A Lower Calorie Tribute to the Poet- Burns Night Bargains
If you want to have that Burns Night experience throughout the winter, but without the enormous calories intake can I make a little suggestion? Once upon a time I did cooking for a living, I was very young, but the habit has stuck and I do almost all the cooking in our household, and I love making soup in winter. It’s such a warmer in the dreich. So why not try your hand at neeps and tatties soup? I have a soup maker, which makes life very easy. Morphy Richards make an affordable one. But here’s the conventional way to make the soup. It’ll take you a quarter of an hour in prep, but you can make loads and freeze it. It’s a half hour cook or so.
Ingredients:
25g butter
Salt and ground black pepper
Add ¼ tsp ground coriander
Strip and chop up a stick of celery
Peel and cut into small pieces 3 medium size potatoes
Finely peel and chop ½ a medium-sized swede
Peel and slice 3 medium carrots
Add a bit grated nutmeg, not too much
A pint of milk, semi skimmed or full cream
Black Pudding, or cooked haggis broken up into pieces as your garnish
2 tbsp double cream
How to Do It
Cook the potato, swede, celery and carrot in melted butter on a low heat and cook for 5 minutes, add the coriander and cook for a further 5 minutes. Change to a saucepan if you’ve done the frying in a frying pan. Put the mix in and add water and say a pint or 400 ml, then on the hob simmer for about 15 -20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft. Add the milk and season with the pepper, salt and nutmeg.
I have a soup maker which blends automatically, but if you don’t have one put it in a blender and blend to a creamy consistency. Don’t forget to taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Keep it warm.
Then back to the frying pan and cook the haggis or black pudding for garnish, I don’t recommend white pudding for this one. Then when both are ready serve the piping hot soup with the haggis and black pudding scattered lightly on top. It’s a cracker.
Now you will have enough soup for four people and you can take a dram with this, but will you have a lovely glass to take it in?!
Well I hope so because our New Year Sale is still on and you can hook a bargain. Try our half price thistle inspired straight-sided Flower of Scotland Large Crystal Tumblers from Royal Scot Crystal. These beauties are five star reviewed.
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