A haggis recipe

[Ron G.]

It's soon Bobbie Burns day again!! Although hunting haggis is a time honored tradition, this year is unusually cold...do you have any idea what it's like to wear a kilt in the cold air while hunting haggis?

So, with that in mind, I decided to cut and paste this traditional recipe for everyone, beginning with the traditional haggis hunting song.

The haggis season has begun

All over Scotland every gun

Is taken down with loving care

Though some prefer the haggis snare

For haggis are a wily lot

That's why they are so seldom shot

"We're the haggis, aye, hooray;

We'll live until next Hogmanay"

Its flying upside down and low

The guns all fire, but they're too slow

And though it's rather old and fat

It's awfully hard to hit like that

And as it flies off in the mist

Great hairy clansmen shake their fists

And scream their curses to the crags

And stamp on empty haggis bags

And so the haggis gets away

To live until next Hogmanay

"We're the haggis, aye, hooray;

We'll live until next Hogmanay"

Ingredients...

Set of sheep's heart, lungs and liver (cleaned by a butcher)

One sheep's stomach

3 cups finely chopped suet

One cup medium ground oatmeal

Two medium onions, finely chopped

One cup beef stock

One teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

One teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon mace

Trim off any excess fat and sinew from the sheep's intestine and, if present, discard the windpipe. Place in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or possibly longer to ensure that they are all tender. Drain and cool.

Some chefs toast the oatmeal in an oven until it is thoroughly dried out (but not browned or burnt!)

Finely chop the meat and combine in a large bowl with the suet, oatmeal, finely chopped onions, beef stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mace. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. Stuff the meat and spices mixture into the sheep's stomach which should be over half full. Then press out the air and tie the open ends tightly with string. Make sure that you leave room for the mixture to expand or else it may burst while cooking. If it looks as though it may do that, prick with a sharp needle to reduce the pressure.

Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for three hours. Avoid boiling vigorously to avoid bursting the skin.

Serve hot with "champit tatties and badang neeps" (mashed/creamed potato and turnip/swede). For added flavour, you can add some nutmeg to the potatoes and allspice to the turnip/swede. Some people like to pour a whisky over their haggis.

You're welcome!

Happy Bobbie Burns Day!!!

Edited January 21, 2008 by Ron G.

[doojable]

:blink:

I think I'll have a V8....

[Abigail]

My Eastern European Great Grandparents used to make a stew with the heart, lungs and spleen.

[coolchef]

i'll take fries with that and super size it

[Nottawayfer]

The Google ads at the top of page show Anthony Bourdain No Reservations. I wonder if the word "haggis" made that come up. Anthony Bourdain eats some really strange stuff. I would consider haggis in that category.

[egilkent]

Green Grow the Rashes! Green Grow the Rashes...

What would be the life of man if it were not for the lasses...

For a that an a that, our toils obscure for a that

the rank is but a guinea's stamp and the man's a gowd for that...

But winds between us brae' hae roared

Sin ol lange syne...

And surely you'll b' your pintstop,

an surely I b' mine

And (By The Grace of God) we'll take a cup of kindness yet..

For Auld Lange syne...

The Haggis, the rashes, the pint and the song...

I hope you are better remembered ere too long....

With Love and thanks-

Egil

[ChasUFarley]

At the local Highland Games there's a haggis throwing competition....

Which is probably the nicest thing you can do with haggis...