just right to me, especially after a walk that leaves your cheeks tingling long after you’ve come indoors.
Cinder toffee for Bonfire Night
Call it honeycomb or cinder toffee, the best moment is when the caramel suddenly foams up in the pan. Have your tin lined before you start. Once the bicarbonate goes in, you’ll want to move straight away.
Makes about 250 g ·
Prep 5 minutes ·
Cook 8–12 minutes ·
Set about 1 hour
Ingredients
200 g caster sugar
5 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted
Method
Line a deep 20 cm square tin with baking parchment. Measure out the bicarbonate and set it beside the hob.
Put the sugar and golden syrup in a deep, heavy-based saucepan. Warm gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and let it bubble without stirring until it reaches 150°C on a sugar thermometer and turns a deep golden amber.
Take the pan off the heat. Add the bicarbonate and whisk briskly just until it disappears into the caramel. The mixture will rise quickly. Pour it into the lined tin straight away and let it spread on its own. Keep little hands clear of the pan and tin while the caramel is hot.
Leave to cool completely, then break into rough shards. Pack into small bags on the day or keep in an airtight tin somewhere cool and dry.
From my kitchen
Granulated sugar works if that’s what you have. Give it a little longer to dissolve over gentle heat before bringing it to the boil. Save the crumbs for sprinkling over vanilla ice cream, or dip the larger pieces in whatever chocolate you have tucked away.
Slow-cooked lamb tagine with apricots and cinnamon
It might seem a long way from a cold walk in Argyll to a Moroccan-inspired supper, but cinnamon, ginger and dried apricots are just what I want when the evenings draw in. The apricots soften into the sauce, and a squeeze of lemon at the end lifts the whole pot. I especially like it with carrots, which take on the flavour of the lamb as they cook.
Serves 6
Prep 20 minutes
Cook about 2–2½ hours
Ingredients
1 kg boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 4 cm chunks
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
2 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
250 ml lamb, chicken or vegetable stock
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thick chunks
120 g dried apricots, halved
1 x 400 g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ lemon, juiced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A handful of chopped coriander or flat-leaf parsley, if you have it
Method
Heat the oven to 160°C conventional / 140°C fan / Gas 3. Pat the lamb dry and season it. Heat the oil in a lidded casserole and brown the lamb in batches, transferring each batch to a plate.
Lower the heat and cook the onions in the same casserole for 8–10 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic, spices and tomato purée and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and stock, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
Return the lamb and its juices to the casserole. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hours.
Stir in the carrots, apricots and chickpeas. Cover and cook for another 35–50 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the lamb pulls apart easily with a fork. If you’d like a thicker sauce, simmer it uncovered on the hob for a few minutes.
Finish with lemon juice, taste for seasoning and scatter over the herbs. Serve with fluffy couscous, rice or warm flatbreads to scoop up the sauce.
Make it with what you have
Swap the apricots for pitted dates or a good handful of raisins. Butter beans can stand in for chickpeas, and chunks of swede or parsnip can go in with the carrots. A stock cube is perfectly fine. Taste before adding any extra salt at the end.
A small kitchen habit worth keeping
Before you buy another jar of spices, open the ones you have and give them a sniff. If they still smell good, fry a pinch in the oil for your next batch of carrot soup. Cumin and ginger are especially good together, and a spoonful of yoghurt and a little lemon make a lovely finish.
A few dates for your kitchen calendar
Sunday 15 November, 2–4 pm · Comfort Cooking at Dalavich Social Club.
Come along to my free community cookery demonstration, It’s Time to Coorie In. I’ll share some of my favourite ways to make everyday suppers easier, from sticky Moroccan chicken to little raspberry and lemon curd trifles. You’ll taste all seven dishes and take the recipes home. The Dalavich Social Club is hosting, with funding from The River Avich Open Source Community Benefit Fund. Spaces are limited, so book your free place now
Sunday 22 November · Christmas market at Dalavich Social Club. Do come and say hello if you’re nearby.
Sunday 6 December · Oban Farmers Market at the Corran Hall. We’ll be in Oban for our second market in the run-up to Christmas.
A little less cooking on Christmas Day
Our Christmas Heat & Eat menu is ready to browse. You can pick out a few extras, such as duck fat roast potatoes and apple and cider mince pies, or put together a whole meal with pancetta-wrapped turkey or a lentil and chestnut Wellington. I’ve planned the dishes that need the oven around one temperature and included instructions, so you can spend more of the day with the people you’re feeding.
And for the November evenings when you’d rather put your feet up after that last dog walk, there’s always the everyday Heat & Eat menu, with favourites like cottage pie and chicken dhansak. You’ll find both menus on the Meg’s Scottish Kitchen website.
If you’re already thinking about small gifts for the cooks in your life, my books, My Spring Kitchen and My Kitchen Feasts, are both available on Amazon. And if you make the cinder toffee, I’d love to see a photo of the moment you break it open. Tag Meg’s Scottish Kitchen, or reply and tell me what you remember eating on Bonfire Night. I’m always curious about the little food traditions that stick with us.
If you ever come home with a lovely bunch of leeks and wonder what to do with them, come and have a browse on the Meg’s Scottish Kitchen website. I share seasonal recipes, ideas for what’s good to cook right now and little tips from my kitchen to make supper easier. Have a look when you’re planning the week’s meals, or put the kettle on and find something you’d like to cook at the weekend.
Keep warm & Coorie in,
Meg x
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