Recipes: Relish Scotland Second Helping cookbook

This week’s tasty treats come from the new Relish Scotland Second Helping cookbook, from Relish Publications, which is out on Monday and on sale at Hamilton’s in Stockbridge.

Roast pork belly with crispy pigs’ cheeks and black pudding fritters

Ingredients

Roast pork belly

400g-600g pork belly (boned, skin on, finely scored)

2 cloves garlic, 1 sprig thyme

1 tbsp groundnut oil

1 clove garlic

1/4 tbsp black peppercorns

1/4 tbsp coriander seeds,

1/2 tbsp rock salt

Crispy pigs’ cheeks

4 small pigs’ cheeks

500ml (approx) chicken stock

Bouquet garni

Panko breadcrumbs

3 free-range eggs (lightly beaten)

Plain flour (for coating the cheeks)

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Black pudding fritters

250g Stornoway black pudding (rolled into 12 balls)

150g plain flour

100ml good dark ale

50ml sparkling mineral water (ice cold)

White wine vinegar (dash of)

Salt and pepper

Method

For roast pork belly (prepare the day before): With a pestle and mortar, grind up all herbs and spices with the groundnut oil and rub all over the pork. Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least four hours. Place on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven 220°C for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 190°C and roast for a further 35 to 45 minutes until the skin is crispy.

To braise and fry the pigs’ cheeks: Place in an ovenproof dish and cover with the chicken stock, add the bouquet garni and season well. Wrap tightly in foil and allow to cook in a low oven (approximately 140°C) for four hours or until very tender and then allow to cool in the liquid. Once cool, pat dry and remove any excess fat. Dip the cheeks in to the flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs and deep fry at 180°C until crisp.

For the black pudding fritters: Pour the ale, water and vinegar into a bowl and sift in flour. Whisk and season well. Lightly roll the pudding in a little plain flour and dip into the batter mix. Deep fry at 180°C until golden and crisp. Season well and dry on kitchen paper before serving.

For the garlic mash: Before boiling the potatoes, peel the garlic. Add these to the water and boil with the potatoes until tender. After draining, mash together. Finish with the cream and butter and season well.

Chocolate Torte

Ingredients

60g ground almonds

150g unsalted butter

6 free range eggs

75g caster sugar

25ml Amaretto

350g good quality dark chocolate

Method

Lightly toast almonds in a hot oven or grill. Butter a 23cm spring form tin and lightly dust with a tablespoon of ground almonds and shake off any excess. Beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy and until the volume of mixture is doubled. Melt the butter in a small saucepan with the Amaretto. Over a bain-marie, melt the chocolate, butter and Amaretto mix and allow to cool to room temperature. Fold half the egg mixture into the chocolate then pour this mix back into the remaining egg mixture. Add the toasted almonds and fold gently - do not over mix. Pour the batter into the baking tin. Sit the tin in a deep baking tray and place in a preheated oven (180°C). Carefully pour in enough hot water to come up about one third the height of the tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Lift the cake out of the waterbath and allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack.