Cousin Brenda’s Scottish Kitchen
by Ethel Hofman

My cousin Brenda keeps a strictly kosher kitchen which in Scotland is not as easy as in the United States. We can choose from more than 40,000 certified kosher items. In comparison, pickings are slim at Brenda’s local delicatessen. However, if you shop at Costco (yes, there is a branch in Glasgow), you’ll find cheesecakes, pickled herring and salami with a kosher certification, most imported from the United States and Europe. But Brenda cooks from scratch "it’s cheaper, tastes far better and it takes no time at all " she insists in her distinct Glasgow accent.

Returning to Brenda’s big airy flat (apartment) after my mother’s stone-setting at Glenduffhill cemetery, we gathered round the dining room table laden with cakes and cookies, home made pareve rum raisin icecream and a big carrot tzimmes, the carrots symbolising a life of sweetness. In Glasgow, it’s customary to wish the bereaved family "long life". But before we ate, we were poured the ubiquitous cup of hot milky tea, to help thaw out after an hour in the light Scottish drizzle.

It used to be that Scottish Jewish cooking, as in Jewish cooking everywhere, was long and laborious. Today, with supermarket pareve basic products it really does "take no time at all". Brenda was persuaded to share her tips and easy recipes. The tzimmes is prepared with frozen diced or packaged shredded carrots. To make tzimmes for a crowd, she cooks three pounds of frozen carrots for 10 minutes in the pressure cooker adding "you can also cook it on top of the stove". Petite silky meringues are pressed through a large star pipe. Brenda’s secret for smooth texture instead of grainy - " add a bit of confectioners sugar". For cakes and cookies, self-rising flour is the only flour found in her kitchen for she explains "there’s no danger of making a mistake as the baking powder is already measured in." Kichel, a lightly sweetened, soft cookie variation of mandelbrot, uses only 4 ingredients and baked no more than 12 minutes. They freeze well or may be stored for weeks in a tight lidded container in a cool, dry place. Brenda’s strudel crust is basically the same as the kichel dough but more flour is added so that it can be rolled out easily to encase a sweet, spice mixture of plump raisins and moist dried fruits before baking to a golden brown. Brenda makes twice the kichel recipe. Half is used for a batch of kichel. More flour is added to the second half to make the strudel dough. For pareve apple pie or steak pie pastry, grated frozen margarine is used eliminating the need for rubbing the fat into the flour mixture with fingers or food processor – and less washing up. If you’re wary about using raw eggs, don’t use the rum-raisin ice cream recipe below. Instead, use the almost instant recipe included.

RECIPES

Carrot Tzimmes (pareve)
Serves 4

3 tablespoons schmaltz or margarine
1 cup frozen diced onions
1 (10 ounce) package shredded carrots
3 rounded tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon white pepper or to taste
about 1/4 cup matzo meal

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the schmaltz or margarine. Add the carrots. Cover and cook until lightly browned and softened, about 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, mix the sugar, water and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Reduce to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Stir into the cooked carrot mixture. Add enough matzo meal to thicken. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Correct seasoning. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot.

Note: may be refrigerated. Reheat, covered, in 350F oven for 20 –30 minutes or in microwave.

approx. nutrients per serving: calories – 184 protein – 2g carbohydrates – 25g

fat – 9g cholesterol – 0mg sodium – 340mg

Kichel (pareve)
Makes 40

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 – 3 1/2 cups self rising flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

Place ¼ cup sugar into a shallow dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and remaining ½ cup sugar until thick and pale. Whisk in the oil and almond extract. Stir in enough flour to make a soft, workable mixture. With wet hands, roll into balls the size of a walnut. Dip one side of the balls into the dish of reserved sugar. Place 1-inch apart, on prepared cookie sheets, sugar side up, . Press with the back of a spoon to flatten. Bake in preheated oven 12 minutes or until golden. Remove onto a wire tray to cool. Store in a tight-lidded container in a cool, dry place.

approx. nutrients each cookie: calories – 77 protein – 1g carbohydrates – 11g

fat – 3g cholesterol – 16mg sodium – 124mg

Brenda’s Strudel (pareve)
20 servings

3/4 cup dried currants
3/4 cup chopped mixed dried fruits
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2-3 drops almond extract
2 ½ - 3 cups self-rising flour
3-4 tablespoons melted preserves
3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar*
confectioners sugar to dust

* scant 3 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix the raisins and mixed dried fruits. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and pale. Whisk in the oil and almond extract. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Divide in half. Roll one half out on a well-floured board to a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Spread about 2 tablespoons preserves thinly to edges. Cover with half the currant mixture, then sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar. Roll up like a jelly roll, sealing the edges. Place on prepared cookie sheet, seam side down. Prick top six to eight times with a fork for steam to escape. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling ingredients. Bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven or until golden brown. Cool on a wire tray.

To serve: slice about 3/4-inch thick, then dust with confectioners sugar.

approx. nutrients per slice: calories – 153 protein – 3g carbohydrates – 27g

fat – 4g cholesterol – 21mg sodium – 207mg

Meringues (pareve)
Makes 30

4 egg whites at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon sifted confectioners sugar
3-4 drops vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 250F. Have two ungreased cookie sheets ready.

Place egg whites in a large bowl. Whip until mixture peaks softly. Whisk in the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar with the last addition. Mixture should stand in stiff peaks. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star pipe. Pipe rosettes, about 1 ½-inches in diameter, onto cookie sheets or spoon rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. . Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours or until dry. Cool on a wire tray.

Note: these can also keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

approx. nutrients per meringue: calories – 22 protein – 0g carbohydrates – 5g

fat – 0g cholesterol – 0mg sodium – 7mg

Apple-Cranberry Pie (pareve)
Serves 10-12

1 cup self-rising flour
pinch salt
1 stick, (¼ pound) margarine, frozen
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in thin wedges
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon lemon juice
cinnamon to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Grate the margarine on coarse side of grater into the flour mixture. Add enough cold water to work into a stiff ball. Set aside.

Toss the apples, cranberries, sugar, grated lemon rind and lemon juice together. Spoon into a 10-inch pie dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. On a well-floured board, roll the pastry into a 11-inch round. Place on top of the apple mixture. Fold over the edges and crimp with a fork. Cut three 1-inch slashes in the center of the pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Top with a scoop of pareve icecream or for a dairy meal, pass a pitcher of heavy cream.

approx. nutrients per 1/2th piece of pie: calories – 152 protein – 1g carbohydrates – 20g

fat – 8g cholesterol – 0mg sodium – 133mg

Rum-Raisin Ice Cream (pareve)
Makes 8 servings

½ cup dark or golden raisins
2 tablespoons rum
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons safflower or other vegetable oil
kiwi wedges, fresh strawberries or raspberries, and grape halves (optional)

Place the raisins in a cup or small bowl. Pour the rum over. Cover with plastic wrap, venting one side. Microcook on Medium for 30 seconds. Set aside to stand at room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Drain any excess rum from the raisin mixture and whisk in along with the oil until thoroughly blended. Stir in the raisins.

Pour into a 10-inch pie dish or other shallow dish. Freeze for 4 hours or longer until firm.

Remove from freezer just before serving. May garnish with kiwi wedges, berries and/or grape halves. Cut in wedges to serve.

Note: ¼ cup strawberry syrup or melted preserves may be swirled into the mixture instead of rum-raisin.

approx. nutrients per serving: calories – 205 protein – 3g carbohydrates – 26g

fat – 9g cholesterol – 106mg sodium – 34mg

Almost Instant Rum-Raisin Ice Cream (dairy)
Serves 8

2 tablespoons rum
½ cup raisins
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

Place the rum and raisins in a cup or small bowl. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap, venting one side. Microwave at Medium for 30 seconds. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.

With a knife, cut the raisin mixture into the icecream to make a swirl design. Return to freezer until firm, about 1 hour. Remove from freezer just before serving.

approx. nutrients per serving: calories – 162 protein – 2g carbohydrates – 19g