A Very Scottish Thanksgiving, Or Just Eating Well with the Right People

We don’t do Thanksgiving in Scotland. Having said that, the first Thanksgiving celebration I attended was in Scotland, in my home, and I was the cook.

Scots love a party. Any excuse will do, so 14 people sat down (most of them on the floor) to eat, and only six of them were Americans, including my new husband. Turkey with some version of stuffing and lots of sides is what many Scots serve for Christmas dinner, so I was well acquainted with the menu, albeit in a different month. A grand time was had by all, and we woke up the next morning to bodies all over the floor, expecting breakfast, as we lived out in the country and nobody felt like driving home in the dark.

Waking up the morning after a party to a house full of people, or simply not going to bed at all, is a time-honored tradition in Scotland, so I was prepared. Breakfast for 14 was delivered without stress because I had a dish in mind, the ingredients on hand, and some of it made in advance.

Scotch woodcock contains no whisky and no woodcock. It’s just one of those cute names developed to confuse foreigners, like Welsh rarebit (known to children all over the British Isles as Welsh rabbit). It is simply toast covered in butter and Gentleman’s Relish, topped with fluffy scrambled eggs and garnished with anchovies.

It would make a simple, tasty breakfast/ brunch on Thanksgiving morning, or the morning after.

Scotch Woodcock

Ingredients:

• Toasted bread of your choice — one slice per person
• The Gentleman’s Relish, or Patum Peperium (make in advance)
• Butter
• Eggs — 2 per person
• 1 tablespoon whole milk per 2 eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt per 2 eggs
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Gentleman’s Relish:

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
• 8 ounces (4 tins) flat anchovies, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Combine butter, anchovies, cinnamon, white pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Taste and add salt and additional pepper and lemon juice if desired. Note: Anchovies are quite salty. Set aside in the fridge for up to two days.

Fluffy Scrambled Eggs

Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter per 2 eggs in a nonstick skillet. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl with the milk and salt. Aggressively whisk the mixture until it is completely uniform and foamy. Add to a hot pan and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently move the egg mixture from one side of the pan to the other, allowing the uncooked portion to slide across the pan surface. When the eggs are mostly but not entirely cooked, remove from heat and gently fold over as you would form a ball of dough to complete with the carryover heat. The finished eggs should be shiny.

Assembly:

Butter the toast and spread on a layer of Gentleman’s Relish. Top with the scrambled eggs and garnish with additional thinly sliced anchovies if desired.

Of course, this will be washed down with copious cups of tea.

Skirlie

We Scots love our oats. They “stick to your ribs,” as grannies all over the country are quick to remind anyone who will listen. Skirlie is traditionally made in a pot on the cooktop and can be used as turkey stuffing or a side dish. It also makes a great vegetarian alternative to turkey dinner by using it to stuff cabbage leaves, adding a few ingredients before roasting.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces butter
• 2 large white onions
• 9 ounces pinhead or steel-cut oats
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 fluid ounces cream sherry
• Hot chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried porcini powder

Procedure:

Combine butter, onion, and garlic in a saucepan, and cook until soft but not brown. Add the oats and stir to ensure all is well-coated. Add the sherry and some hot stock and stir until absorbed. Add more stock and cook until you can drag a spoon through the mixture and leave a trail on the bottom. The oats should not be completely soft, but slightly al dente. Set aside to cool if using for turkey stuffing or cabbage leaf stuffing.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves:

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

8 large Savoy cabbage leaves blanched and cooled. Cut out the thick stack at the base.

Fill the leaves with skirlie and make them into parcels. Place the parcels in a roasting tray.

Make the Béchamel Sauce:

• 2 ounces butter
• 1 1/2 ounces plain flour
• 13 1/2 ounces milk
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried porcini powder
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• Grated cheese of our choice to top cabbage packets, perhaps a good cheddar
• Salt and pepper

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and gently heat until slightly thickened. Spoon Béchamel over the cabbage packets and top with grated cheese. Roast until sauce and cheese turn golden.

Happy Thanksgiving from a Glesga lass.

A printable version of this recipe can be found here.