With it being Saint Andrew's Day yesterday, we thought we'd have a bit of supper that had a bit of a Scottish feel to it. Haggis is probably the first thing that springs to mind (although others might grunt out "deep-fried Mars Bar", all neanderthal-like), however... knowing what haggis is made from, the thought of putting it past my lips has never appealed. Time to be brave!
Half an hour later I have a shopping basket full of the ingredients I will need: potatoes, turnip, (some of you will call it swede - it's the bigger of the two, which I call turnip), real butter, a bunch of chives and black pepper. For the sweet - cranachan: whipping cream, oats, heather honey, a measly tin of raspberries and a bottle of whisky (yes that is the correct spelling!). Oh hang on! I've forgotten something (this might have been deliberate, as I am still unsure). Yes, the haggis. I eventually find the little corner, on the bottom, out of sight, where the haggis nest.
I feel a little pang of relief that there is no haggis left, only a pile of 'vegetarian' haggis. Yet my curiosity is getting the better of me, and as I scan the supermarket shelf further there are packets of microwave haggis, in neat little slices. Two to a pack - one each, and just a handy enough size for those who are timid to try this out.
Fast forward an hour or so. The dining table is all dressed up in its best tartan finery, a couple of bottles of cold Crabbies Ginger Beer awaits and there sitting looking all lonely in a puddle of peppery gravy, next to a tower of clapshot, is a little disc of haggis, which was fried in bacon fat. A teeny-weeny wee toaty thing! And we're ready to dig in.
The first tentative mouthful of spiced animals innards passes the lips!!
YUM absolutely YUM!! I suppose I should say fan-dabby-dozy!
We Collectinis are now haggis converts.
I suppose I should try and paint a picture. The flavour is somewhat reminiscent (to me anyway) of a kind of mixture between Scottish black-pudding (i.e. more spicy and way less fatty than other black pudding), Scotch pie and stovies (stovies will be another blog entry some time). Being teeny, toaty, it did go own rather quick. Which meant cranachan time.
Cranachan, again, is something we've never tried. This is a lovely mixture of cream whipped thick, raspberries soaked in a heather-honey & whisky mixture, and sugar toasted oats. Funnily enough that didn't last too long either.
All was washed down with a bottle of ice-cold Crabbies ginger beer.
Must consider St Andrew more often.
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