"Civilized Haggis"

[James Hood]

'Have been challenged by a gourmand-ish colleague, to come up with (for a New Year's Eve dinner party) a recipe for "civilized haggis" which can be presented to those too squeamish or otherwise delicate of tummy for whom the real thing is "not an option."

Which will also "go" with the usual brie & grapes, shrimp cocktail, gouda puff, smoked salmon, et. al., traditional appetisers.

Thoughts of chopped sirloin and lamb as a base and cooked in a roasting pan are floating around in mind. Level of spicing and spices list are also sought.

Other vegetables to be included?

Something says this is an opportunity to "spread Scottish culture" by deviating from the purity of a traditional dish.

Any thoughts, Honourable and Noble Rabble?

Thankee, Mateys.

[CDNSushi]

Weeeel......

How about this? Albert Einstein was a vegetarian (fact) and this quote is attributed to him (unverified): "Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

I guess I would consider that ummm... civilized

So on THAT note, the Vegan society offers this recipe as an alternative to the traditional version...

Haggis

2 oz vegan margarine
4 oz oats
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
4 tbsp walnut oil
2 oz chopped mixed nuts
200g tin kidney beans (drained)
4 oz mushrooms (finely chopped)
1 medium / large carrot (finely chopped)
3 tsp yeast extract
2 tsp black pepper
Sprinkle cayenne pepper
Small sprigs thyme, parsley, sage (finely chopped)
Small scraping nutmeg
Juice from half a lime
Nip of whisky

1. Toast the oats in a saucepan with the margarine until golden brown - be careful not to burn them, keep stirring with a wooden spoon.
2. Fry the onions in the walnut oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly for 5 minutes to ensure flavours combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes in a medium/hot oven. Serve with neeps and tatties for the perfect Burns' Supper.

[Destin_scot]

A vegetarian haggis is one way to go, and I am sure there are many that would like that better than a "real" haggis

But let's face it, a haggis is a sausage, plain and simple, so you've got a good starting idea for the base, While I don't have a recipe for haggis, my suggestions would be to use:


chopped portabello mushrooms (substitute for the lungs and kidneys)
ground brisket will give an irony taste (kind of like liver), and will have suet (fat)
a collagen sausage casing to substitute for the sheep's stomach (http://www.sausagemaker.com/28040fla...8x24100mm.aspx)

You could poach the resulting "haggis" in a vegetable or meat stock, then roast it in the oven (like I've seen some people do), then do the "Ode to a Haggis" thing.

Just some suggestions......

[BCAC]

You can do what you like, it still wont be a haggis. Whatever next. Civilized haggis, indeed!

[Chas]

I have had haggis as finger-food on two occasions done in two different ways.

Firstly, dipped in batter and then deep fried.

And secondly, rolled in breadcrumbs and oven cooked, I believe.

Both still tasted of haggis and, if memory serves, the batter covered variety held together during eating quite well.

[Ordway]

Why bother? It is either haggis or it is not.

[Pleater]

Haggis is more of an oatmeal based pudding than a sausage, the black (blood) pudding was the first to be made after the slaughtering, then haggis as there is more work to be done cleaning, chopping and mixing.

I'd try making a sauce of finely chopped meats and vegetables, and when it was cooked strain off the gravy and use it to cook oats. Mix the meat and vegetables back into the cooked oats so as to make a firm mixture, then roll it in muslin to make the right shape. Let it stand a day or so in the fridge, then when needed bake it in a closed dish in the oven, on the cloth, perhaps on a trivet with a basting of boiling stock from time to time so it doesn't dry out. When good and hot, remove the cloth carefully and place the pudding in a dish surrounded by mashed potato and mashed turnip so it cannot slump.

For a posher version the mixture could be shaped into a long roll then sliced, dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried, or even done like mashed potatoes, the fancy ones formed into little cylinders, covered in breadcrumbs and then deep fried.

You could even present all three versions if you were confident of the preparation. Experimentation would seem to be the key to this project.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[tundramanq]

I like Destin's ideas for maintaining the taste and texture as close to the original as possible. But even on the traditional, Haggis seems to be one of the dishes where the results range from "great taste and texture" to "bring out your dead".
My past experiences with preparing "variety meats" puts me firmly in the later catagory Much experimenting and using the traditional stomach casing would be required here. That way at least my "mistakes" can still be used for the fairly recenty developed Highland competiton of "Haggis Hurling" and nothing goes to waste. I think I know why this one got started

[David Thorpe]

That's an oxymoron.

[Liam]

I tend to agree with Ordway, replacing the liver, kidneys, heart etc. with other blander cuts of meat, or vegetables, makes an entirely different dish. It would be like serving liver and onions with a hamburger instead of the liver.

Just my opinion....Cheers...Bill