Happy Birthday Robbie! ... gie us a haggis

Dare I give the recipe attribution?! Oh well... from 'The Old World Kitchen'
by Elizabeth Luard:

1 sheep or lamb's stomach, well rinsed and fresh
6 ounces course or pinhead oatmeal
1 sheeps pluck (the liver, heart and lungs)
1 lb. suet
1 lb. onions
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. You'll need plenty of elbow room and a large
stewing pan.

Tackle the stomach bag first. Turn it inside out, scrub and scrape it in
several changes of cold water. Scald it and leave it to soak for a few
hours in water and salt.

Put the oatmeal, well spread out, on a baking tray to toast golden brown in
the oven for 10 minutes.

Wash the pluck well. Drain the liver and the heart of its blood (your
butcher will probably have already done this). If you cannot get the lungs,
the kidneys and tongue will do instead. Put the pluck into cold salted
water and bring it to a boil. Skim and then simmer for at least an hour.

Drain the pluck and check it over, removing the black bits and veins. Grate
the liver and chop the rest of the meat. (You may not need all that
liver -- half is usually enough). Chop the suet if it is not already
prepared, and rub out the membrane scraps with well-floured hands. Mince
the onions fine. Mix the meats, suet and onions together and spread them
out on the table. Sprinkle the oatmeal over the top. Season with salt and
with a heavy hand on the pepper rmill. Some cooks include lemon juice,
cayenne pepper and a selection of herbs. The secret lies in the
proportions, and you will soon establish your own preferences. Mix the
whole lot together and stuff it into the stomach bag. Moisten with good
stock - enough to make the mixture look juicy. Press out the air and sew up
the bag. Heat gently, do not allow to reboil. Prick the bag with a needle
when it first swells. Simmer it for 3 hours if the haggis is a large one.
When you want to reheat it simmer for an extra hour.

My notes: My grandparents said they'd pour a dram of whiskey on the haggis
and light it on fire, that's what they did at the Masonic Lodge as they were
piping in the haggis for Robbie's birthday. And of course they'd have a wee
dram for themselves.

Serve haggis with tatties and neeps - mashed potatoes and rutebagas,
buttered, salt & pepper.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Happy Birthday Robbie! ... gie us a haggis
>

Shoots, Jill! Allan has imported Haggis from Scotland and everything, but
he's in the Florida Keys working! I just called him to remind him of the
event and he's bummed. He wanted to celebrate. Oh well.

kili

kilikini wrote:
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Happy Birthday Robbie! ... gie us a haggis
>>
>
> Shoots, Jill! Allan has imported Haggis from Scotland and
> everything, but he's in the Florida Keys working! I just called him
> to remind him of the event and he's bummed. He wanted to celebrate.
> Oh well.
>
> kili

I still find it sad they sell tinned haggis! Not so sad they sell good
single malt scotch.

Jill

You definately need a dram (or two) of whiskey to go along with the
Haggis.

Hello, StephanieM!
You wrote on 26 Jan 2007 09:22:38 -0800:

S> You definitely need a dram (or two) of whiskey to go along
S> with the Haggis.

Traditional and, IMO, very necessary even if I was brought up in
Scotland!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

Actually I have eaten Haggis when I was in Scotland and thought it
wasn't half bad.

StephanieM