weecook recipes

Ingredients (Serves 2-4) 

• 1 Pair of Arbroath smokies (skin and bones removed)
• 4-5 tablespoons crème fraîche
• Zest of half a lemon, plus its juice (reserve the other half for slicing and serving)
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill, chives, tarragon or any combination 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Additional snipped chives or spring onion, tarragon leaves and/or dill for garnish
• Some homemade bread or oatcakes 

Method

1. Flake the smokie flesh into a bowl, then combine with the remaining ingredients, except the lemon juice and bread/oatcakes, reserving a few of the spring onions or chives. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the lemon juice to taste. At this point you can either leave in the bowl and serve spoonfuls on plates or spoon into ramekins to serve. Leave to chill for at least 2 hrs or overnight
2. Slice and toast bread in a pan and serve warm with lashings of soft smokie rillettes pasted on top and a squeeze of fresh lemon! 

 Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• Pair of Arbroath Smokies (bones and skin picked and separated from the flesh )
• 2 Limes • 100-150g soft dark brown sugar
• 1 bunch spring onions thin sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes 
• 1 teas spoon of fresh ginger sliced and smashed (or 1 heaped teaspoon of dry ginger)
• 1 litre water#
• 2 Chicken stock bullion/stock cubes   
• 400g Rice or egg medium noodles (pre cooked and cooled)
• Soy sauce (to taste)   
• Fish sauce (to taste)
• Fresh red chilli thin sliced & coriander to garnish 

Method

1. Place the smokie bones & smokie skin in a large pan with cold water and bring to a boil and then a simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add half the spring onions, the ginger, the garlic, the chilli flakes, the chicken stock and the brown sugar to the pan and simmer for another 5-10 mins
3. Put the remaining spring onions, noodles and Arbroath smoke flash in a bowl or big mug, use a strainer to carefully ladle the hot broth into the bowl or mug then garnish with some coriander and fresh chilli  

Ingredients (Serves 2-4) 

• Venison minute steaks of haunch steaks 
• Scottish rapeseed oil for dressing and frying#
• Fresh parmesan or grana padano fine grated
• 1 cloves of garlic, thin sliced
• Truffle oil 
• Cracked black pepper
• Sea salt 
• Red cabbage very thin sliced
• 1 Raw beetroot (washed and peeled and grated) 
• 1 red onion very thin sliced 
• 1 apple cut into very thin matchsticks
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges 
• Dijon mustard 

Method 

1. Let the steaks rest and come to room temperature before cooking 
2. Mix some red cabbage, beetroot, red onion and apple in a bowl with a squeeze of the juice from 2 lemon wedges. Add salt and pepper and 1/2 a teaspoon of dijon and a dash of rapeseed oil and set aside to marinate whilst you cook the venison. 
3. Pre heat a frying pan to a high heat, rub the venison steaks with oil then season with salt all over and flash fry each side for 30-45 seconds in the hot pan. 
4. Remove venison rom the pan and set aside on a chopping board and season with black pepper then leave to rest for 5 minutes. 
5. Using a very sharp knife, slice the seared version extra thin and place onto serving plates, drizzle a little truffle oil onto the venison, add lashings of grated parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice then add some of the raw slaw as a garnish and serve.  

Ingredients (makes 8-12 biscuits)

• 250g unsalted butter 
• 375g plain flour 
• 1 large egg yolk 
• 380g icing sugar 
• 5ml of vanilla essence 
• Edible cake sprinkles 

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 190 or 170 degrees C if you have a fan oven. Put silicone mats or non stick baking paper onto 2 baking trays. 
2. In a big bowl mix 140g of the icing sugar, the butter, flour, egg, vanilla and mix until you have firm dough. You can also do this bit in a food processor, just pulse until all the ingredients are mixed together properly into a good dough. 
3. Portion the dough into 3 or 4 bits, flatten and wrap in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4. When ready roll the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin until it is evenly 6-7mm thick. Use your favourite Christmas shape cutter dipped in flour to cut out your biscuits.
5. Use the small end of a piping nozzle to pierce a hole in the top of your Christmas shape (not too near the edge)! Place the biscuits on the trays and bake for 12 minutes until a light golden colour. When they’re ready gently put them on a wire rack to cool before decorating them.
6. Mix the remaining 250g icing sugar with a teaspoon at a time of boiling water until you have a thick icing you can pour, spoon or pipe onto your biscuits with. Add a scattering of festive sprinkles if you like. 
7. Finally loop a piece of festive ribbon or string through your biscuits and if they last long enough give them as a gift or decorate your tree with them. Alternatively reward yourself for your hard work and eat them all