Veggie Haggis for Rabbie Burns day!

Time to dig out my kilted skirt and haggis recipe in preparation for one of the many Burn's night celebrations around the Bay of Fundy. As you may have figured out by now, I'm pretty much a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) so the prospect of partaking in the "chieftan o' the puddin' race" at our annual event is challenging. Luckily, the Vegetarian Society of Scotland offers this fine organ-free alternative:

Vegetarian Haggis Recipe

100g/4oz onion, peeled & finely chopped 15ml/1tbsp sunflower oil 50g/2oz carrots, very finely chopped 35g/11/2 oz mushrooms, finely chopped 50g/2oz red lentils 600ml/1pint vegetable stock 25g/1oz mashed, tinned red kidney beans 35g/11/2 oz ground peanuts 25g/1oz ground hazelnuts 30ml/2tbsp shoyu ( soy sauce) 15ml/1tbsp lemon juice 7.5ml/11/2tsp dried thyme 5ml/1tsp dried rosemary generous pinch cayenne pepper 7.5ml/11/2 tsp mixed spice 200g/8oz fine oatmeal Freshly ground black pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas Mark 5 2. Sauté the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. 3. Now add the lentils and three quarters of the stock. 4. Blend the mashed red kidney beans in the remaining stock, add these to the pan with the nuts, shoyu, lemon juice and seasonings. Cook everything, well mixed together, for a further 10 to 15 minutes. 5. Then add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little extra liquid if necessary. 6. Turn the mixture into a lightly oiled 1lb loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes. 7. Serve with mashed neeps and tatties.

If you plan to celebrate this Scottish poet's birthday on January 25 but don't feel up to making haggis from scratch you can always order it canned (both original & veg) from MacSween's in the U.K. For last year's musings on Burn's Night, see my post Time and Tide.