Since apparently the COVID-19 shut-in has led to unprecedented amounts of home cooking, I thought I might set aside my usual Jeremiads and offer a couple of ethnic recipes. The first is from Scotland, where I grew up, and the second from Germany, where my wife鈥檚 family originated some generations ago.
1. Clootie Dumpling
The term 鈥渃lootie鈥� derives from the old Doric word 鈥渃loot,鈥� meaning 鈥渃loth.鈥� The recipe produces the Scottish equivalent of a large plum pie, and looks good with flaming brandy on top.
Ingredients: 4 oz flour, 4 oz breadcrumbs, 4 oz shredded beef suet (I know, not for everyday use), 4 oz 鈥渕oist鈥� sugar (I have no idea what 鈥渕oist鈥� means here, but I doubt it matters), 4 oz currants, 4 oz sultanas, 4 oz raisins, 2 Tbsp molasses, 1 tsp mixed spice, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, one egg to mix, 4 Tbsp milk or more if needed.
Preparation: Mix the ingredients, adding the egg and milk until it just drops from an upturned spoon. Stir well. Scald a cloth large enough to hold the mixture and then some. A dishtowel will do, but it has to be dense enough to prevent the mixture seeping out. Cheesecloth won鈥檛 do. Rub a little extra flour over the inside of the cloth and place the cloth in a bowl. Pour in the mixture, making sure the folds of the cloth are evenly distributed (you want a nice round dumpling, not one with deep clefts.) Tie the cloth, leaving room for the dumpling to swell. Place it on a plate at the base of a pan, cover with boiling water, and boil for 2 to 3 hours. You may need to replenish the water from time to time to keep it above the pudding. When done, gently remove the cloth, taking care not to pull off the floury skin which tends to adhere to the cloth-you want a nice smooth dumpling, not a patchy one. As noted, serve with a little brandy poured and ignited at the table. The remains keep well in the fridge for several days, and can be eaten cold.
2. Corn Bread Stuffing for Turkey or other stuffable food.
Regrettably, this is usually only made at Christmas, because it requires chestnuts (however, though the canned variety will not do, the real variety is available online all year round. And don鈥檛 make the mistake a friend blundered into by using water chestnuts!) This recipe also makes more than enough stuffing for, say, a 15-lb turkey. You can either reduce the quantities, or wrap the remainder in aluminum foil and put in the oven along with the turkey an hour before it鈥檚 ready.
Ingredients: 2 cups corn meal, half tsp salt, half tsp baking soda, 1 cup finely chopped celery, 2 eggs beaten, 2聽cups buttermilk or sour milk, 2 Tbs butter melted, 1 tsp fresh sage or 2 tsp dried, 2 cups roasted chestnuts chopped (the online version are already roasted), quarter cup finely chopped onion, 1 cup hot light cream.
Preparation: Make cornbread one day ahead. Sift corn meal, salt and soda together. Combine with eggs, buttermilk and butter, and bake at 400 F for 30聽to 35 minutes. Place in fridge overnight, then bring out next day and allow to warm up) If fresh, score each chestnut with a knife (you鈥檒l need about聽20 - 25), role in a baking tin with a little oil, and roast at 325 F for 30 minutes. Then peel when cool and cut in small pieces. You need to remove not just the outer hard shell, but the inner membrane which sometimes clings on. As noted, the online variety are already roasted and need no further cooking.
Break the cornbread into smallish chunks, and mix all the ingredients except the cream together. Lastly add the cream and mix slightly. The mixture should be moist, but not runny. Yields 8 cups of dressing. Stuff the bird, and wrap any remainder in aluminum foil, adding to the oven an hour before the bird is ready. Paint the bird with melted butter, sprinkle with Kosher or sea salt (don鈥檛 ask me why these varieties), and place in the oven at 400 F for an hour. Then reduce to 360 F until the juices run clear. Remember the stuffing will mean it takes a little longer for the turkey to cook. When I grew up, a 15 lb turkey would take 5 hours to cook (12 X 20 minutes per pound.) But these were tougher old birds. Today a 15 pounder should take maybe three hours, or even less.
The critical ingredient here that makes this stuffing exceptional is the chestnuts. Can鈥檛 do without them, though you can add a few additional for luck.
Enjoy.
