recipes & serving suggestions


The Perfect Steak | The Perfect Roast | Steamed Lamb and Leek Pudding | Braised Lamb Dumplings with Arran Mustard Gravy | Lamb Cutlets Braised in Red Wine with Redcurrant Jelly
Orkney Beef
    
the perfect steak
The Perfect Steak

When Grilling Steak, the most important factor is that your grill is as hot as possible before cooking. This ensures a terrific crust. Your steak should be oiled, preferably with a light olive oil. seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cooked to your preferred degree.

Press coarsely ground peppercorns onto an Orkney Island Gold Fillet. Pan fry in a little butter and oil. Remove steak from pan, and deglaze with a dram of Highland Park whisky and some double cream. Serve with roast potatoes and matchsticks of carrot, parsnips, green beans and asparagus.

the perfect roast

The Perfect Roast

Is the ideal centrepiece for your meal. Simply oven roast, frequently baste, cook pink and carve thick succulent slices. It's a classic dish with a great flavour.

Season the joint with salt and milled pepper and place on a trivet of root vegetables. Place in a hot oven until sealed, reduce heat and cook 15 mins per Ib and 15 mins over. Remove joint rest 20 mins and carve. Traditional roast gravy Place roasting tray on stove and allow juices to settle. Strain off the fat, leaving the sediment in the tray. Deglace pan with a beef stock or little red wine. Allow to simmer and correct seasoning. Serve with roast potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables.

Alan Craigie, The Creel, St Margaret's Hope
Orkney Lamb
steamed lamb and leek puddingsteamed lamb and leek pudding
Steamed Lamb and Leek Pudding
(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:
450g (1 Ib) Lean, trimmed Scottish Lamb shoulder
200g (8oz) Leeks
100g (4oz) Onions, peeled
1 x 5ml sp (1 tsp) Rosemary
o Seasoning
100g (4oz} Carrots, peeled
Lamb stock
250g (8oz) Suet
450g(1lb) Plain flour
15g (1/2oz) Baking powder
30g (loz) Unsalted butter

METHOD
  1. Dice lamb shoulder and remove all fat. (This will reduce weight by 50%).
  2. Blanch meat in boiling water and then re fresh.
  3. Peel and dice leeks, onions and carrots.
  4. Mix diced vegetables, lamb and rosemary and season.
  5. Place flour in a bowl, add suet and sufficient cold water to bind the mixture.
  6. Roll out on floured board to approx. 1.5cm (1/2") thick.
  7. Line a 1 litre (2 pint) pudding basin or 4 individual basins with suet paste. Fill basin with lamb mix and top up with lamb stock. Re-seal basins with remaining paste.
  8. Steam in a double boiler for 2.5 hours. Serve with spring cabbage, red cabbage and boiled or jacket potatoes.
braised lamb dumplings with arran mustard gravybraised lamb dumplings with arran mustard gravy
Braised Lamb Dumplings with Arran Mustard Gravy
(Serves 4 )

INGREDIENTS:
Dumplings
450g (1 lb) lean minced Scottish Lamb
1Onion, finely chopped
1 x 15ml sp (1 tbsp) Chopped fresh parsley
2 Slices fresh white bread o 100ml (3.5 fl oz) single cream
1 Egg yolk
2 Garlic cloves, crushed o Salt and pepper Sauce
250ml (1/2 pt) Lamb gravy
2x15ml sp (2 tbsp) Arran or wholegrain mustard.
2 Bay leaves

METHOD

  1. Trim all the crust's from the bread, place in a bowl with the single cream to absorb.
  2. Place all the dumpling ingredients into a food processor and pulse until all ingredients come together. Remove and roll into 75g (3oz) balls, lightly roll in flour and gently fry in butter to colour. Drain and place in a casserole dish.
  3. Heat the lamb gravy with the mustard and Bay leaves and pour over the lamb. Cover with a lid and braise in preheated oven 160°C-170°C, 325°F, Gas Mark 3 for 40 mins. Serve with carrots, celery, mashed potato and swede
lamb cutlets braised in red wine with redcurrent jellylamb cutlets braised in red wine with redcurrent jelly
Lamb Cutlets Braised in Red Wine with Redcurrant Jelly
(Serves 6 )


INGREDIENTS:
12 Lean Scottish Lamb cutlets
3 x 15ml sp (3 tbsp) Sunflower oil
2 Onions, skinned and thinly sliced
1 Bottle red wine
2 x 5ml sp (2 tsp) Redcurrant jelly
Salt, freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
  1. In a wide saute pan, heat the oil and same the sliced onions until they are just golden at the edges. Scoop them into a wide ovenproof dish.
  2. Seal and brown the cutlets on either side and put them onto the onions.
  3. Pour the wine into the saute pan and stir in the redcurrant jelly. Let this bubble for a couple of minutes, whilst the jelly melts in the wine. Season with salt and pepper and pour oven the chops.
  4. Cover the surface of the chops with greaseproof paper or butter papers and bake in a preheated oven, 180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4 for 40 minutes. The wine will reduce as the cutlets cook. Serve with mashed potato, sauteed parsnips and leeks in white sauce.