Wills Vegetarian (but authentic) Haggis
100g barley
175g pinhead oatmeal
25g porridge (rolled) oats
1 heaping tablespoon yeast extract (Marmite, Vegemite, etc.)
100g margarine (or substitute olive oil)
1 med-large onion
100g mushrooms
50g green lentils
50g red split lentils
100g burger-style crumbles (i.e. fake ground/minced beef)
300-500ml strong vegetable stock (add yeast extract or soya sauce to taste)
2 tablespoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
2-3 tablespoon mixed herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, etc -- to taste)
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or mushroom ketchup)
juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 juicy lime
1 tot of whisky - the peatier the better - and big! None o yer wee English measures!
salt to taste
100g = 4 oz.; 600ml = roughly a pint.
Americans may substitute soya sauce for yeast extract.
I've tried to get this recipe very consistent with the texture and flavour of original haggis. This means darker coloured and flavoured ingredients than appear in most veggie haggises, and no nuts or nut flakes.
1. In one pan, boil the barley for 30 mins. In another, boil green and red lentils for 30 minutes. Drain both barley and lentils well and reserve separately.
2. Melt 50 g margarine in a very large saucepan; then add barley, oats, and yeast extract. Saute for three minutes or so; then reserve in a bowl.
3. Chop onion and mushrooms fine. (I whiz them together in the food processor.) Melt the other 50 g margarine in the saucepan; then add onion, mushrooms, and fake beef. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Then add lentils and the oat/barley mixture. Mix up this lot well.
4. Gradually add vegetable stock till the mixture has a slightly juicy consistency – but not too watery! This can be trial-and-error. I find that roughly 300 ml works for me. But I always make up about 500 ml, just in case. You can also splash in a little extra olive oil if you think it’s needed. Mix in spices, whisky, juice, and worcester sauce – and do a bit of a taste test.
5. Once satisfied with the taste, cook the lot for about 5 extra minutes, stirring frequently. Then transfer to a casserole dish, cover with foil, mash down, and place in an oven pre-heated to Gas Mark 4 / 180 C / 350 F. Keep an eye on it in 20- to 30-minute intervals, and add stock if it dries out. I cook this for about an hour or an hour and a quarter. But times may vary greatly.
Traditionally served with bashet neeps and mashet tatties (mashed turnips/swede and mashed potatoes). I make a sauce of sauted onions, whisky, and cream to top the haggis; vegans can use other sauces, soya-cream, nothing at all. NB: if served on Burns Night (25 Jan.), Robert Burns’s “Address to a Haggis” must be read before anyone is allowed to eat! That’s the rules.
Recipe serves a small dinner-party. Refrigerates or freezes well. Re-heat in microwave or else wrap well and tight (and waterproof) in foil or other heat-sturdy casing, then cover with water and boil for about 45 minutes.
One advantage of serving veggie haggis is that squeamish meat-eaters are more likely to eat it than the original! (Personally, when I was a carnivore, I always loved a good old fashioned blood n guts haggis, but that certainly can't be said of all my friends!)
SO HOW'D IT GO?
As a Scottish vegetarian, I have to say this is the best most haggis-like texture I've ever come across, and I've been using it a few times over the years since it was first posted. To me, it's the only one with the rich, dark, crumbly texture you get from a real haggis - don't forget, the meat version actually has very little meat in it and is largely oats and barley. First ever boil in the bag convenience food that could be kept for weeks!
In southern Spain now, I struggled to find all the ingredients and had to use Tofu instead of dark soya mince. And to my great shame, brandy instead of (my favourite) peaty whisky. That said, this is one dynamic kick-ass haggis that will hopefully knock the socks off everyone at our international picnic tomorrow. Maybe overdid the white pepper. Not in Will's recipe, but is authentic; you just need to be really careful! Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
From yet another Canadian vegetarian... I tried this recipe and loved it. Tastes a lot like the veggie-haggis I ate in Scotland recently. Thanks!