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Printed from https://writing.com/main/books/entry_id/1073011-20-Scottish-Skunk-er-Cullen-SKINK-fishy-carbs
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Rated: 13+ · Book · Food/Cooking · #2313608
Old Place, New – carb-loaded! – Soul Food
#1073011 added June 23, 2024 at 6:59am
Restrictions: None
20. Scottish Skunk, er, Cullen SKINK (fishy carbs)





When I browsed my cooking+ library (a 6 ft. 7 bookshelf *Blush*; yeah, I know I've got a problem!*RollEyes*), I stopped at this one, out of Scottish Chef's Gary MacLean: Scottish Kitchen.

And as the name may indicate to you, it originated from a small fishing town called Cullen in the Northeast of Scotland.*Idea*

Like the Scottish Cuisine, it's simple – they're using what's growing and swimming around them up there – but leaves you with a warm, filled stomach and a fuzzy, sentimental feeling that only eating what fave food our Mums and Grammas make brings on.*Heart*

Ha, and for those of you lying in wait for the BIGGEST Scotland Cliché of all: NO Haggis in sight. *Laugh*

Also, this was quite inspiring as I immediately had another puzzle part of my ever-growing Novel Series (it reads like a written quilt*Shock**Idea*) falling out of a previously clogged brain gyrus.*Wink*

My FMC, Laura and her Turkish bestie, Hatice run a You-Tube-channel called Frau Grüngemüs (roughly: M(r)s. Green Vegs), in which they post a video once a week dealing with growing fruit & veg in the often small spaces of the Big City, like on balconies, and what healthy dishes to cook from the harvest. *Idea* *Hungry*

Sometime in the first novel, both catch a nasty cold, and can't do it... and after he's learned about it from their mutual friend, Elena, his sister, MMC Vince stands in, and cooks this.*Idea*

When the ladies learn of it, they're both fond of him (and impressed!), but also shocked.

Hattie: "You cooked SKUNK? On a bloody VEG channel!?"

Vince: What? No! Skink! That's a traditional Scottish chowder."

You can't imagine the relief*Rolling*... and how hugged & taken care of our two sickies felt after spooning their share of it into their stomachs, before returning to bed.*Heart*

Also, this dish only has eight ingredients, which most of us have at home, anyway (except maybe for the fish). So it's also a quick dish when unexpected guests announce themselves.*Idea* (Note, Americans: when you have German neighbors and say stuff like, Oh, you gotta come round one of these days!", we DO. So be careful with saying such stuff to us.*Smirk2*)

They can even help cooking as it's truly not rocket science – and learn to cook a healthy, nutritious dish for their own beloved as this has a great carb-protein-fat-balance. *ThumbsUpGreen*

Oh, I have your attention? Nice.*BigSmile*

You want to go to the kitchen and try it yourselves? Even nicer.*Delight*

Time to stop babbling. Let's GO!*Spoon*





Serves: 4 Recipe. 2-3 Me. But as a chef he serves smaller quantities. It's a starter while I eat it as a Main course.*Idea*

Prep Time: about 1 hr

Degree of Difficulty: Easy




WE NEED

200 gr / 7 oz.
smoked Haddock I had 270 gr / 9.5 oz.. More Yum, more healthy. If you don't get haddock, you can use cod or gilt-head Try to get fresh fish... but frozen's okay, too. As always: pure, NO chemical additives.

750 ml / 3 US cups 1 US. fl.oz. milk full fat. For the sake of TASTE.
1 bayleaf
30 gr / 1 oz. butter See Milk. REAL fats / proteins – NOT processed ones – sate quicker*Idea*
1
onion Used a red, my carb-y fave.
500 gr / 1.1 lb potatoes
salt
pepper





WE DO

1. Prep
the Haddock (fish). With that I mean: remove the skinWhen you're VERY gentle, you can pull it off in one piece – and cut off any fishbones + not so pretty sections – usually at the rim of the filet.*Idea*

BUT:

2. don't throw away these things, but use them to infuse the milk.*ExclaimR* For that you fill the milk into a saucepan, wrap the remnants you've cut off the fish into the skin, and add it, together with the bay leaf, to the milk, which you simmer on a low heat.

The milk shan't cook, only be warm enough to soak up the fish's aroma.*ExclaimR* It can be that this takes longer than expected – like in my case – so I simmered it on middle heat for a few minutes. STAY with it... boiling danger increased.*Shock2* You don't wanna rid a pot from burned milk and fish!*ExclaimR*

THIS is the reason you'll need two cooking vessels for this one.
*Idea*





3. While the milk's infusing, you finely dice the (red) onion and peel + dice the potatoes into 1/2 in big cubes. Melt the butter in a pot and sauté the onion until softbut not colored – then add the potatoes and briefly fry them, too.


4. Hang a sieve into the pot and pour the fish milk over onion + potato. Fish (no pun intended*Angelic*) the bay leaf out of the fish remnantswhich you can throw away now – and add it to the mix.





5. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low => middle heat – See 2. *Up* – until the potatoes soften. Then add the rest of the fish fillet, which you've diced0.75-1 in – while the soup simmered so you didn't get bored.*Angelic*


6. Cook NO longer than 5 minutes. You DON'T want the fish to overcook as it then disintegrates + vanishes.(Guilty!)*Shock2* YOU want the fish as an discernible asset to the soup. Bloody hell, why does the wordiest language on the planet not have a bloody word for Suppeneinlage. Ye haven't stolen it from German yet, or what?*RollEyes*


7. Seasoning: you might not need to extra salt much because the fish itself and the infused milk are very salty already – salty enough for me, anyway – BUT: Chef Gary insists on a good load of pepper. Unfortunately not specified how much – Chefs know*RollEyes* – but I caught a bit too much.*Blush*



Guten Hunger!*StarStruck* *Hungry* *CountryDE* *RingsSilver* *CountryGB*
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