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Haggis,
Neeps and Tatties
Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish. Although there are many recipes, it is normally made with the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately an hour. It somewhat resembles stuffed intestines (pig intestines otherwise known as chitterlings), sausages and savoury puddings of which it is among the largest types. Most modern commercial haggis is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. There are also meat-free recipes specifically for vegetarians which supposedly taste similar to the meat-based recipes.
Some Scots joke that the haggis is a small animal native to Scotland.
Haggis is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (Scots: turnip and potatoes), each of these being mashed, separately. (The "neep" is the yellow vegetable — Brassica napobrassica, or Brassica napus var. napobrassica — called 'swede' in southern England and 'rutabaga' in North America.)
Haggis which will be served at all Burns Dinners this month, Haggis is the quintessential Scottish dish, and as such is the natural centrepiece of the Burns Night dinner. Those who are disgusted by its ingredients (a mix of offal and oatmeal served in a sheep's stomach) or peculiar appearance are usually converted by the rich aroma and taste of the cooked dish. We have three recipes, The Bagless Haggis, The Genuine Haggis and The Quick Recipe.
1/2 lb. beef liver
2 lamb kidneys
3/4 lb. lamb shoulder
1/4 lb beef suet
2 onions, minced
1 c. oatmeal
1 c. stock
salt and pepper
Boil the meats for an hour. Cool. Grate the liver. Chop the others fine. Chop the suet. Toast the oatmeal in a shallow pan in the oven, shaking occasionally. Mix the meats, suet, onions and oatmeal together with a cup of the stock in which liver and meats were cooked. Add salt and plenty of pepper to taste.
Turn into greased Pyrex bowl. Cover with 2 or 3 layers of foil. Steam on a rack in a pan of boiling water for 2 hours, adding more boiling water as it boils away.
Serves 6.
Genuine Haggis Recipe (prepare one day in advance)
Ingredients:
1 sheep's stomach bag plus the pluck (lights, liver and heart)
1 lb lamb
6 oz fine oatmeal
8 oz shredded suet
2 large onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
About 1/4 pint beef stock.
Method:
Soak the stomach bag in salted water overnight. Place the pluck
(lights, liver and heart) in a saucepan with the windpipe hanging over
the edge. Cover with water and boil for 1 1/2 hours. Impurities will
pass out through the windpipe and it is advisable to place a basin
under it to catch any drips. Drain well and cool.
Remove the windpipe and any gristle or skin. Mince the liver and heart
with the mutton. (Add some of the lights before mincing if you wish.)
Toast the oatmeal gently until pale golden brown and crisp. Combine
with minced mixture, suet and onion. Season well and add sufficient
stock to moisten well. Pack into the stomach bag, filling it just over
half-full as the stuffing will swell during cooking.
Method:
Sew up the bag tightly or secure each end with string. Put an upturned
plate in the base of a saucepan of boiling water, stand the haggis on
this and bring back to the boil. Prick the haggis all over with a
large needle to avoid bursting and boil steadily for 3 to 4 hours.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb liver
1 onion
1/2 cup oatmeal
5 to 8 cups stock
1/2 cup suet
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp.
Salt
Boil the liver and parboil the onion, then mince them together. Lightly brown the oatmeal then mix all ingredients together. Place in a greased basin and cover with foil, or a suet crust if desired and steam for 1 1/2 hours. Serves 4.
This excerpt and recipes courtesy of wikipedia - you can learn a lot more about haggis by visiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis