NEIL'S RECIPES: ROAST PARTRIDGE, CONFIT LEG, WATERCRESS, CRAB APPLE JELLY

"Partridge is a great bird to cook. I like to remove the legs before roasting the crowns so the legs can be cooked longer either by roasting or confiting in duck fat. The splash of Madeira in the pan to glaze the breasts and of course a bit of butter for extra richness is great. Try this with bread sauce, a classic with roasted game birds."

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

Prep time 30 minutes, cooking time 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

4 grey or red legged partridge, legs removed

4 bunches of watercress, washed200g crab apples, washed and cut into pieces

200g unrefined caster sugar

1 glass Madeira

250ml pint of good beef or chicken stock

250ml pint duck fat,1 tablespoon cold-pressed rapeseed oil

2 knobs of butter

Good salt and pepper

METHOD

Begin by making the crab apple jelly. Place the apples in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about an hour until the fruit is soft and mushy. 

Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan and add the sugar. Bring to the boil carefully - it will splutter like jam - stirring continuously on a moderate heat for about an hour until the mix has thickened and has turned a deep red. It may take a while longer. 

Allow to cool then chill the jelly in the fridge for a day. This jelly is also excellent with cheese, like a quince paste. 

Heat the oven to 180°C.

Next, confit the partridge legs by submerging them in the duck fat in a pan on a on a low heat. When starting to boil, place in the oven for a couple of hours. 

Next, roast the partridge crowns. Place an oven-proof frying pan on the hob and add the oil. Fry the partridge all over for a few minutes then add some butter and allow the meat to brown. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until just golden, remove from the pan and allow to rest in a warm place for 5 to 7 minutes.

To make a sauce, add the Madeira to the same frying pan and deglaze by bringing it to the boil and reducing by two thirds. Then add the stock and reduce again by two thirds. Add a knob of butter and check the consistency and seasoning. 

To serve, remove the breasts from the bone and place the drained legs on top. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with watercress and a dollop of crab apple jelly. Serve with a bread sauce if desired.

NEIL'S RECIPES: FILLET OF HALIBUT WITH SAMPHIRE AND CHANTERELLES

"Get your fishmonger to do the hard work and fillet the fish for you. As an alternative to halibut, try hake, or smoked haddock works well. Fish goes really well with chanterelles and it’s the start of the mushroom season here in Scotland, so these vibrant orange fungi are easily foraged. If you do go picking, be careful and make sure you know what you are doing. Salty samphire brings all the flavours together nicely. It grows wild on coastal marsh areas in East Lothian but you should get permission from the landowner before any form of foraging."

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 175g halibut fillets, farmed Gigha Halibut is great
1 handful of British samphire, washed
2 handfuls of chanterelles mushrooms, cleaned
A few flowers from the garden, I like nasturtium leaves and flowers, borage is pretty too
2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
150g butter
Juice of a lemon, some fennel fronds, optional
Good salt and pepper

Season the fish all over. Heat a frying pan and a pot on the hob, bringing both to moderate heat. Add the oil to the frying pan and leave for a couple of minutes. Then add half the butter and the mushrooms to the pot, followed by the samphire and season. Keep tossing being careful not to burn the butter.

Meanwhile, check the fish. It should be starting to turn golden brown on the underside. Once it is, turn each fillet over and continue cooking. Add the remaining butter to the frying pan. It will start to froth and become lovely and nut brown in colour. Season the fish again and squeeze in the lemon juice, a few drops at a time. If you like, add some fennel fronds at this stage, as they will flavour the butter well.

When the mushrooms and samphire are just soft, season again and spoon into the centre of four warmed plates. Place the fish on top and decorate with the flowers and a few more drops of lemon.

NEIL'S RECIPES: ICED CROWDIE AND RASPBERRY PARFAIT

"The taste of this parfait is similar to a frozen cheesecake with the slightly salty, textured crowdie mixed with the sweetness of Angus raspberries. It just knocks me for six every time I eat it. Scattering a few oats as a tiny crust is great, or have it on its own, in a glass, bowl or plate, it doesn’t matter. Once it’s made, it’s in your freezer for a good few weeks until it’s all eaten! Do give it a go, maybe ask for help as there are a few stages to go through. Come on, I did give you an easy starter and main course to cook!"

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

This will make 2 terrine moulds (classic le Creuset style) or ice-cream tubs rubbed with oil and lined with 2 sheets of cling film. Very importantly, before lining with oil and cling film, add a strip of triple layered tin foil so you can lift the parfait out of the terrine when it’s frozen. Allow for an overhang of the tin foil and the cling film.

INGREDIENTS

350g raspberries, chopped plus extra for garnishing

Roasted pinhead oats, toasted as a garnish, optional

coulis:
150ml water
140g sugar
175g raspberries

creamed crowdie:
300ml double cream
600g crowdie

meringue:
4 egg whites
250g sugar
pâte à bombe

110 ml water
150g sugar

8 egg yolks

METHOD

Begin by making a coulis. Boil the coulis ingredients together until syrupy then blitz and pass through a sieve. Keep to one side. 

Next make the crowdie cream, by whisking together the cream and crowdie until smooth. Keep to one side. 

To make a classic meringue mix, whisk the egg whites until 3/4 whisked then add the sugar a little at a time as you continue to whisk. Use a mixer for this if you have one. Keep to one side.

To make the pâte à bombe parfait mixture, heat the water and sugar until it reaches 121°C. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and continue to whisk as you gently pour in the molten sugar. Use a miser for this if you have one. Keep whisking until the mix starts to cool slightly. This will take about 5 minutes.

To assemble, use a large bowl to fold the meringue into the pâte à bombe. Then fold in the coulis and crowdie cream, being very gentle as you go. And finally fold in the chopped raspberries.

Ensure all is combined and scoop into your prepared terrine moulds. Fold the cling film over the top and freeze overnight. The next day, remove the parfait from the moulds by lifting out using the tin foil handles.

Serve sliced with some toasted oats and fresh raspberries.

NEIL'S RECIPES: MONKFISH TAIL WITH SALSA VERDE AND SEMI-DRIED TOMATOES

It is a rare treat for me to use monkfish. Always ensure you buy from a sustainable source and it’s very fresh. Monkfish has a meaty texture with no small bones, just one central bone that can be left in if you want to cook it on the barbecue, or trimmed and the bone removed. Either way, don’t overcook the fish - keep it slightly underdone and allow to rest as it does go a bit dry if it’s over cooked. I’m serving here with salsa verde, a brilliant sauce a bit like pesto, but so much better.

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 large monkfish tail, either on or off the bone, get your fishmonger to help you trim it or remove the bone
4 large new season tomatoes, I like Isle of Wight organic tomatoes
A small handful each of fresh mint, parsley and basil, washed and dried
1 tablespoon of capers
1 tablespoon of anchovies, optional
1 tablespoon of good Dijon or wholegrain mustard
250ml extra-virgin olive oil, I use Palestinian organic olive oil, plus extra for roasting the tomatoes
A splash of red wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic
A few sprigs of thyme
Good salt and pepper
A few edible flowers, optional
A splash of sunflower oil
Lemon juice for seasoning

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 130°C.

To make the semi-dried tomatoes, remove the eyes from the tomatoes and cut them half . Then cut each half into 4 wedges and place in an oven-proof dish. Trickle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over the thyme leaves. Place in the oven for a few hours until just semi-dried.

To make the salsa verde, blitz the herbs, capers, anchovies, vinegar, garlic and mustard, and olive oil in a blender until a slightly chunky consistency is achieved. Taste and season as required.

Prepare the fish for cooking by patting it dry and seasoning. Then place a frying pan on the hob and add a splash of sunflower oil. Once the oil is very hot add the monkfish very carefully. Colour the fish on all sides then season again and place in a hot (180°C) oven for a few minutes until it is still slightly under cooked.

Remove from the oven and season with a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper if required.

To serve, slice the fish and drizzle with salsa verde and serve with the tomatoes.

NEIL'S RECIPES: BREAST OF MALLARD WITH CHESTNUTS, CABBAGE AND POTATO

Mallard, or wild duck, is one of my favourite game birds and is a great alternative to turkey for Christmas lunch. They’re available from good game dealers – in Edinburgh I would try Crombie’s, George Bower or Saunderson’s. If you choose a whole bird, I would recommend removing the legs and cooking them separately for longer than you do the breasts or the crown. Cooking the breasts on the bone will lessen the shrinkage and keep it moist but you can cook single breasts in a pan if you prefer.

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 breasts of mallard

4 heritage potatoes or new potatoes, skin on and par-boiled - I like Pink Fir and Aura

1/2 a Savoy cabbage, stem removed and shredded

12 chestnuts

4 cloves of garlic

4 sprigs of thyme

Good salt and pepper

2 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil

4 knobs of butter

METHOD

Heat the oven to 180°C.

Add the oil to a large, hot frying pan, season the mallard and place each breast carefully, skin-side down in the pan. Season again.

Cut the potatoes in half and place them next to the breasts. Add the garlic and thyme. Once the mallard skin is golden, turn and add the chestnuts. Reduce the heat and cook for a minute or 2.

Place the pan in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes depending on how cooked you like your duck. Remove from the oven, add 2 knobs of butter to the pan and baste the mallard. Season again. Remove the mallard from the pan and allow rest on a plate in a warm place. Remove the potatoes from the pan and keep warm. Retain the juices in the pan.

Blanch the cabbage in boiling, salted water and drain, and add the remaining butter. Season and stir in any juices from the pan. Duck fat is delicious in cabbage! You can also add any resting juices.

To serve, slice each breast into long slithers and arrange on a wooden board or 4 individual, warmed plates. Arrange the cabbage, chestnuts and those golden brown potatoes and garnish with the garlic cloves and thyme stalks. Add a pinch of good salt and serve at once.

NEIL'S RECIPES: VENISON COTTAGE PIE

This is one of our best sellers at the restaurant. It’s rich, homely, comforting and a great-tasting dish. If you can’t find venison mince, replace with grass-fed beef mince. I pipe my ridiculously buttery mash onto the pies at Cafe, but my mother used to spread the mash over the cooked mince and make a tartan pattern with the back of a fork, who remembers that?

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

400g of lean, very good venison mince

4 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil

150g of mixed diced vegetables, such as carrots, celeriac, turnip and onion

1 bay leaf

A sprig of thyme

1 litre of very good beef or game stock, chicken stock would do - any leftover gravy is good to add here

1kg potatoes

200ml double cream – heated

100g butter

1 egg, beaten

Good salt and pepper

METHOD

Heat the oven to 160°C.

Heat a large ovenproof pot (with a lid) on the hob - get it quite hot – then add half the oil. When smoking, add the venison mince. Keep the heat up and keep stirring until the mince is nicely browned, this should take 7 to 8 minutes. Drain through a sieve and reserve.

Bring the same pot back up to a high heat and add the remaining oil. Fry the veg for around 6 to 8 minutes. The more colour you add, the more flavour your pie will have. Then add the thyme, the bay leaf and the drained venison mince. Combine whilst still on a high heat and season with salt and pepper. Next add the stock and any leftover gravy and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Then place the pot in the oven to simmer for 2 hours, stirring every half hour or so. Then remove the lid and cook for a further hour, stirring every 15 minutes. It should reach a rich, thick mince or stew consistency. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish.

For the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water, drain and pass through a potato ricer. Stir in the hot cream and butter.

Top the pie with the mash. Use a piping bag to create a decorative design, or spread the mash with a palette knife and use a fork to create ridges.

Brush all over with a beaten egg and brown in a very hot oven or under a piping hot grill. Serve at once with some cabbage or greens cooked with a little beef fat left over from Sunday lunch.

NEIL'S RECIPES: SCOTCH LAMB FILLETS WITH TAPENADE

I remember clearly the first time I ate lamb with tapenade. It was over twenty years ago at Alastair Little’s restaurant in Soho. I was blown away by the flavours of salty olives, capers and anchovy which cut through the richness of the lamb. It was sublime. Don’t overcook the lamb for this recipe, keep it nice and pink please!

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 fillets of Scotch Lamb

4 Pink Fir Apple potatoes, cooked and cut into thick slices

1 large handful mini plum Isle of Wight tomatoes

3 tablespoons pitted black Kalamata olives

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers

3 to 4 anchovy fillets

75ml organic olive oil

Some fennel herb

Good salt and pepper

METHOD

To make tapenade, add the olives, capers, garlic, anchovy, and half the olive oil to a food processor. Don’t season with salt, but add a little pepper. Blitz to a rough paste.

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and bring to a high heat, but not smoking or the oil will burn. Season the lamb and add it to the pan with the potatoes and cook until nicely browned all over. Be careful not to overcook the lamb – it will cook in 3 to 4 minutes.  

Then add the mini plum tomatoes and season the entire pan with salt and pepper. Remove the lamb from the pan and allow to rest for 3 minutes.

To serve, slice the lamb into bite-size pieces. Place the potatoes on warmed plates along with the tomatoes and slices of lamb. Garnish with dots of tapenade and decorate with fennel herb. Drizzle any remaining olive oil all over the dish. Perfect.

NEIL'S RECIPES: PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM WITH SPINACH, WHITE SAUCE AND HERB CRUMB

Such a good dish to eat, a joy to cook and a test of skills! For me it's rare for a dish to be so long in prep. You can simplify this by removing the chard or the white sauce, but I encourage you to make this delicious and classic sauce. The onion cloutie, studded with bay and clove, gives this humble and versatile sauce its edge. Don't rush it, take your time and enjoy beating the hot milk into the butter and flour. 

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

A big handful of rainbow chard, washed and dried, roughly chopped

A shallot, peeled and finely chopped

2 bay leaves

A few sprigs of thyme

3 tablespoons organic olive oil

A splash of white wine

250ml double cream

500ml full fat milk

150g butter

50g plain flour

1 small onion

3 cloves

4 cloves of garlic

4 large handfuls of baby spinach, washed and dried

4 field/ flat or Portobello mushrooms

A small handful of herbs you like, tarragon and parsley work well

A handful of breadcrumbs

A few chanterelle mushrooms

A knob of butter

Good salt and pepper

METHOD

Firstly, prepare the chard.  Sweat the shallot in a tablespoon of olive oil with a bay leaf and a sprig of thyme. Add the chard and cook on a medium heat until soft. Season. Next add the white wine to the pot and cover with a lid. Add a little water or stock if you prefer. Let the chard braise for about an hour. Remove the lid and allow some of the liquid to evaporate for a few minutes whilst keeping the heat on medium setting. Then add the cream, bring to the boil and reduce until a sauce consistency. Season to taste and leave to one side in a warm place.

Make an onion cloutie by attaching a bay leaf to the onion with the cloves. To make a white sauce, heat the milk with the onion cloutie. Be careful not to boil. In another pot, melt 50g of butter and stir in the flour until you achieve a texture like wet sand. Cook the flour through for a minute or two, but don't burn it. Keep it on a low heat and add the milk a little at a time, continuing to stir. When all milk has been added, you should have a rich, glossy sauce. Add the onion to the sauce and cover with a lid. Keep warm.

Clean the Portobello mushrooms with a wet cloth and season all over. Place them on a roasting tray and dot over with the remaining butter. Season again. Gently bash the garlic, and rip a few sprigs of thyme. Add these to the roasting tray and place in a hot oven (180°C) for 20 to 30 minutes until just soft. Remove from the oven (leave the oven on). Leave the mushroom on the try and keep warm.

To wilt the spinach, heat a little olive oil in a pot with the juices from the mushrooms. Cook the spinach until wilted and season.

Make a herb crumb by mixing the herbs with breadcrumbs in a food processor.

Top each mushroom with some spinach, then one or two tablespoons of white sauce, finished off with the herb crumb. Return to the oven and bake at 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the knob of butter in a medium hot frying pan and cook the chanterelles for a couple of minutes, or until cooked.

To serve, place two tablespoons of the creamed chard on each plate and top with a Portobello mushroom. Arrange the chanterelle mushrooms in a circle around the plate. 

NEIL'S RECIPES: HERRING ROLL MOPS

"People have been pickling herring since medieval times. In Old Norse ‘herring’ means ‘army’. These vast silver shoals were on the move and needed to be contained and conquered! Pickled herring makes a refreshing change from smoked trout or mackerel and is low in fat and high in Omega 3. It’s easy to make at home and will keep the fridge for weeks. Pack some for a picnic or be brave and put one in the kid’s packed lunch box!"

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 fillets of the freshest herring your can buy

2 shallots, peeled and sliced into rings

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin slices

A few peppercorns

A small sprig of thyme

1 tablespoon of salt

200ml cider vinegar

200ml water

50g sugar

1/2 bulb of fennel, shaved thinly on a mandolin

1 radish, sliced

1 apple, cut into matchsticks

Salt and pepper for seasoning

METHOD

Make the pickle liquor first by bringing the vinegar, water and sugar to the boil with the carrot, shallot, peppercorns, thyme and pinch of salt. Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches boiling point and allow to cool in the fridge, it must be cold.

Meanwhile, rub the salt into the herring fillets and leave them to cure overnight. The next day, rinse them well, then roll them up from tail to head and secure with a cocktail stick.

Submerge the fillets in the chilled pickle liquor and leave for 2 to 3 days before eating.  

To serve, slice the roll mops and arrange them on a plate, with some of the carrot and shallot from the pickling liquor, and top with a few slices of radish, the apple matchsticks and some shaved fennel. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

NEIL'S RECIPES: PEASEMEAL AND HAM SOUP

Golspie Mill in Sutherland produces incredible stone-ground peasemeal flour made from ground yellow peas. It's an absolute revelation, and simple to use. This traditional Scottish ingredient was popular in days gone by because it was cheap, filling and very tasty. Just by adding a hot stock, some butter and seasoning you’ll make a substantial soup, to enjoy on its own or with added ingredients like ham. By choosing peasemeal from Golspie Mill, you’ll ensure this tradition will be carried on. So, throw away those instant soup packets, this is a thousand times better!

Image: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS 

4 tablespoons peasemeal

500ml hot stock or water (ham stock is good)

A knob of butter

A handful of leftover gammon or ham (or cook a ham hock and flake the meat off - after braising for 3 hours in just water, retain the stock for the soup)

Salt and pepper

A large pinch of curly parsley, roughly chopped

METHOD

Boil the stock or water and season with salt and pepper. Add the butter.

Next, add the peasemeal flour to the hot liquid and whisk vigorously for a few minutes. Check the seasoning and add more butter if required.

Let it bubble for a minute then pour into warm bowls. If it seems too thick, just add a little more liquid.

Crumble on the ham, gammon or hock and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve steaming hot.