Modern Recipes

Poached chicken and summer vegetables salad with Ayrshire potatoes We have certainly had a considerably better than average summer in Scotland this year so far, with many hours of bright sunshine and temperatures soaring. This means that if you have a greenhouse and/or vegetable patch or garden, you may well have a lot of salad veg ready for the table. This recipe is an easy, tasty and healthy suggestion for using homegrown lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or any similar ingredient you wish. Final preparations are made to chicken for poaching Ingredients (Serves Four) 1 free range, organic chicken 2 red onions 1 large carrot 1 mild green chilli pepper 1 mild red chilli pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 2 bay leaves Salt and black pepper 2 pounds (900g) baby Ayrshire new potatoes 3 free range, organic eggs 2 small lettuces 2 medium tomatoes 1/2 medium to large cucumber Wedge of unsalted Scottish butter Scattering of dried dill Chicken poaching vegetable accompanim...

Food stalls in Glasgow's Merchant City Commonwealth Games fan zone This short special feature sees me taking a wander through Glasgow's Merchant City, one of the designated "live sites" or "fan zones" for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The visit took place yesterday (Thursday) morning when I had occasion to visit Glasgow. I had a very short amount of spare time in the City Centre so I decided to take a brief look at what the Merchant City was offering in food terms before proceeding to where I had to be.   Commonwealth Games fan zone in Glasgow's Merchant City So what was I expecting/hoping to find? I was expecting to find a wide variety of foods from around the world, to offer variety and choice for visitors. Even at what was barely 10am, I certainly wasn't disappointed in that respect. Non-Commonwealth countries like France, Italy and Spain were especially well represented, which I perhaps found a little bit surprising. The foods on offer though larg...

Scottish cheddar cheese, tomato and onion open toastie This simple creation is based on a lunch I remember my Dad used to prepare on summer weekends when I was a child. He used tomatoes from his greenhouse, onions from his garden, Scottish cheddar cheese and ordinary sliced white bread to make the open topped toasties. I've largely remained true to that recipe with the significant difference being the bread I have used. This is a Granary Hob freshly made in the bakery department of my local supermarket. If you're looking for a simple, quick and fairly nutritious summer lunch, why not give this a try? Granary cob loaf Ingredients per Toastie Thick slice of granary bread (or similar) 1 medium tomato, sliced 2 or 3 slices from half a peeled white onion Slices of Scottish cheddar cheese as required Salt and black pepper Freshly chopped parsley to garnish Tomato, onion and Scottish cheddar cheese Directions Toast the bread on one side only under your grill (broiler). Granary cob sli...

Scotch shin of beef and root vegetables stew Beef stew of one type or another is not only hugely popular in Scotland but in a great many countries around the world. The beef stew I recall when I think back to my childhood was similar to the filling for a traditional Scottish steak pie. Stewing beef and sausages were the main ingredients, with carrot and onion usually added as well as that old British family favourite instant gravy, Bisto.  This recipe is different firstly in the sense that I am using shin of beef. This is a cut of beef which often knows an unfortunate reputation as being fatty and tough. It is indeed both if it's not cooked properly but when slowly stewed in the method described below, it is succulent and delicious. I've also used an increased number of vegetables and although I would normally use homemade beef stock, I have here kept it ultra-rustic and used simply water. Shin of beef and root vegetables for stew Ingredients (Serves Two) 3/4 pound (330g) appro...

A hard boiled duck egg is served with cheese, oatcakes and a simple salad Salad is an ugly word for many people. Images may be conjured up of a plate of limp, brownish lettuce, soggy tomatoes (or even worse - under-ripe!) and shrivelled slices of cucumber. The truth is of course that salad is a term which covers an endless list of possibilities and salads can be made to contain any number of ingredients. The conventional salad element of this dish is basic but the ingredients are of a high quality and are served with three classic Scottish food products. Fresh duck eggs I honestly can't understand why duck eggs are not more popular and widely available. I think they provide a really tasty alternative to chicken eggs and the truth is that duck egg recipes can be adapted from virtually any dish which calls for chicken eggs. I'm very lucky in that I can regularly find fresh duck eggs in my local fishmonger's (Strathclyde Seafoods on Hill Street in Wishaw) but the fact that I ...