The Kilted Chef: These dishes will warm the heart ahead of Taste of Grampian Festival

Chef Craig Wilson shares two flavour-packed warming dishes that will have you hoping for cooler, autumnal weather

The Virtual Taste of Grampian Food and Drink Festival is taking place online this weekend (September 18-20).

A real celebration of food and drink, it will showcase fantastic local produce, homegrown talent with chef demonstrations and how-tos, along with whisky and gin tastings to live entertainment.

I’m taking part and will take you on a tour of Aberdeenshire, with a taste of land and sea, featuring the best ingredients found right here on our doorstep.

Don’t miss it!

This month’s recipes are real warming, hearty dishes, the perfect food for cooler autumn evenings.

Pork chops with bramble, goats’ cheese, caramelised shallots and bacon from The Piggery-Smokery in Alford really makes this dish sing.

Traditionally smoked and dry cured with honey, brambles and Haroosh whisky from Lost Loch Distillery in Aboyne, it’s jam-packed with flavour.

No meal would be complete without dessert – and it doesn’t come better than my sticky apple crumble.

Enjoy!

Piggery-Smokery Toosh th’ Haroosh!

(Serves 2) 

Ingredients

• 100g Piggery Smokery Toosh th’ Haroosh! honey and bramble bacon
• 2 pork chops
• 25g butter
• 50g shallots roughly chopped
• 200g shallots peeled and halved
• 50g brambles
• 5g thyme
• 120g hard goats’ cheese
• 1 tbsp Aberdeenshire Honey
• ½ tbsp black pepper
• 20ml rapeseed oil

Method

1. Pre-heat a non-stick frying pan.
2. Dice the bacon, 50g roughly chopped shallots and sauté in butter.
3. Use a wooden spoon to stir through the fresh thyme and black pepper, then remove from heat.
4. Crumble the goats’ cheese into the pan, add the honey, brambles and leave to one side. Pre-heat a chargrill pan and brush with oil.
5. Cook pork chops for a minute each side, then place on to a baking tray.
6. Stir through the bacon and goats’ cheese crumb then spoon on top of the chops.
7. Scatter the peeled, halved shallots around the chops and drizzle with rapeseed oil and sea salt.
8. Place the tray in a pre-heated oven at 185°C for 20 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and to serve, spoon shallots on to a warmed plate then place the pork chop on top.

Sticky toffee apple crumble

(Serves 2-4) 

Ingredients

• 4 cooking apples
• 500g soft dark brown sugar
• 50g salted butter, diced
• Pinch of sea salt

For the topping:

• 125g salted butter
• 75g pitted dates
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 100g shortbread biscuits, crumbled
• 75g soft dark brown sugar

Method

1. Peel and core the apples, then cut into quarters.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the apples.
3. Add butter and brown sugar, pinch of sea salt and stir quickly, simmering for around one minute until the apples are caramel coated.
4. Place mixture in an ovenproof dish.
5. For the crumble topping put the flour, butter, sugar, dates and cinnamon into a food processer and pulse to a rustic crumb consistency.
6. Crumble the shortbread biscuits over the apples, then scatter the crumble mixture on top, covering the apples creating a loose covering.
7. Pre-heat oven to 180 degree C and cook for 35 minutes. Serve with pouring cream.

More in this series…