Hot buttered toast

There are few conventional 'branded' pit stops on the main road north (A9), and theres none that make me smile more than this one. We've been calling in here for the last 14 years enroute to Orkney.

With a menu of home cooked grub as far as the eye can see, something to please everyone! We always order the same. Hot buttered toast, 35p a round. Bargain. And, they use real butter.

Until next time, take your pit stops off the beaten track, far from branded fayre!

Happy scoffing.

Mackerel - eat it!

Now I love fish, I don't eat enough mackerel. Silly lass. This fine beastie made for a wholesome lunch then turned into fish cakes for tea and 16 Peedie cakes later, 12 ended up frozen. At £1.53 a fish, now that's frugal food. And, local. Yum.

Until next time, viva la fish. Happy scoffing.

Fantastically Frugal Brownies

Janey's brownies - quick and perfect.

Now I'm not much of a cake eater, strike me dead now, but I'm not. However, if the mood takes me, or visitors call unexpectedly, or we're on a road trip - we make these  and they are just brilliant. Nice and tasty, no faffing with melting chocolate and really really frugal too. Works every time like a charm, keep for well over a week - cost approximately £1-£1.50. 

Reduce the sugar if you like, but don't stint on the cocoa powder if you want them really chocolatey. So  possibly the most perfect brownie recipe in the world, and as its NOT mine I can claim it as utterly brilliant, its from a close friend. Enjoy - its simple quick and so tasty you'll stop faffing with other recipes which insist you melt chocolate. Not this recipe, just use cocoa powder and you're sorted if really stuck use drinking chocolate but its really not as good, you've been warned. But, if you have a brownie emergency then I understand, just crack on. It's really this simple.

I'm on a road trip later this week to collect my manchild from university. I'll be doing a batch of these - half for the trip, half for those abandoned at home. Whilst I don't like cake, brownies are a whole different ball game. I'm so grateful my chum shared this recipe.

 

Janey's Brownies (makes 24 brownies)

8oz granulated sugar

1 1/2 oz cocoa

3 oz self raising flour

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk (or water)

4 oz butter melted

(or use cooking margarine/vegetable oil, to be honest aside the thought of it, I really can't tell the difference)

Butter a tray or line a tray with foil or greaseproof paper, 20cm by 3cm, or 12" by 8".

Mix the dry ingredients, beat eggs and milk (optional you can use water).

Add melted (not hot) butter.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a wooden spoon
(not difficult, like a muffin mix, no need to over mix).

Bake for 25-30 minutes  (depending on how gooey you want them) in a preheated oven 180 o C (360 o F) oven, Gas 4-5.

Until next time, don't stint on the cocoa! Happy scoffing.

Smoked scallops, home salad & sushi rice

Pan seared smoked Orkney scallops

Pan seared Orkney smoked king scallops. Nom, I think of these as 'sea beasties', seems fitting somehow.

 

I'm not very experienced in cooking scallops, its the kind of thing I order if we're out somewhere and I see them on the menu. So, cooking these, well, its well out of my comfort zone, but I do try new things, just occasionally, especially when no one can see me mess up! However as they're not too expensive and I often see them in our local fishmongers, sometimes I get brave and I give it a go. You see, at the moment I'm home alone and eating what I please! 

Jolly's fish and local produce shop in Orkney

We've a great local fish shop here in Orkney, its quite nicely called 'Jolly's' - and its a very fine place indeed. Really lives up to its name. So that's where we get our fish. Being on an island means that fish/shellfish and alike is seasonal, local and quite nicely priced. So, its affordable weekly. We don't always have scallops, but at around £3 for a handful, they make a nice treat.

And isn't that one of the most fab signs you'll ever see?

Jolly's Fabulous Fish/Meat/Local produce shop in Kirkwall, Orkney

So having collected my scallops (these were smoked, again I've never tried these), and having read lots about cooking said 'sea beasties', I have to say although I read, I mainly ignored all the complicated stuff (especially the bit about patting dry scallops before cooking, I mean seriously WHO has the time to DRY scallops.) So my scallops looked darn fine and not too wet. Very fresh.....

Plump smoked king scallops

 The main thing seems to be a hot pan, so we dutifully obliged with a hot pan, added a knob of butter and the scallops, hey presto, two minutes each side later, they turn into these gorgeous brutes, less sea monster-ish, more yummy......

Seared Orkney scallops

These plump little hooligans were then left to rest for a minute or two whilst I heated up some pre-cooked sushi rice and chopped a bit of salad. Now I love sushi rice and find its sweet seasoned soft texture great with seared fish or shellfish like these scallops. The rice is pre-cooked and seasoned (with a seasoned rice vinegar mix - sushi-su) it doesn't need much in the way of faff, just reheat and shape to please.

Seasoned sushi rice

 A nice salad is always great with scallops the crunch of the salad goes great with the sweetness of the seafood. The lettuce is home grown too, I'm that thorough (cos I don't spend time DRYING scallops)............and I never dress salad before I eat it, just not a fan.

Home grown lettuce, tomatoes and mangetout

So scallops and rice/salad to the plate.....just time for a bit of a 'deglaze' of the scallop pan.

Seared smoked Orkney scallops with sushi rice and salad

 Basically, to my mind a 'deglaze' of a pan just means lob some liquid into a pan you've just cooked your grub in to get all those juices on your plate. So in keeping with my love of spice I put a tiny tot of my own chilli sauce in the pan and a wee glug of water - a fizz and a pop or two and hey presto a nice tangy rich sweet and spicy sauce.

Pan seared smoked scallops, salad, sushi rice with a sweet smoked chilli reduction

Just a tot mind, you don't want anything interfering with the sweet taste of a seared scallop. The smokiness of the sweet scallop perfectly compliments each other. Salad adding crunch (and you know you feel virtuous because of the 'health' aspect) and the sweet sticky sushi rice absorbs all that gorgeous flavour.

So, if indulging with something unfamiliar give it a go (preferably in private, then if its great you can wow folks at a later date). Read a bit, ignore most of it and give it a go!

 

The worst that can happen is that you burn the pan, sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone.

 

Until next time, be daring! Happy scoffing.

 

 

Comfort food

So I've been sick with a cold. My answer to any illness is to eat it into submission and that means comfort food. Cauliflower cheese. Costs pennies, tastes like heaven. This bad boy was also heavy on the mustard and horseradish lobbed into the sauce for a bit of a kick.

Until next time, don't get sick! Happy scoffing.