Vegetarian Haggis
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
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas Mark 5. Sauté the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. Now add the lentils and three quarters of the stock.
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.
Then add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little extra liquid if necessary. Turn the mixture into a lightly oiled 1lb loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes.
Recipe from The Vegetarian Society
What is it?
So you want to play it safe and go with vegetarian haggis. That's OK; I understand. You aren't alone. Vegetarian versions are sold along side the original in all the supermarkets in Scotland and all the Burns Night parties here offer the veggie version as well. So I guess you could say the vegetarian version is authentic as well :)