NEIL'S RECIPES: CONFIT DUCK LEG WITH CROWDIE, BEETROOT AND LEAVES

“Start the prep a day before as it needs a bit of time to get right. If, like in France, we sold confit legs in the butchers then life would be a little easier. And any nice salad leaves will do, washed with a little dressing on them.”

Serves 4
Prep time - 30 minutes and overnight; cooking time - 4 hours

INGREDIENTS

4 free-range duck legs, try sourcing from a farmers’ market
150g course sea salt
50g dark brown sugar
2 to 3 star anise
2 to 3 sprigs of thyme
1/2 a head of garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
1 litre duck fat
4 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons of crowdie cheese
1 red beetroot, boiled for 3 hours and peeled
1 candy beetroot, boiled for 3 hours and peeled
1/2 a red onion
2 handfuls of a mixed salad leaves, like rocket and watercress
A drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of grain mustard
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of honey
Good salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Place the duck legs in a plastic tub and rub the salt and sugar all over so it coats them entirely. Then add the bay, some thyme, garlic, peppercorns, star anise to the tub and cover with cling film or a lid and leave in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours to cure and season.

Remove the legs from the cure and rinse carefully under the cold tap to remove all the salt and sugar. Pat dry on a tea towel. Retain the garlic.

Heat the oven to 140°C.

Heat the duck fat on the hob, either in a pot or an oven-proof tray big enough to take the legs and fat together. Once hot, submerge the legs in the fat then add the bay leaves, some thyme and a few garlic cloves retained from the curing. Immediately transfer the pot or tray to the oven and cook for 3 to 4 hours until the legs are cooked and the meat is almost falling off the bone.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing the legs from the fat. Once cooled, place the legs under a hot grill for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.

Prepare the salad by dicing the cooked beetroot and slicing the onion thinly. Make a dressing by mixing the vinegar, honey, mustard, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Season and mix well.

To serve, place the duck into the centre of a plate and arrange the salad leaves, beetroot and onion with a few dollops of crowdie cheese around the edge of the plate. Then drizzle with the dressing to finish.

NEIL'S RECIPES: PICCALILLI

“This quintessentially British condiment is simple to make, bursting with flavour, and stores perfectly in sterilised jars. Avoid storing it in plastic containers to prevent staining from mustard powder and turmeric, which can turn it bright orange!”

Makes 4-6 Kilner jars
Cooking time 20 minutes; Prep time 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

500g small pickling onions, peeled

1 large or 2 small cauliflowers

2 red peppers, I like the Ramiro variety

2 carrots, peeled

2 courgettes, scrubbed

15g English mustard powder

1 large red chilli, finely sliced

500ml cider vinegar

15g turmeric

170g caster sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

A few sprigs of thyme

Good salt and pepper

METHOD

Fill a large pan with water and a small handful of salt and bring it to the boil on the hob. Meanwhile, cut the veg into bite-size pieces and place in the pot to blanch for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and refresh in cold running or iced water. Drain the veg when cold and place into a large bowl with the thyme and chilli and season with salt and pepper.

Place the vinegar in a large pan with the sugar. When just about to boil add the turmeric, mustard powder and cornflour. To thicken, the flour must come to the boil, then carefully simmer for a minute or so. Keep an eye on this. Season and add this thick yellow paste to the veg and mix thoroughly. Place into sterilised jars and serve with your next ham, pie or terrine. It also tastes great with toasted sourdough and a good salad.

NEIL'S RECIPES: DUCK RILLETTE

“I love this classic French dish. Made with lots of seasoning and a splash or two of Armagnac, it can be stunning. Packed into a dish and covered with a layer of duck fat this will keep for weeks. Serve with toast and chutney or pickles.”

Makes enough to fill a kilner jar

INGREDIENTS

2 duck legs

A large handful of course sea salt

1 tablespoon of dark brown muscovado sugar

2 star anise

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 sprig thyme

A few juniper berries

250ml duck fat

50g unsalted clarified butter

A splash of cold-pressed rapeseed oil

Good salt and pepper

Armagnac – or flavouring of choice

METHOD

Firstly, mix the course salt, garlic, sugar, star anise, thyme and juniper berries. Rub this into the duck legs and leave in the fridge overnight to cure and take on the flavours.

The next day, rinse the duck legs under a tap and pat dry. Heat the duck fat in a saucepan to 150°C, then submerge the legs and gently confit for 3 to 4 hours.

Next, carefully remove the legs from the fat - you can retain this fat for roasting potatoes, or wilting veg. Once they are cool, remove the skin and the bones from each leg. The skin makes a tasty snack if crisped-up under a grill.

Flake the duck meat into a clean bowl and add some flavouring. I like Armagnac, but you can use anything you fancy. Herbs are good too. Give it a really good beat with a spoon or whisk until it’s quite smooth, then spoon into a dish or kilner jar. Smooth over the top and pour a mix of melted, clarified butter and rapeseed oil on the top to prevent any oxidization.

Allow to set in the fridge until firm. It’s delicious served with pickles, warm toast, and chutney.

NEIL'S RECIPES: GRIDDLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS WITH WILD GARLIC PESTO

“If you choose a vegetarian dish in a restaurant, it may contain mushrooms as they’re packed full of flavour. Here they’re served with an easy-to-make wild garlic pesto, made with any nuts you prefer. If you can’t find these big mushrooms, replace them with chestnut or button. And remember to season well.”

Serves 4
Prep time 20 minutes, cooking time 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
8 large Portobello mushrooms, brushed clean and wiped with a damp cloth
250ml organic extra-virgin olive oil
50g hard cheese, grated
50g lightly-toasted hazelnuts or walnuts
A handful of washed and dried wild garlic
A few salad leaves
Good salt and pepper

METHOD
Place a griddle pan onto the hob and get it quite hot. Season the mushrooms, cut them in half and rub with a little olive oil, then place on the griddle until browned with the bar marks of the griddle, or even cook on the BBQ if it’s on. Cook for about 10 minutes, seasoning as you go and give another trickle of oil to the pan if it needs it.

Next, make the pesto by simply adding most of the wild garlic to a liquidiser with the cheese, nuts and remaining oil with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until the ingredients are all incorporated. The longer you blend, the smoother it will be. I like it quite chunky.

To serve, spoon the pesto onto warmed plates and place the mushrooms on the centre of the pesto. Scatter a few salad leaves around the edge of the plate. Wilt the retained garlic leaves on the griddle and drape these over the mushrooms.

NEIL'S RECIPES: PHEASANT BREAST WITH STAR ANISE, CRISPY BACON AND RED ONION

“We’re using a lot of pheasant at the restaurant right now. Whole pheasant is relatively cheap, so use the legs for a terrine, or a stew like coq au vin. The bacon adds necessary fat, the roasted red onions are delicious, and the star anise adds an extra layer of flavour.”

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 pheasant, breasts, skin on is best but without is fine

8 small red onions, peeled and halved

8 star anise

8 rashers streaky bacon

A few sprigs of thyme

100g butter

Good salt and pepper

Cold-pressed rapeseed oil for frying

METHOD

Heat oven to 180°C

Place a pan on the hob and get it hot. Add a tablespoon of rapeseed oil, and when it’s hot add the bacon to the pan. Fry until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and leave somewhere warm on a bit of kitchen paper.

Use the same pan to heat another tablespoon of rapeseed oil then add the onions, cut-side down, to the pan. Season and add a couple of sprigs of thyme. Cook on a high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes then place them in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden and soft. Season the pheasant breasts whilst the onions are cooking.

Remove the onions from the pan and replace with the pheasant, skin-side down. Using the same pan ensures the pheasant will take on all those wonderful bacon and onion flavours. Add the butter to the pan and after 2 to 3 minutes you should achieve a nice, golden brown colour. Turn the pheasant over and add the star anise to the pan. Season again, and place in the oven to roast for 8 to 10 minutes, checking all the time so as not to over-cook. Pheasant can be eaten slightly pink, but not raw. Remove from the meat from the oven and allow to rest.

Once rested place each pheasant breast onto a warmed plate and top with the cooking juices and star anise. Accompany with the warm onions, crispy bacon and perhaps some bread sauce and watercress.

NEIL'S RECIPES: TREACLE TART

“A classic British dish which needs no introduction, and a best-seller of ours at the Edinburgh Farmers’ Market. It’s deliciously simple served warm with either clotted cream or thick double cream. The kick of lemon in the recipe helps to cut through the richness.”

4 portions

INGREDIENTS

1 blind-baked 10-inch sweet pastry case

750g golden syrup

300g bread or cake crumbs

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 egg, whisked

METHOD

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C.

Mix all the ingredients well and spread into the sweet pastry case.

Place on a tray in the middle of the oven (for even cooking) and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the tart is golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature. Serve with clotted cream or custard.

Perhaps best eaten warmed up the next day as the mix soaks up all the syrup.

NEIL'S RECIPES: ROAST CHICKEN AND SKIRLIE

“As you all know, I adore roast chicken, but try adding skirlie. It’s basically a stuffing, but you can easily serve it as a side dish. A delicious way to grace any table.”

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 free-range organic chicken – approx 1.5kg

4 onions peeled

1 sprig of thyme

1 organic Sicilian lemon

1 handful of sage

Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

A few knobs of butter

A glass of white wine

500ml good, dark chicken stock (ideally made from last Sunday’s roast chicken)

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 200 C

Season the bird inside and out with salt and pepper.  Place the thyme, sage and half a lemon in the cavity.

Slice the onions and place in a roasting tin.  Lay the bird, breast side down, in the tin and put in the oven for half an hour.

Remove from the oven and turn the bird over, season again with salt and pepper and return to the oven and cook for a further half an hour.  Remove and rest for 20 mins before carving.

To make gravy.  Remove chicken and leave somewhere warm.  Place the roasting tin on the hob and add the glass of wine.  Bring to the boil and reduce by half.  Add the chicken stock and boil for 10-15 mins and add a few knobs of butter whisking all the time.  Push through a sieve squeezing all the goodness out of the onions.  Season again with salt and pepper and more lemon juice.

Serve with roasted potatoes and lots of local, seasonal veg.

TO MAKE SKIRLIE

INGREDIENTS

1 small onion, peeled and finely diced

1 sprig of thyme

2 tablespoons of good beef fat

150g pinhead oats, soaked for a few hours in water, then drained

Good salt and pepper

METHOD 

Add the beef fat to a solid pan and melt over a medium heat. When melted, add the chopped onion and thyme and season. Fry until the onion is just starting to colour. I love this smell!

Add the oats and keep stirring as it all combines and you hear the skirl of the oats and fat. You may need to add a touch of water to prevent it sticking.

Check the seasoning and cook for around 10 minutes until it plumps up and takes on a light brown colour.

Let it cool slightly then use to stuff a chicken crop - the part between the wings - and roast the bird as normal allowing a little extra time.

Skirlie is great with gravy, as it soaks up all the chicken’s juices up during cooking and saves it for your plate.

NEIL'S RECIPES: ROASTED SQUASH, CROWDIE, ISLE OF WIGHT TOMATOES AND HAZELNUT PESTO

“This delicious, simple dish can be made as a vegetarian main course. If you can’t find crowdie, use goat’s curd or good cream cheese; and good vine tomatoes if Isle of Wight are not available. Roast the squash well as it gives loads more flavour.”

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed into 1 to 2-inch pieces

4 Isle of Wight tomatoes, eyes removed and cut in half

4 tablespoons of Katy Rodger’s Crowdie

A handful of watercress

2 tablespoons of hazelnuts, toasted

A small handful of basil

2 tablespoons of hard cheese, grated - Isle of Mull cheddar or Anster are good

100ml cold-pressed rapeseed oil

1 clove of garlic, sliced

A sprig of thyme

Good salt and pepper

Watercress to serve

Rapeseed oil for drizzling

METHOD

Heat oven to 180°C.

Lay the cubes of squash on an oven-proof tray and drizzle over 10ml of rapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper and rub it into the squash. Sprinkle over some leaves of fresh thyme and roast in the oven for around 45 minutes until soft and golden.

Place the tomato halves on an oven-proof tray and drizzle with 10ml of rapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle over some fresh thyme leaves and half garlic slices. Place on the bottom shelf of the oven for 3 to 4 hours at 140°C until soft and semi-dried.

To make the pesto, add the toasted hazelnuts, cheese, basil, 80ml of oil, the remaining garlic and some seasoning to a blender and blitz until a smooth paste is achieved.

To plate up, dot some Crowdie around the plate, then add the squash, a few tomatoes fresh from the oven and drizzle over the pesto. Then add a few leaves of watercress and a trickle of cold-pressed rapeseed oil.

NEIL'S RECIPES: BRIOCHE LOAF

“This is a simple loaf using yeast, so no need for a sourdough starter. Eat as a toast for breakfast with butter and jam, or turn it into a brioche and butter pudding perhaps. Even French toast? The breadcrumbs make a superb Queen of Puddings. It keeps well in the freezer if you fancy making more to stock up on.”

Makes one loaf
Prep time: 2 hours; cooking time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
100g milk
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
7g salt
10g sugar
10g fresh yeast
330g strong bread flour, I only use organic
Zest from half a lemon
100g unsalted butter, softened
75g unsalted butter, melted

METHOD
Warm the milk with the sugar, yeast and lemon in a pot.

Place the flour, salt, eggs and egg yolks in a food mixer with a dough hook, then add the milk mixture and mix until a good dough is produced. You can also do this by hand.

Place the dough clean, oiled bowl to prove in a warm place for 2 hours until it doubles in size. Then return the dough to the mixer and add the softened butter and beat until all the butter is incorporated.

Press the dough into a buttered and floured terrine mould or bread tin and prove again until the dough reaches the top.

Bake at 185°C for 45 minutes then reduce the temperature for a further 25 minutes to 150°C. Remove from the oven and carefully remove from the tin. Brush all over with the melted butter as it cools.

NEIL'S RECIPES: BRAISED OXTAIL

“I remember cooking oxtail years ago at Kinnaird House. We braised them for hours, flaked the meat off and filled a cabbage leaf with a rich mixture of the meat, perfectly diced vegetables and bacon. It was a beautiful dish, but took days to make. With this recipe you can have it on the table in time for supper. The joy of oxtail is the sticky fingers you get from picking up the pieces and chewing them to get all the flavour off the bone.”

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 oxtails, get your butcher to cut them into segments, this will easily feed 4

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large carrot, washed and roughly chopped

1 stick celery, washed and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 sprig of thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil for frying

1 large glass of good, red wine

1 litre very good beef or chicken stock

Good salt and pepper

Chopped parsley to garnish

4 large tablespoons of diced carrot, turnip, celery

4 scoops buttery mash, to serve

METHOD

Heat the oven to 130°C.

Fry the oxtail pieces, a little at a time, in a tablespoon of oil in a heavy frying pan until golden all over, seasoning with a little salt and pepper as you do so. Take your time doing this as the browner the meat, the more flavour. Then add the meat to a deep stewing pot or oven-proof casserole dish.

In the same pan, add the remaining oil and fry the roughly chopped vegetables and garlic until golden. Then add to the stew pot, along with the thyme, bay leaves and red wine.

Place on the hob and bring to the boil, reducing the wine by half, before adding the stock. Season and bring to just below the boil. Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. You will know it is ready when the meat is falling off the bone.

Remove the oxtail pieces from the pot and keep in a warm place. Pass the cooking liquor through a fine sieve into a clean pan and reduce, removing any impurities that rise to the top. If you need to thicken the sauce a little, add some cornflour. One the sauce is at the desired consistency, add the diced carrot, turnip and celery to cook. Once the veg is cooked, add the oxtail to the pan to warm through.

To serve, place a scoop of buttery mash in the centre of a warmed plate, adding the oxtail stew on top. Then garnish with a little chopped parsley. Serve piping hot.