Hello again. I hope 2019 is going well for you so far. There’s a wee bit of forward planning gone into  this week’s recipe. Next Friday, January 25th, is the Scottish feast of Burns Night, which is traditionally celebrated in a very meaty way with the dish of haggis accompanied with the only vegetarian part of the meal: “neeps and tatties” (mashed turnip (swede) and potatoes). I’ve been working on a meat-free version for a while, and finally I think I’ve cracked it this year. The flavour and texture is not that far off the traditional version and much nicer than any commercially made veggie haggis I have tried. I hope I might tempt you into making one for yourself.

You’ll need to allow at least a day in advance before you cook the haggis, but it will keep wrapped up in the fridge for 3 or 4 days before cooking if you want to prepare ahead.

Without going into the grim details of what’s in a traditional haggis, I’ve replaced the meat, etc. with mushrooms, red lentils and pearl barley which give the texture in the dish. Other than that, the bulk of the haggis is made up in the traditional way with toasted oatmeal. For a completely gluten-free version, replace the pearl barley with well-cooked white or brown rice, and use certified free-from oatmeal. I’ve stuck to the traditional haggis seasonings of plenty of black pepper, nutmeg and salt.

Because there is no outer “skin” to contain  the vegan haggis mixture, the assembly method is quite long, however the recipe itself is pretty straightforward. I’ve included plenty of step-by-step images to help with the assembly. Let me know how you get on 🙂

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 225g large flat mushrooms. peeled and chopped
• 100g pinhead oatmeal or groats (use certified gluten-free if Coeliac)
• 150g cooked, well-drained red lentils
• 150g cooked, well-drained pearl barley (use well-cooked brown or white rice to make completely gluten-free)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper + extra to serve
• A large pinch grated nutmeg
• Approx. 4 tbsp. cold vegetable stock
• 50g vegetable suet

1. Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan and gently fry the onion with the bay leaf, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cover with the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms, raise the heat and stir fry for 2 minutes. Cover again,  reduce the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes until tender. Leave to cool completely. Discard the bay leaf.

   

2. Meanwhile, heat a dry frying pan until hot. Sprinkle over the oatmeal, and cook, stirring the oatmeal over a medium heat, for 7-8 minutes, to “toast”, without over-browning. Leave to cool.

   

3. To assemble the haggis, mix the oatmeal, lentils and barley or rice into the cold mushroom mixture. Add the seasoning, and sufficient stock to bind the mixture together without making it too wet – how much you need will depend on how juicy the mushrooms are – then mix in the suet – it is important that everything is cold otherwise the suet will melt.

   

4. Lay 3 large  sheets of cling film, approx. 44 x 32cm, on top of each other on a tray or work surface. Pile the haggis mixture in the centre. Fold the longest sides of cling film tightly over the mixture and then twist the ends tightly closed to form a chunky haggis shape, approx. 16cm long. Put in the fridge to firm up overnight.

   

5. To cook the haggis, Lay a sheet of foil on a tray or work surface (same size as the cling film) and then place a sheet of baking parchment on top. Carefully unwrap the haggis and carefully place it in the centre of the parchment. It should its hold shape but won’t be completely solid. Fold the parchment over the haggis as you did with the cling film; scrunch the ends gently together and fold the parchment underneath the haggis. Wrap the foil over and twist the ends tightly to retain the haggis shape.

   

6. Pour a 1cm depth of water into the bottom of a deep, lidded frying pan or a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then place the haggis in the water, seam-side up; cover with the lid, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 ¼ hours until piping hot – if you have a food probe, test the centre, it should be at least 75°C to serve.

   

7. Carefully drain the haggis and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and place the haggis, still in the parchment, on a warmed serving platter. Open out the parchment and serve straight away, accompanied with mashed turnip and potatoes, and more black pepper if liked.

   

Note: if you have any haggis leftover, let it cool and chill it down for the next day. Cut into chunky slices and fry for a few minutes on each side until crisp, brown and hot. Serve with tomatoes and oatcakes. This is my favourite way of serving and eating haggis, the oatmeal becomes crunchy and deliciously nutty when fried. Have a good week!