Tom Kitchin: ‘Stovies keep you full and warm you up when the weather is chilly’

Although they are both relatively simple to prepare and cook, you can really bring them to life by using some of the best seasonal produce Scotland has to offer. The best place to find your ingredients is by getting out and about while the weather still permits, and Scotland has an increasing number of farmers’ markets on offer. Nothing beats browsing round the stalls on a crisp, autumn day. The cold air makes everything feel so fresh, and you can use your senses to pick some of Scotland’s finest products.

Many of the dishes I love to cook in winter come from traditional Scottish recipes, when meat and fish had to be cured so it could be stored for the harsh months ahead, so that’s why I like to use ingredients like smoked fish and corned beef in two of my favourite recipes. The meat or fish coupled with the staple potato make such a filling, hearty dish, which is perfect comfort food. As potatoes and root vegetables grow so well in our Scottish climate, it makes sense that they are an obvious choice for winter cooking.

I always make sure I go to a variety of farmers’ markets, as they do such a fantastic job of showcasing the very best of what Scotland has to offer. Founded more than a decade ago by farmer Jim Fairlie – brother of Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles – with just a dozen stalls, the movement has really taken off. It is so important that we all have the opportunity to relish authentic Scottish produce. Phantassie Farm, in East Linton, is a great place for getting freshly picked local vegetables, as is Earthy Food Market, at Causewayside in Edinburgh. It’s great that so many people take time to support our local butchers and fishmongers. Farmers’ markets are a brilliant place to browse and look for choice cuts. You might be surprised by the value and quality you can pick up and for St Andrew’s Day. It’s what we should all be doing – celebrating the wonderful produce we have on our doorstep.

Stovies can often have a bad reputation, but if done properly it is fantastic. It’s a great dish for all the family, as it will keep you full all day and warm you up when the weather is chilly. It’s believed stovies originated from a time when masters would give their servants all the leftovers from Sunday lunch, so why not do the same? Ideas for dishes come in moments when you least expect it, and sometimes I’ve made brilliant discoveries simply by going through the fridge and using up what’s there. Here’s where you have the opportunity to use your imagination, and I truly believe the more creative you are with this the better.

Regular readers will know I have a zero-waste policy when cooking, and for me stovies is a great dish to use up everything – and can be just as tasty as the roast itself. Using quality meat is so important, and that’s the great thing about stovies – it can be made with beef or treasured Scotch mutton or lamb. You can pick up some quality cuts from local butchers or at markets, and the meal will taste much better for it.

Another great thing about stovies is you can make a huge batch of it if you are having a load of friends or family over or you can stock up the freezer if it’s just for yourself.

With any dish, it’s the ingredients that make it, and like stovies, Cullen skink can either be done very badly or exceptionally well. I think you either find awful smoked fish or absolutely wonderful smoked fish, and it’s obviously better to shop around for the latter. As with stovies, Cullen skink is a really simple dish to cook and can be made in a variety of different ways. Smoked haddock is the key ingredient, but I adore adding hake rather than just cod. It’s a fish that comes from the cod family and has a wonderful, flaky texture. It’s great to use in Cullen skink as it adds something really different and gives a brilliant flavour.

As Cullen skink is such a hearty meal, you won’t need a lot to go along with it – perhaps a little bread, melba toast or oatcakes. If you are planning a big meal, a small portion of Cullen skink makes a nice, tasty, starter, but a good-sized bowl will keep you full for hours. Both recipes use the best of Scottish produce and will provide a delightful, nutritious meal.

Stovies

• 400g braised beef blade

• 200g minced beef

• 4 large potatoes, cut into dice

• 1 litre chicken or beef stock

• sliced onion

For the braised beef blade

• 400g beef blade

• 1 carrot sliced

• ½ onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 stick celery, chopped

• enough stock to cover beef

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil and then colour the beef all over for two to three minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside. Add the vegetables and let them sweat for two to three minutes. Then place the beef back on top and cover with the stock and cook slowly for two to three hours, until the beef is tender.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, add the oil and fry the mince until brown and crispy. Add the onion and cook for two to three minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the braised beef, potatoes and stock and simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes feel soft and have absorbed all the stock.

Cullen skink and hake

• 1 onion, finely sliced

• 2 potatoes, diced

• 1 leek, chopped

• 400-500ml milk

• 1 smoked haddock fillet

• 2 hake portions

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add oil. Sweat the onion and leek slowly on a low heat for six to eight minutes. Add the potatoes and milk and cook until the potatoes are soft. Then add the haddock and cook for a further two to three minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan and add oil. Place the hake skin-side down in the pan and cook for two to three minutes. Then turn and cook for a further three to four minutes, depending on the size of the pieces of fish.

Flake the haddock into the serving bowl, then spoon in the potatoes and leek along with the cooking liquor from the milk. Serve the hake on top.