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What is haggis? A question that is probably best left unanswered (but of
course we will do our best to answer it). |
If there is one dish that is immediately identified as being Scottish then it must be haggis and yet it would be more correct to call it a British dish. The English made haggis well into the 18th century before abandoning the dish, the Scots quite wisely continued to make haggis (it is excellent to eat, nourishing and uses up the last odds and ends of the animal) and it survives to the present day as a popular dish.
Although butcher’s shops and supermarkets are filled to overflowing with haggis on Burns Night (25th January - the anniversary of Robert Burns birth) and St. Andrew’s Day (30th November) there is no difficulty in obtaining haggis all year round. It is even available in the traditional fish & chip shops in Scotland, albeit as a thick sausage shape and deep-fried.
Before we describe what haggis is it is best if we stress that haggis tastes wonderful because if you knew what went into it you would probably never eat it!
If you cannot buy a haggis locally or if you just fancy making one then here is a traditional recipe credited to "The Glasgow Cookery Book" (John Smith, 1962). Most butchers base their own recipes on this one, although each individual’s haggis will be different. Some will be smooth, rough, spicy, herby, strong or mild. As well as the usual sheep’s haggis one can make sweet, venison or vegetarian haggis, the scope for variation is almost endless. As a result of the diversity of the possible recipes an annual competition is held to find the finest butcher’s haggis in the country. Whatever the precise details of the recipe the resulting haggis ought to be moist and firm, never dry and crumbly nor should the meat consist of tough gristly bits.
1 sheep’s pluck. i.e. the animals heart, liver, and
lights (lungs).
Cold water.
1 sheep’s stomach.
1lb lightly toasted pinhead oatmeal (medium or coarse oatmeal).
1-2 tablespoons salt.
1 level tablespoon freshly ground black pepper.
1 tablespoon freshly ground allspice.
1 level tablespoon of mixed herbs.
8oz finely chopped suet.
4 large onions, finely chopped.
(lemon juice (or a good vinegar) is sometimes added as well as other flavourings
such as cayenne pepper)
Wash the stomach in cold water until it is thoroughly
clean and then soak it in cold salted water for about 8-10 hours.
Place the pluck in a large pot and cover with cold water. The windpipe ought to
be hung over the side of the pot with a container beneath it in order to collect
any drips. Gently simmer the pluck for approximately 2 hours or until it is
tender and then leave the pluck to cool.
Finely chop or mince the pluck meat and then mix it with the oatmeal. Add about
half a pint of the liquor in which the pluck was cooked (or use a good stock).
Add the seasonings, suet and onions, ensuring everything is well mixed.
Fill the stomach with the mixture, leaving enough room for the oatmeal to expand
into. Press out the air and then sew up the haggis. Prick the haggis a few times
with a fine needle. Place the haggis it in boiling water and simmer for
approximately 3 hours.
Haggis is traditionally served as "haggis, neeps
and tatties".
The neeps are mashed turnip or swede, with a little milk and allspice added,
whereas the tatties are creamed potatoes flavoured with a little nutmeg. To add
that authentic touch consume your haggis, neeps and tatties with a dram of good
whisky (it goes down the throat not onto the haggis).
The tourist trade is keen to exploit the gulible tourist (willing or not) with the story of the wild haggis, a tubular beast which has one set of legs shorter than the other to enable it to run round hillsides. The wild haggis hides in the short purple heather that covers the Highland hillsides and is difficult to trap, presumably why it is seldom found in shops - except as fluffy toys.
Serves 4
Mince and tatties is a common dish in Scottish households.
1 tablespoon oil.
1 large onion, finely chopped.
1 lb beef mince.
2 medium carrots, sliced.
1 tablespoon toasted pinhead oatmeal.
Water to cover.
1 or 2 beef stock cubes.
Salt and pepper.
Gravy powder.
4 mealie puddings.
1 lb boiled potatoes, peeled.
Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion until it is
dark brown. Add in the mince and cook until well browned.
Add the carrots and oatmeal, mix well and pour in enough water to just cover.
Crumble in the stock cubes, season and stir. Lay the mealie puddings on top,
cover the pan and simmer the mince for about 20 minutes. Once the mince is
cooked remove the mealie puddings and thicken the mince with about 3 teaspons of
gravy powder or corn starch mixed with a little cold water.
Serve the mince with a mealie pudding and boiled potatoes.
Makes 4 large or 8 small triangles
Oatcakes (or breed as it is traditionally called in the
Northeast shoulder of Scotland. Incidentally, bread is called loaf) are cooked
on a gridle and look like biscuits about 1/4 inch thick and can either be
triangular or circular in shape.
Oatcakes are served with haggis, stovies, cheese, etc.
4 oz medium oatmeal
1 tablespoon melted beef dripping, bacon fat or vegetable oil
Pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoons boiling water
Sprinkle a baking board with medium oatmeal. Mix
together the ingredients and form into a ball. Place this onto a baking board
that has been sprinkled with a little medium oatmeal and roll out the mix to
form a round about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into four triangles. Work quickly since
the mixture becomes difficult to work with if it becomes cold (it will break and
crack).
Put the oatcakes on a hot gridle and bake on one side only. Once the edges curl
they are cooked and now must be placed on a rack or tea-towel and allowed to dry
off in a warm room (or in the oven on a rack).
In the recent past oatcake manufacturers have added extra ingredients to their oatcakes to extend the range available in shops. These include mixed herbs, ground black pepper or even cheese. Once you have tried plain oatcakes why not try experimenting with the ingredients.
4.
Sheppard’s Pie
Ingredients:
Minced lamb or substitute lean ground beef
- 450g (1 lb)
Potatoes - 700g (1½ lb)
Large onion
Mushrooms - 50g (2 oz)
Bay leaf
2 Carrots
Plain flour - 25g (1 oz)
Tomato puree - 1 tbsp
Butter - 25g (1 oz)
Milk - 4 tbsp
Lamb or beef stock - 300ml (½ pint)
Cheddar Cheese - 100g (4 oz)
Method:
Dry fry the lamb or beef with the chopped onion, bay leaf, sliced mushrooms and
diced carrots for 8-10 minutes. Add the flour and stir for a minute. Slowly
blend in the stock and tomato puree. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens
and boils. Cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and place
in a 1.7 litre (3 pint) ovenproof serving dish.
At the same time, cook the potatoes in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash with the butter and milk and mix well. Spread on top of the mince mixture and sprinkle over with the grated cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 200C/400F (Gas Mark 6). Serve hot with green vegetables
"Come share a wee bit o'
haggis and a wee dram o' true Scottish fare!"
Robert Burns, the son of a struggling tenant-farmer in Ayrshire and later Scotland's most acclaimed poet, was born on the 25th of January, 1759. For two centuries, Scots have celebrated his birthday with enthusiasm rivalled only by that of Hogmanay, the traditional Scottish New Year's Celebration.
Burns died in 1796, at the young age of 37, but Burns' Night is a tribute to his acute insight into the human condition and his unique talent for expressing it with wit and satire - an ability greatly admired by Scots. But the occasion is also a time-honoured opportunity to emulate Robbie Burns in his appreciation of the Scottish zest for life.
Recipes below are on loan from the Essential guide to Aberdeen, Scotland a very good resource for genuine Scottish recipes, to help celebrate Robbie Burns night on January 25th.
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