A renaissance in curing your own meat! http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/zd8g0/ ! What a great program. But is local curing going on in Glasgow?

We have a great local example in Iain at Gusto & Relish http://www.gustoandrelish.com/ Iain cures his own and makes his own sausages. We use them at Cookie. Iain did you hear the program? The other person we know doing it is Pietro’s deli at Townhead.  Does anyone know about other Glaswegian producers? Federico, Pietro’s son does the leg work these days. In the 70′s Pietro used to work for the Fazzi brothers, he bought the Fazzi’s stainless steel sausage machine when they closed. It is a 1930′s piece of sculpture, used by father and son for 4 generations. Does any one remember that gem of a shop on Clydeside?

These things should be about the everyday, not about exclusivity. At Cookie in addition to Iain’s bacon we use our Italian mates Claudio and Mr Tamburini. We know the pig, we know the butcher. Claudio’s farm works closely with us to bring you the best cured meat of Italy. Here is a film which shows them preparing to come to Glasgow with a van loaded for Cookie  http://www.pianadelleselve.it/index.htm. If you click on the link you will see how sausages are made & Ham is cured.

Did you know when you buy cheap Parma ham and salami’s that they probably are Dutch. To simplify EU food law, it allows products if they are “manufactured” in that country to be called  by the countries name. So the Italian ham you get from the supermarket will probably be raised in an intensive pig farm in Holland, butchered there and then sent to Italy.  Here it will go to an industrial butchers the size of IKEA to be made into Italian Charcuterie. The Italian part is the salt, air & the factory, even the hands of the workers will probably not be Italian.

Romanian cured meats

“Right that is your next hobby”. Time is not on our side at the moment but yes it is a plan, we will start at Cookie to make our own. Dabble in salami, coppa & nduja or sweat cure some pork belly, hang a sausage. We already make all our own pate, terrines & smoke salmon with lapsang shouchong.

3 Cooks, 3 Main courses and 3 Puddings with the public as judge. The next is on the 30th of Jan.

We are always looking for would be Chefs so if you fancy cooking up a storm contact us on info@cookiescotland.com

The idea is to have some fun through food and get people discussing what they eat. Competitors prepare a main course and a pudding. Our professional chefs will source ingredients and assist with preparation and serving, they will also discuss with you the pros and cons of any culinary idea and give you professional hints and tips along the way. If you are interested or know anyone who might be it would be great to hear from you.

Designed by Masa Fujii, in Los Angeles California. You will find Stump tea pots at Cookie. £24.50

We will be able source the colour of your choice. Simplicity with function. Design that will last for a long time, stay beautiful and fresh. A design classic.

From next year we will host a variety of different cooking courses. One of the first to kick off will be a course for children ages 7-10. This is an after school class running from 3.30 to 4.45 on Thursdays.
5 weeks for £25. Gift vouchers are available.

Numbers are limited so if you think your child might want to learn about cooking contact Cookie on info@cookiescotland.com

Cooking, it is a skill for life!

This week we are introducing “The Glasgow Fillet” , otherwise known as featherblade or oysterblade, which is good for slow-cooking. This old fashioned cut which was a staple of childhood in Glasgow pre 1980′s.

Seal the beef with seasoned flour, sauté onions, roast root vegetables diced thinly, beef stock, parsley stocks some red wine.

Make sure the stock covers the meat. Cook slowly for at least 2 hours. Reduce the stock to give a sauce. This week we are serving it
with red cabbage and mash.

Other items on our men this week are:

Hot smoked mackerel and black pudding
Game stew
Guinea fowl with roast chestnuts and fondant potatoes,
Roast vegetables and pecorino tart
Beetroot Risotto and Goats cheese
Roast Cheesy Leeks

We have 2 events this week that might be of interest to you and your friends.

On Tuesday night 6.30 pm we will be holding a Cheese and wine. £15. The evening will present a range of wines that Cookie directly imports from small producers in Europe.

Our second event of the week is on Sunday 6.30 pm  with our 5th Chef Wars happening. This is the monthly cooking competition where 3 chef fight it our for a range of Cookie prizes.£20 gives to 3 main course and 3 puddings and a great night.