the vegetarian butcher

IN THE COMPETITIVE KITCHEN...

We both spent our Burns night a' cooking

Good thing we'd not taken a booking

For t'was so long t'il we ate

From the stove to our plate

And Chef's haggis was much more good looking.

Chef's Pin & Puy Haggis Patties 

Since Chef and I are also working on our Vegetarian Butcher book he suggested that although he would give me a hand in the kitchen or advice where I may need it, this is the opportunity to develop his own unique recipes and see how the finished products compare to those I choose to make. So now we have a bit of healthy competition in the kitchen!!!

After scouring the internet for the most appealing vegetarian haggis recipe I could find, I came across a terrific one developed by Carl Legge.  With good clear instructions and much positive feedback about its texture and strong flavours I was convinced this was the place to begin.   And indeed it was! However, be warned, even with halving the recipe this dish takes a fair effort and rewards you with MUCH tasty haggis!  As suggested, I intend to incorporate the remainder of this delicious mix into other dishes.  To follow his recipe and give feedback:  http://www.carllegge.com/2012/01/vegetarian-haggis-recipe/.  The only difference in my haggis was using almonds and walnuts.

As I was nearing the end of the process a few doubts crept into my mind about its sloppy consistency, but Chef encouraged me to stick to the directions and have a little faith.  And lo and behold, as the mixture thickened, it all seemed to come together.  The flavours seemed to balance out (it started out very 'mushroomy'), the texture of the pearl barley popped in your mouth like a grainy caviar and I was suitably chuffed with myself.  Sorry to have doubted you Carl!  Chef was also pretty impressed.      

Haggis cupcake

The question I kept asking myself while following this recipe, and considering Macsween's traditional haggis, was how best to package this as a shop product one might take home to steam.  I had decided to remove a small portion of the batch halfway through and baked it into haggis 'cupcakes' while I continued with Carl's direction.  Although they developed a crunchy outer layer this way and were nice for immediate consumption, it wasn't ideal for reheating from the Vegetarian Butcher. Next step to simulate the casing...cling film! 

Cooled haggis ready for steaming

With some of the cooled haggis that remained we shaped it into a ball with wet hands and rolled it in 5 layers of cling film, rolling and tying the ends like a savoury bonbon and kept it in the fridge.  When ready to consume,  microwave on 50% power for 5 minutes then full power for another 5 min.  Serve immediately and cut with the ceremonial knife.

Veggie haggis with tatties and neeps

It was late on Burns night when we finally dined on our tasty new creations with tatties and neeps, a scotch for Chef, and Guinness for myself.  Although quite different they were both a success, and had I only tasted my own, I would have been pleased to stop there.  However the bar was raised further when Chef created his pan fried Pin & Puy Haggis patties.  Most telling is that as an ardent fan of traditional meaty haggis, Chef actually found his tasted very like the real deal and we found ourselves dining on them all weekend.  Now, having had more than my fill of delicious vegetarian haggis I think a few salad days are in order before the next challenge!

For Chef's Pin & Puy Haggis Patties please read on...

PIN & PUY VEGETARIAN HAGGIS PATTIES

You will find the process easiest if you prepare all your ingredients before you begin. Most time will be spent with the lentils, beans and toasting of the seeds.

1 medium onion

1 medium carrot

1 stick celery

4 sprigs thyme

40g butter

4 tbls oil (rice bran oil or olive oil)

3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp all spice

pinch cayenne

about 1/4 grated whole nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp dried sage

1/2 cup pinmeal oats (soaked)

1/4 cup 50% sunflower and 50% pumpkin seeds (lightly toasted and chopped in food processor)

2 cups puy lentils (cooked or canned, drained and lightly mashed)

1 cup aduki or kidney beans (cooked or canned, drained and lightly mashed)

2 1/2 cups stock (veg)

1 1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Finely chop veg in food processor. On low heat sweat the chopped veg, whole sprigs of thyme and 1 tsp salt in the butter and oil until soft, approximately 10min.  Add spices and and pinmeal, stir well for.  Remove sprigs of thyme and add seeds and mashed pulses.  Mixing well, add stock and stir over a low heat for approximately 10 min. Continue stirring and add remaining salt, sugar and vinegar.  Stir over a medium heat until it reaches a thick consistency and is coming away from the pan, (approximately 15min).  Add any further seasoning to taste.  

To make the patties, once the batch is cool enough to handle, roll in 4-5 layers of cling film like a salami sausage, twist the ends like a sweet wrapper (you can add another layer of cling film to prevent the twisted ends from unwrapping) and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.  When ready, slice in 1 inch thick rounds and fry in hot oil, 1-2 min each side.  For extra flavour, try first frying extra thyme sprigs in the oil to flavour then remove and use the herb as a garnish.  Enjoy!

If you give this a try please let us know how it goes!!