Burns Supper 25th January Ceremony and Recipes Piping in the Haggis Everyone stands as the haggis is brought in. Haggis is a meat dish but in recent decades, a vegetarian alternative is often available. It is usually brought in by the cook on a large dish, generally while a piper leads the way to the host's table, playing "A Man's A Man for A' That", "Robbie Burns Medley" or "The Star O' Robbie. The haggis is put down on the table and the host, or perhaps a guest, then recites the "Address to a Haggis". Addressing the Haggis Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my airm. The groaning trencher there ye fill, Your hurdies like a distant hill, Your pin wad help to mend a mill In time o' need, While thro' your pores the dews distil Like amber bead. His knife see rustic Labour dicht, An' cut you up wi' ready slicht, Trenching your gushing entrails bricht, Like ony ditch; And then, O what a glorious sicht, Warm-reekin, rich! Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive: Deil tak the hindmaist! on they drive, Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve, Are bent like drums; Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive, "Bethankit" hums. Is there that o're his French ragout Or olio that wad staw a sow, Or fricassee wad mak her spew Wi' perfect scunner, Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view On sic a dinner? Poor devil! see him ower his trash, As feckless as a wither'd rash, His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash, His nieve a nit; Thro' bloody flood or field to dash, O how unfit! But mark the Rustic, haggis fed, The trembling earth resounds his tread. Clap in his wallie nieve a blade, He'll mak it whistle; An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned, Like taps o' thristle. Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care, And dish them out their bill o' fare, Auld Scotland wants nae skinkin ware That jaups in luggies; But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer, Gie her a haggis! At the line His knife see rustic Labour dicht, the speaker normally draws and sharpens a knife. At the line An' cut you up wi' ready slicht, he plunges it into the haggis and cuts it open from end to end. When done properly, the "ceremony" is a highlight of the evening. At the end of the poem, a whisky toast will be proposed to the haggis, and the company will sit down to the meal. The haggis is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed swede turnip (neeps). Cullen Skink Soup Preparation time; less than 30 mins, Cooking time; 30 mins to 1 hour, Serves 4 Ingredients For the Stock
Method For the stock Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large pan and gently fry the leeks, onions and fennel for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the white wine to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the smoked haddock, pour in the water and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, until the haddock is cooked through. Strain the haddock, reserving the cooking stock. Chop the haddock into bite-sized pieces. For the Soup Heat the butter with the vegetable oil and fry the leeks, shallots and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the potatoes and the chopped smoked haddock to the pan. Add the reserved cooking stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream and briefly blend the soup with a stick blender. Serve the soup with crusty bread and sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley and a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg. To Prepare the Haggis Preparation and Cooking Time; 4 hours 40 minutes, Makes approx. 6 haggises Ingredients 1 ox bung (the cecum, large intestine or anal area of an ox or bovine). 1.4kg lamb's pluck, (heart, lungs and liver) 500g of beef, or lamb trimmings or stewing steak 200g of suet 500g of oatmeal, (coarse) Seasoning 2 tbsp of black pepper, ground 1 nutmeg, finely grated 4 tbsp of coriander seeds 4 tbsp of fine sea salt Method Rinse the whole pluck in cold water. Trim off any large pieces of fat and cut away the windpipe Place in a good sized pot and cover with cold water. The lungs float, so keep submerged with a plate or a lid. Bring to the boil and skim the surface regularly. Gently simmer for 2 hours Lift the meat from the pot with tongs or a slotted spoon, and rinse in cold water to remove any scum. Place into a bowl and leave to cool Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve and put back on the stove to reduce until you have roughly 500–1l of stock. Leave to cool Whilst the stock reduces, finely dice the cooked heart and lungs. Grate the liver using the coarse side of the grater. Finely dice the trimmings. Mix together in a large bowl, along with the suet, oatmeal and spices Measure how much stock remains from cooking the pluck, and make up to 1l with cold water. When cool, add to the haggis mixture To check the seasoning, pan fry a tablespoon of the mixture for 2–3 minutes and taste. Add any extra salt, pepper or spice if needed Spoon the haggis mixture into the soaked, rinsed ox bung. Be aware the filling swells as it cooks, so pack quite loosely, and keep a little bung at each end When the haggis is the size required, expel any extra air, pinch, tie with string and cut with scissors Tie the new end of the bung, and continue stuffing. Freeze any spare haggises Before cooking, pierce the haggis several times with a needle. Place in a pan of cold water, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1.5–2 hours. When ready, the internal temperature should read at least 74°C Serve with mashed potatoes and swede (neeps and tatties) To Prepare the Neaps and Tatties Preparation time; less than 30 mins, Cooking time; 10 to 30 mins, Serves 6–8 Ingredients For the Tatties
To Make the Tatties Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of salted boiling water for about 12–15 minutes until the chunks are soft and tender. Drain in a colander and allow to cool for 5 minutes to get a little fluffy on the outside. Mash the potatoes using a ricer. Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan until just simmering, then add to the mash with the butter. Season and mix until you have a smooth, creamy mash. To Make the Neeps Cook the swede in a saucepan of salted boiling water for about 12–15 minutes until the chunks are soft and tender. Drain in a colander. Add the butter and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. To Make the Sauce Toast the pepper in a dry frying pan and set aside. Melt the butter and oil in the pan and add the shallots. Fry until fragrant and soft, but not browned. Pour in the whisky, turn up the heat and simmer for a second. Add the beef stock, then the cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 10 minutes or until reduced by about half. Stir in the cracked pepper. Serve the haggis, neeps and tatties with the whisky sauce on the side. Haggis pairs best with a wide variety of red wines such as a Northern Rhone Syrah, Beaujolais Cru, Australian Shiraz, Ribera del Duero and Zinfandel. Peppery and smoky red wines complement the crumbly meat dish, while fruity red wines contrast the savoury flavours. Clootie Dumpling This rich fruit clootie dumpling is a classic Scottish steamed pudding, serve with clotted cream and a dram of whisky. Preparation time; 30 mins to 1 hour, Cooking time; over 2 hours, Serves 8 Ingredients 225g plain flour, plus 25g for sprinkling
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt into a bowl and stir in the sugar, suet, dried fruits, and the grated carrot or apple. Mix the black treacle with the egg and some of the buttermilk and mix into the dry ingredients to give a soft mixture with a cake-like dropping consistency. Dip a large piece of muslin, an old pillowcase, a pudding cloth or a clean tea towel into boiling water, remove it and squeeze out the excess water. Lay it out on a surface and sprinkle a 30cm circle in the centre with the 25g of flour and the 1 tbsp of caster sugar. Spoon pudding mixture on top and tie securely with string, leaving a little room for the pudding to expand. Rest a large heatproof trivet or container in the base of a large pan so that the pudding is not in direct contact with the heat. Place the pudding on the trivet/container, knotted side up. Pour in enough water almost to cover the pudding, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 3-4 hours. Take a peek every now and then and then to check the water level and top it up if necessary. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan) Gas 4. Lift the pudding out of the pan and dip it briefly in a bowl of cold water (to ensure that the outside of the pudding does not stick to an ovenproof serving plate). Then remove remove the cloth and place the pudding on an ovenproof dish/plate. Slide it into the oven and leave it for 15 minutes until the outside of the pudding has dried off. Serve in chunky wedges with scoops of clotted cream and perhaps a small glass of whisky.
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AuthorMy name is Jack, I live in at the back of Greta Garbo`s home for wayward boys and girls Categories
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