MEMBERSHIP of the European Community has brought many benefits to the Hebrides, particularly in terms of financial assistance for many major infrastructure projects such as causeways and bridges.
One of the negative sides to EU membership is that the mountain of regulations introduced over many years has, to a greater extent, sanitised the way we live and work.
Food regulations in particular have been responsible for the disappearance of so
me traditional dishes including one in particular that was extremely welcome in the wet, cold days of the Hebridean mid-winter. This was ceann caorach or singed head of sheep which was used to make a pot of delicious, nourishing soup.
However, for those who still crave after this delicacy, now sadly banned by European legislation, all is not lost - but unfortunately, a trip to Iceland is required as prepared, singed sheep heads are available for purchase in the food supermarkets of Reykjavik as I discovered last week.
I can still quite clearly remember the distinctive smell of the sheep's head being singed over an open fire in the barn using a hot iron rod.
Laterly, blow torches come to be used and this was a much more efficient way of removing the hair before the head was split and added to the soup pot with a variety of root vegetables and pulses.
The Icelanders also used the sheep's feet, singing them in the same way. The singed feet were cooked until the meat came loose from the bone. The meat was then eaten hot from the bone, or allowed to cool, set in aspic or cured in whey. The cooled feet were left in the sour whey till the bones were soft and edible.
Another part of the sheep's anatomy or more precisely, the ram's anatomy that was considered a delicacy in Iceland was the testicles.
Once the testicles were removed they were cleaned and trimmed thoroughly and then boiled in lightly salted water.
Apparently, in the old days, they were eaten hot with potatoes. The most common method of preparing them for consumption was to boil them and then press them whilst still hot, into a flat bottomed container.
As they cool, they had the liquid pressed out of them. They were then cut into pieces and put in sour whey, often with blood and liver pudding, to be cured.
There are many other fascinating dimensions to Iceland cuisine - it's not all about dried, salted cod - and many traditional dishes have been given a fresh twist as Icelandic chefs capitalise on their quality Icelandic products from sea and shore.
Next week, the column will review an Icelandic cookbook called "Delicious Iceland - Tales of Unique Northern Delicacies".
Meat Soup with Lamb Shank
Ingredients4 lamb shanks
2 litres lamb stock
Fresh thyme (finely chopped)
Fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic
2 potatoes cut into large pieces
1 turnip cut into large pieces
8 pearl onions
4 red peppers
4 tbsp Madeira
2 tbsp mild olive oil
MethodBrown the lamb in a frying pan and place in an ovenproof dish.
Brown the swede, potoatoes, onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary in a pan, allowing them to colour nicely.
Pour in the Madiera and then the stock. Bring to the boil and pour over the shanks and cover with foil.
Bake in the oven at 120 C for about three hrs - until just before the meat begins to come of the bone. Add a little water if needed.
Remove the lamb and the vegetables and cover them with foil to keep warm.
Reduce the juice until it has a rich taste.
Dice the pepper into large pieces, place the roots and the peppers in a deep plate and top with the lamb shanks. Then pour the juice over it and garnish with a 0little olive oil.
If you prefer to sieve the lamb with sauce, reduce the pan juice further to a suitable consistency and whisk in some butter before serving.
