‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Cullen Skink with Anchovy Puff Pastries

I first shared this recipe for Christmas 2020 – yes, during those Covid days, how time flies! Cullen Skink is a great soup to serve over the festive season. It’s quite light, so it makes a good starter for a festive meal. And, if you want to make it really special, do serve it with ‘Anchovy Puff Pastries’. In fact, these little pastry puffs are fantastic as a canapé with a glass of champagne!..

Cullen Skink (Serves 4)

Cullen Skink is a Scottish recipe from the village of Cullen in the Highlands, which is the home of finnan haddock  (a local smoked haddock), the traditional ingredient of this soup. ‘Skink’ means ‘essence’, so in other words this soup is the ‘Essence of Cullen’. It is a completely satisfying soup with an elegant air, thus it as at home on a fancy dinner table served to guests, as it is served to family members for a casual midweek meal. I recommend that you serve this soup with Anchovy Puff Pastries (recipe here)

350g potatoes (such a Maris Piper), peeled and cut into pieces

350g smoked haddock fillet

1 medium onion, diced

25g butter

425ml milk

150ml single cream

1 rounded tablespoon parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Put the potato pieces in a pan of cold, salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and mash.
  2. Put the haddock in a saucepan with 425ml of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-10 minutes until it is cooked. Lift out the fish, discard the skin and any bones (strain and reserve the cooking liquid). Flake the fish into large pieces.
  3.  Wipe out the saucepan, use it to cook the diced onion in the butter over a low heat for about 4-5 minutes until soft. Then add the reserved cooking liquid and mashed potato, cook over a medium heat, stirring to incorporate the potato.
  4. Reduce the heat, slowly add the milk and then the fish. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Stir in the cream and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Ladle into bowls and serve with the hot anchovy puff pastries (recipe here).

Anchovy Puff Pastries

These Anchovy Puffs are a recipe which you will definitely thank me for, they are absolutely delicious, not just with Cullen Skink, but also as canapés with a glass of champagne! The combination of the cold, salty ice cream inside the hot puff pastries is divine. I have recently discovered ‘Jus Roll’ gluten free puff pastry, and I must say I was very impressed with it, so if you are gluten free, you can still enjoy these delicious puffs…in fact the Anchovy Puffs pictured above were made with it!

They are very easy to make, the ice cream is not ‘proper’ ice cream so does not need stirring – you just mix and freeze! The puff pastries can be frozen – just defrost and reheat before serving.

1 egg yolk

60g cream cheese

120ml double cream, lightly whipped

25g anchovy fillets, drained and chopped

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry (gluten free if required)

1 egg, beaten

1-2 tablespoons of porridge oats

A little flour of rolling (gluten free if required)

  1. In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg yolk until creamy. Whisk in the cream cheese and then stir in the lightly whipped double cream, chopped anchovies, cayenne pepper and parsley. Transfer to a shallow container and freeze for about 2 hours until hard (there is no need to stir this ice cream).
  2. On a lightly floured surface unroll the pastry. Using a 3” round cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Then take a small knife and ‘knock up’ the edges of the pastry to encourage rising. Chill for 30 minutes before baking.
  3. Brush the pastry circles with the beaten egg and sprinkle with some porridge oats. Bake in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, for 7-10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed.
  4. Remove the pastries and whilst still hot split them in half across the middle and spoon the anchovy ice cream into each.
  5. Serve straight away either with the Cullen Skink (recipe here) or as canapés with a glass of champagne!

Tuesday Treat

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Raspberry & Pomegranate Roulade

Any roulade is a favourite dessert of mine, however, this one is particularly good! The cream filling is cut with Greek yoghurt, in addition there’s the fresh zing from lemon zest and the tartness of raspberries and pomegranate seeds. With added ground almonds, the meringue roulade is slightly more cake-like but still very light. Like all roulades this is best eaten fresh!

4 large egg whites

225g caster sugar

50g ground almonds

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cornflour

For the filling:

350ml double cream

160g strained full-fat Greek-style yogurt

Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons icing sugar, plus more to dust

100g raspberries

130g pomegranate seeds

For the topping:

1-2 tablespoons shelled, unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped

*You will need a 30x20cm Swiss roll tin, lined with baking parchment (alternatively you could draw a rectangle, 30x20cm, on piece of baking parchment placed on a baking tray).

  1. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar, whisking in a few tablespoons at a time until it has all been used up and you have stiff, glossy meringue. Gently fold in the almonds lemon juice and cornflour.
  2. Spoon the meringue into the prepared tin and use a spatula to smooth out.
  3. Bake in a preheated oven, 150’c fan, for 30 minutes, until firm on top and slightly golden.
  4. Meanwhile tear off another piece of baking parchment of the same size and lay it on a clean work surface – you’ll need this to roll the meringue when it’s cooked.
  5. Whisk the cream, yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and icing sugar in a bowl to a thick cream. Place half the berries in a bowl and use a fork to mash, to create pools of juice.
  6. When the meringue is cooked, turn it out onto the fresh piece of baking parchment you prepared earlier. Gently peel off the parchment from the base of the meringue and leave to completely cool (this will take about 10 minutes).
  7. When the meringue is cold, spoon the cream over it, reserving a couple of tablespoons for decoration. Sprinkle over most of the pomegranate seeds, reserving 2 spoonfuls for decoration, and scatter over the whole raspberries and crushed berries, swirling the juices with the end of the spoon so that you have bright pink streaks running through it.

December 2025

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One word – Christmas! So without further ado, here are two recipes that should make your life a little easier during the busy festive season.

Menu One is ‘Lamb, Date & Chilli Stew’ from the cookbook Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour. Don’t be put off by the mention of chilli as this stew is very mild, plus the dates give it a moreish sweetness; it’s suitable for all taste buds, young and old. Doubled or even tripled, it’s a good option for feeding a crowd, and in addition, it can be frozen. What’s not to like?! Menu Two is ‘Courgette, Pea & Ricotta’ Lasagne from chef/food writer, Nina Parker. Lasagne is always a good option for entertaining, as it can be prepared in advance and then just put in the oven when your guests arrive. Even better, this one is super easy as you don’t have to ‘faff’ around making a béchamel sauce, instead you just whip ricotta with grated cheese. It’s vegetarian, so is a good option for vegetarian guests or simply for those who have had their fill of meat over the festive season.

Merry Christmas to you all!

(Watch out for my Christmas treat next week – it will be perfect for your celebratory table!)

Menu One

Lamb, Date & Chilli Stew (Serves 4-6)

From the cookbook Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour, this stew will please most taste buds; the chilli is a very mild addition, it simply rounds off the dish by cutting the sweetness off the dates. Serve with rice or couscous.

Vegetable oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

800g boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1.5cm cubes

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or ½ teaspoon if you’re less brave)

4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly bashed but kept whole

250g best-quality dates (I use Medjool), pitted and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the base of the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add the lamb and spices and stir well to coat the lamb in them, then season generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Add garlic cloves and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Now stir in the dates, followed by the vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly.
  3. Pour over enough boiling water to generously cover the contents of the pan. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure it isn’t sticking on the bottom.
  4. Check the liquid volume, topping with water if necessary, and check and adjust the seasoning to taste, then cook uncovered for another hour or so until the meat is beautifully tender. Serve with rice or couscous.

Menu Two

Courgette, Pea & Ricotta Lasagne (Serves Four)

This lasagne from chef/food writer Nina Parker, is super easy as you don’t have to ‘faff’ around making a béchamel sauce, instead you just whip ricotta with grated cheese.

350g lasagne pasta sheets (gluten-free if required)

For the filling:

3 tbsp olive oil

3 medium courgettes, sliced into 3cm chunks

350g cherry tomatoes, halved

400g tinned chickpeas (1 tsp bicarbonate of soda)

6 garlic cloves, diced

200g frozen peas

Small bunch fresh basil, roughly chopped

2 buffalo mozzarella balls, torn into 3cm pieces.

For the tomato sauce:

2 tins of plum tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, grated,

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp sugar,

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional).

For the ricotta sauce:

45g melted butter

150g Grana Padano, plus about 20g extra for grating over the top

500g ricotta cheese,

Lots of grated nutmeg to taste

Zest of 1 lemon and a small squeeze of juice,

Salt + pepper

170ml whole milk

Extra olive oil and grated cheese for the topping

  1. Grease a 25cmx33cm baking dish with a spoon of oil.
  2. Pour the chickpeas with the tin water into a bowl and top with extra water to completely cover. Mix in 1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and leave while the courgettes cook.
  3. Set a large saucepan over a medium-to-high heat with 3 spoons of olive oil. Add the chopped courgettes and tomatoes. Season with salt & pepper, cover (leaving a gap) and cook for 10 mins. Mix every so often. Stir in the 6 cloves of chopped garlic and cook for another 5 mins. Wash the chickpeas under cold water, drain and add to the pot. Season and simmer for another 5 mins. Stir in the peas and basil.
  4. Put all the tomato sauce ingredients into a blender and blitz for 20 secs until smooth.
  5. Add all ingredients for ricotta sauce into a bowl and beat together for 20 seconds.
  6. Spread a few spoons of the tomato sauce across the baking dish and top with one layer of lasagne, followed by more tomato sauce. Add half of the courgette mix, top with 1 ball of mozzarella, grated cheese, 1/3 of the ricotta sauce, and salt & pepper. Repeat once. Finally, top with more pasta, the last 3rd of the ricotta sauce, grated cheese, seasoning and olive oil.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 40/45 mins in the middle of the oven.
  8. Eat straight away with extra cheese!

Cocktail of the Month

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The Australian Fig Leaf (Serves 1)

Earlier this year, my son visited Australia. Whilst there, he enjoyed a version of this cocktail. On his return, we had lots of fun perfecting the recipe. I think this will be as good as it gets and believe me, it’s very good!.. Cheers Felix!

30ml vodka

20ml sake

15ml fig leaf liqueur

20ml lemon juice

10ml sugar syrup

15ml egg white

A handful of ice

  1. Shake the ingredients except for the ice (‘dry shake’), then strain back into the shaker and shake again with the ice (‘wet shake’).
  2. Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy!

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Lamb Fricassée (Serves 4-6)

Here’s a recipe which I first shared back in 2021…

This is a beautiful, mustardy lamb dish; a wonderful comforting recipe which is simply prepared on the stove. This dish is even better reheated, when the flavours have had time to develop, so it’s worth making ahead of time if you can. It’s delicious served simply with rice or alternatively with roasted potatoes, also some green beans on the side would be good!…

900g lean lamb (leg steak or boned chump chops) cut into cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

250ml lamb or chicken stock

150ml dry white wine

3 tablespoons baby gherkins, chopped

3 tablespoons capers in brine, rinsed and drained

2 sprigs rosemary

1 generous tablespoon Dijon mustard

30g chilled butter, diced

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Add the oil to a large frying pan and fry the lamb in two batches over a high heat, stirring for 5-8 minutes, until browned all over. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen roll.
  2. Reduce the heat and add the onion and garlic to the pan, fry, stirring for 5 minutes until softened. Pour in the stock and wine, bring to a simmer.
  3. Return the lamb to the pan with the gherkins, capers and rosemary. Stir, then partially cover, cook for 30 minutes on a low heat so that it is barely simmering.
  4. Remove the lamb and set aside, discard the rosemary. Turn up the heat and allow the sauce to bubble to about 3 minutes to reduce a little. Stir in the butter and mustard, taste and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Return the lamb to the pan, reduce the heat and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
  6. Serve with rice or roast potatoes and green beans.