Recipe ideas for every occasion

BLACK PUDDING AND RHUBARB PASTRIES

1 small onion, chopped
200 gm rhubarb (about 1 stick) cut into 1 cm slices
8 slices Stornoway Black Pudding
16 sheets filo pastry about 15 cm square
100 ml dry cider or white wine or water
Olive oil for frying
Black pepper
Nutmeg

Fry the skinned Stornoway Black Pudding in a little olive oil using a heavy frying pan until they are lightly crisped on the outside. Reserve

Add the onion to the pan (with a little extra oil if necessary) and soften without browning

Add the rhubarb and stir for a minute or so

Add the cider and simmer gently until the rhubarb has disintegrated to form a thick sauce. Season with black pepper and a little grated nutmeg

Place two squares of pastry on top of each other; place a teaspoon of the sauce in the middle and put a slice of Stornoway Black Pudding on top. Moisten the edges of the pastry and fold over the contents, pinching the edges together to form a seal

Bake in a moderate oven (160 C) on a greased baking tray for about 20 -30 minutes (until the pastry is golden)

Eat while warm. This quantity suffices for a canapé for four, or a good starter for two

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BLACK PUDDING AND APPLE

For each person:

1 or 2 slices of Stornoway Black Pudding
Crushed garlic to taste
1/2 small cooking apple

Fry slices of Stornoway Black Pudding in a little oil with the garlic. When done, remove and keep warm. Quickly fry the apple, peeled, cored and sliced, in the same pan until soft.

Garnish the Stornoway Black Pudding slices with the apple and serve as a starter.

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BLACK PUDDING LASAGNE

150 gm Stornoway Black Pudding
1 large green pepper
1 small onion
6 sheets lasagne (more or less according to size)
20 gm butter
1 dinner spoon flour
250 ml milk
75 gm cheese
Parmesan
2 tomatoes
Nutmeg
Black pepper

Make a béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a heavy pan, stir in the flour for a minute or so without browning, slowly add the milk stirring continuously. When the sauce has thickened, stir in the cooking cheese and season with black pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg

Cook the lasagne in boiling water until tender

Remove the skin from the Stornoway Black Pudding and crumble into an ovenproof dish. Coarsely chop the pepper and onion and liquidise them in a blender until smooth

Pour half of the green sauce over the Stornoway Black Pudding, cover with a layer of lasagne, pour over the rest of the green sauce, add another layer of lasagne and cover with the béchamel sauce

Grate parmesan over the top and slice the tomatoes over the top of the dish

Cook in a medium oven (160 C) for about 40 minutes

Serve with a mixed salad and a bottle of light red wine

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BLACK PUDDING IN TOMATO SAUCE

500 gm Stornoway Black Pudding
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
450 gm can of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
half cup of water
salt and pepper to taste
half a cup of vegetable oil

Cut the Stornoway Black Pudding into 2 cm long strips

Heat up the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. When the oil is ready, fry black pudding pieces in batches until crusty on the outside, but moist inside without burning

Remove fried pieces of black pudding, drain surplus oil and place on absorbent kitchen paper

Discard all oil in frying pan except for two tablespoonfuls. Heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, onion and thyme. Mix well and stir fry until chopped onion pieces become transparent

Add crushed tomatoes. Mix well and allow to simmer. Stir occasionally and allow to cook until sauce is well blended and cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste

Stir in half a cup of water. Allow to simmer again. Add the fried black pudding pieces. Gently stir into the sauce without breaking the black pudding pieces. Allow to simmer for five minutes

Remove gently and carefully place in serving dish.gently. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve hot.

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300 gm of Stornoway Black Pudding
60 gm of Baby Spinach
¼ of Frizzy lettuce
¼ of Endive lettuce
30 gm of Basil oil

Pan fry the Stornoway Black Pudding in a little butter until golden and remove from the heat

Place the spinach in a small sauce pan, again in a little butter and wilt slowly. Place the spinach in the middle of the plate and place the leaves on top to create a nice stack

Drop the black pudding pieces on top and garnish with the basil oil

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1 large cooking apple, peeled and quartered
300 ml Sweet Cider
325 gm of Stornoway Black Pudding, cut into 12 thick slices
25 gm Butter
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Black Pepper
25 gm Plain Flour
Fresh Parsley Sprigs to garnish

Cut each apple quarter into three thick slices. In a saucepan, bring the cider to the boil, add the apple and simmer gently for 4-5 minutes until barely tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking liquor

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, add the black pudding and apple and fry gently for 5 minutes turning occasionally. Season with pepper

Thread alternate pieces of apple and black pudding onto wooden cocktail sticks, place on a warmed serving platter and keep warm. You will probably need two cocktail sticks per portion

Sprinkle the flour into the frying pan and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until golden. Gradually add the reserved cooking liquor, stirring all the time, bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes until smooth

To serve - garnish the brochettes with parsley and drizzle the sauce over and around the brochettes. Serve immediately.

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BLACK PUDDING AND CHEESE PIZZA

1 ready prepared pizza base
1 tablespoon. passata – sieved tomato, or 2-3 sliced tomatoes
2-3 slices streaky bacon, diced and cooked
2-3 slices of Stornoway Black Pudding, cooked and crumbled
50 gm cheese, cut into small pieces
A few sprigs of thyme

Set oven to maximum. Spread the tomato mixture or sliced tomatoes over the base. Sprinkle on the bacon and black pudding, then the cheese and thyme

Bake for 10-15 minutes until crisp and the cheese has melted

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BLACK PUDDING AND APPLE COMPOTE

(Serves six)

500 gm apples, preferably Cox
150 ml water
20 gm caster sugar
juice of half a lemon
cinnamon stick
30 gm butter

Peel and core the apples, chop finely. Place in a thick-bottomed saucepan with all the other ingredients except the butter. Cook over medium heat until the apples are soft. Take pan off heat, remove the cinnamon stick and whisk in the butter to a smooth consistency. If too thick, add a little more water.

Serve with Charley Barley's black pudding and crispy fried leeks.

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BLACK PUDDING TOMATO ROLL

I cannot recommend my BPT strongly enough: a roll filled with warm, crumbly black pudding atop a thick slice of tomato with a smear of black olive paste is a thing of great wonder. It, too, must be eaten hot. The frittata roll is also divine: a squidgy herby omelette sitting between two slabs of bread or in a roll is the stuff of dreams.

Serves 4

Also known as black pudding tomato sandwich, this is a great combination of flavours - but only the very best black pudding will do. My favourite is Stornoway black pudding, available by mail order from Charles Macleod Butcher on the Isle of Lewis on 01851 702 445.

4 thick slices black pudding, skinned
4 ciabatta rolls
tapenade (black olive paste)
8 thick slices tomato

Fry the black pudding in a little olive oil (or grill) until crispy outside and soft inside. Open the rolls and spread one side with tapenade. Top with hot black pudding then tomato, season with sea salt, clamp on the lid and devour hot - Sue Lawrence

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MARAGS

2 lbs of beef suet from around the kidneys. Ground or minced
2 lbs of lean beef, ground
2 quarts of flour
2 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of pepper

[Writes Robert Davidson: "Some in the family use all spice in place, or with, clove. Some also add minced onion."]

Mix well and steam/boil in pudding tin or wrapped in cheesecloth for three hours.

"We sometimes use coffee tins as pudding tins with aluminium foil tied on top."

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STORNOWAY BLACK PUDDING AND POTATO STACK

The idea for this comes from Roddy Afrin, proprietor chef at the Park Guest House in Stornoway, who uses butcher Charles Macleod's wonderful black pudding. He serves it as a starter with a red wine reduction flavoured with oil and vinegar and olive oil dressing. It is also divine without the dressing. Roddy uses sweet potato, which looks good, but tastes superb with ordinary potato, too - Sue Lawrence

Ingredients:

16 x 1cm slices of Stornoway Black Pudding, skinned
16 x 5mm slices of potato or sweet potato
melted butter for brushing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Place the black pudding and potato slices on a sheet of foil and brush with melted butter, then season with salt and pepper.

Place under a preheated grill for 3 minutes, then turn the potatoes over.

Remove the black pudding after 2 minutes (so they are cooked for 5 minutes altogether) and keep warm and continue to cook the potato slices until done - 7-8 minutes altogether.

To assemble, stack up alternative slices of black pudding and potato on each plate, starting with black pudding and finishing with a potato slice, seasoning with a little salt between the layers. Whisk together the oil and vinegar with a little seasoning and drizzle or dot this dressing over and around the stack. Serve at once.

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HEARTY VENISON POT ROAST

This delicious treat is adapted from an old Ozark recipe. It makes a hearty meal for a cold winter's night

3 kg Hebridean Venison Roast
2 tbsp flour
1 can whole tomatoes, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup water
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of garlic salt
Half tsp of black pepper
Quarter cup of vinegar
Quarter cup of lemon juice
Quarter cup of ketchup
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
Quarter tsp paprika

Rub flour into meat, brown well on all sides in a dutch oven.

Add tomatoes, onions, water, garlic, garlic salt and pepper. Cover, simmer for two hours.

Combine remaining ingredients, pour over meat, cover and simmer until tender, 60 to 90 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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STORNOWAY BLACK PUDDING ON POTATO SCONE WITH BACON, EGG AND HORSERADISH

Cut 30 cm rounds from flat potato scones.
Cook slices of Charles Macleod's Stornoway Black Pudding. While still warm, remove outer skin and break up the pudding in a bowl with the back of a fork until it resembles a chunky paste. Spread this thickly on each scone round. Scramble two eggs using cream instead of milk and add a few finely chopped chives. While the eggs are still soft and warm, spoon some of top of black pudding.

Grill rashers of smoked streaky bacon until crisp and cut into small squarish pieces. Place a piece on top of scrambled egg.

Mix one heaped tablespoon thick horseradish sauce with one or two teaspoons creme fraiche to thin it slightly and make it a little smoother. Spoon a tiny amount of top of each piece of bacon and decorate with a few chopped chives or a small piece of caramelised apple.

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If you have a black pudding or Lewis Lamb recipe you would like to share, why not email it to us?