Cullen Skink

Best meal of 2014 so far? New Year's Day - Cullen  skink a smoked

Haddock and tattie soup. Cooked in milk with onions and a wee bit seasoning.

Delicious in a proper winters Day!

Until Next time - Happy scoffing and keep

Warm!

Don't forget about your local

Homey classics......what happens who the family land and you've only a few bits in - SOUP!

Home grown

Home grown - tatties. Nothing tastes better. Boiled, butter or olive oil. Pepper/salt to taste. Yum. OK so I have enough tatties to sink a battle ship and lob like snow balls if I wish. Does life get any better.

Whatever's great to eat in your patch or at your local market I hope you enjoy it - happy scoffing!

The Tapas Bar, Broughty Ferry, Dundee

Photograph courtesy of Trip Advisor

There is a peedie door into a peedie eatery called The Tapas Bar, in The Ferry (thats Broughty Ferry, Dundee to those not from the area) which just doesn't let you know the delights that are to come. Truly delightful. I've had tapas before but not like this. The food was breathtaking, the service just perfect and the value surreal (£10-15/head). They do a set lunch menu which allows you to taste a full range of the flavours they proudly serve.

Photograph courtesy of Trip Advisor

It also means when you've popped in with a couple of pals you've not seen in ages - you don't have to fret about what to order - it just arrives as if by magic. Its a peedie place with limited tables so booking is essential. And its worth the efforts.

 

And we scoffed olives and corn nuts. Followed by goats cheese, asparagus wrapped in beatuiful cured ham,  and many other wee nibbles. The mains were a mix of skewered blackpudding, chicken and veggies, gorgeous croquettes, beautiful king prawns in garlic and chilli, potatoes with spices, skewered tiger prawns, and the most amazing crusted and seasoned pan fried Hake I've probably ever had!

 

The service fantastic mix of friendly chat and attentive explanation of the beautifully cooked foods we were served to make the visit both informative, friendly but also quite an intimate affair. Really worth a trip.

 

So if you find yourself soon to be in 'The Ferry' - book yourself a space. Its truly worth it. And, don't just take my word for it - lots of gorgeous reviews here at Trip Advisor.

 

And no pictures from me of the food - I'm sorry - I was far too busy gossiping and scoffing! One of the reasons we try often to eat so frugally at home to indulge in places like this when we can!

 

Until next time - find somewhere new your friends think is really worth booking and try something new - happy scoffing.

 

Contact details - 01382 776941

The Tapas Bar, 27 Gray Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, DD5 2BH

 

 

Cuppy egg

Boiled eggs smashed up in a cup with a wee dod of butter and a pinch of salt - utterly awesome. Always eaten as soon as it's made*, warm in the cup and perfect with soft boiled eggs.

Some childhood grub should be eaten your whole life! 

Until next time, don't forget your childhood favourites whatever they are - Happy scoffing!

 

*Hand scalding is normally essential when performing this ritual.

Pizza rice

Pizza Rice.

Often enough in 'wir' hoose, we have a quick cheap and cheerful risotto for tea. More often than not this is 'Pizza Rice' - all the joys of a pizza, in a rice. Tomatoes, veggies, cheese and tonight just a slice of lovely smoked bacon dropped in too for a bit of decadence.

 

Whilst we can use risotto rice, when making 'proper' risotto, which is lovely, if a bit costly. However like tonight, more often than not its just a cup of normal rice cooked in stock/tomatoes/fridge foraged veggies and cheese added. Super quick too.

 

Ready from scratch in less than 15 minutes, costs less than £1, probably a lot less. We buy value basmati rice and a bag lasts for ages. Everything gets lobbed in the pan at once - stirred and watched, cheese goes in right at the end. It's a really easy dish for kids to make too.

 

So that's Pizza rice - all the joy of pizza, in a hot steamy tomato-ey, cheesy rice.

 

Its a family tradition stemming from old university days when one bag of rice went a long, long way. The kids love it. Tasty too.

 

OK so we COULD call it roasted Mediterranean vegetables in a homegrown tomato infused rice with Orkney smoked bacon, scallions and cheese but who are we kidding - it's pizza rice!

 

Next time, think outside the (pizza) box - happy scoffing!

 

 

Cheap cheerful chowder

*

Now when you rush in from work like a crazy lady, never mind its also Saturday, you want something fast, filling and hot for tea. Chowder does that for me. Today's was also cheap and incredibly cheering and whilst home made in reality half of it was out of a tin from the cupboard (sweet corn).  At well under £1 for a tea to feed a few folks, its a good staple filling fodder. Soup for tea is a good way to keep those pennies working hard for you.

 

Leftover tatties cubed - around a cup 

(free as home grown)

A can of sweetcorn (325g)

(cheapest and cheerfulest range) (c35p)

A ham stock cube (or chicken) (c2-10p)

(the price range is value to posh - your choice)

Around a third to half a tub of cream cheese

(cheap and cheerfulest range) (c20p)

or cream or milk

A splosh of garlic is optional - be moderate though

 

So you lob in a stock cube into around a pint of water and start to boil. Its one of the few things I like a ham/bacon stock cube in as its cheaper than actual bacon. You can easily keep the whole dish veggie by using a veg cube. I like the hammy flavour, its a personal thing.  If you're feeling decadent add some ham or bacon. As you do this the can of corn meets its maker and gets lobbed enthusiastically into the pan. Please recycle the can, even if its just for me.

 

Next the potatoes go in and bring the mix up to the boil. If the tatties are cooked it doesn't really need cooking per se but it wants to be just at that bubbling stage. If you're using uncooked tatties - cook them out until they're soft.

 

Add the cream cheese now - you can use milk/cream but I think that whatever's to hand works. I like this as a creamy soup - but equally it would work with tomatoes.

 

To get a quick soup fix and scoffing as soon as possible I would blend this now with a hand blender - not to mush - but sort of half blended. Thickens the soup nicely and gives a good texture too. Again this is a person thing - you don't need to do it.

 

Have a slurp and season. A bit of pepper or paprika is lovely.

 

Lob into a bowl.

 

Happy cheap and cheerful in a hurry scoffing - until next time.

 

*the cheap and cheerful range is for most store cupboard things is a good spend. If you're into organic or certain brands - crack on - its your cupboards. Personally mine are stocked with cheap and cheerful where I can't tell the difference. That way I get to spend a few extra pennies on things I do like. And I do like a well stocked store cupboard - makes eating quickly a real essential.

 

PS excuse the lack of photos of the soup. Firstly it was scoffed in milliseconds. Secondly I really need to fathom how to take photos of grub in my dark kitchen especially at night.

Humble Tattie - Frugal grub

As far as instant nice grub goes, you'll not get much better than the humble tattie. Boiled, mashed, fried or baked, its one of my favourite veggies.

 

Instant grub too if quickly baked and served with some butter. Or as my favourite - with some prawns in mayonnaise with a dash of chilli sauce to give it a bit of a kick.

 

You've heard of Mr Potato Head haven't you.

I'm Ms Tattie Heid with her trusty potato hunting hound.

 

Until next time, look again at that potato you often put at the side of your meals - its the star of the show.- happy scoffing!