Friday 24 January 2014

Happy Haggis Day

In Honour of Robert Burns

Haggis McGonk
No self-respecting Scot can overlook the importance of Burns night on 25th January to commemorate and celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns, by way of the annual Burns supper of haggis, neeps and tatties. There may even be a drap o' whisky goin' doon the hatch!

There are literally millions of pages on the web dedicated to Robert Burns and his poetry, so I won't go into any of it here. Suffice to say, this is one Scottish bard who will never be forgotten. But I would like to remind you all that a haggis isn't just for Burns night and that a frugal house may serve a frugal meal any day of the year!

Frugalhagg is a fantastic alternative! You just mince and mix together all your meaty scraps and leftovers with diced onion, oatmeal and suet, season it with salt and plenty of pepper, wrap it in a floured cloth and boil it in a pan of water until it's done. It's a bit like a clootie dumpling but with a meaty, spicy taste rather than a fruity, sweet taste. I'd suggest making it about a third of the size of the normal clootie dumpling.

I'll make some frugalhagg the first chance I get and do a step-by-step photo blog. Until then, you'll need to make do with a photo of the exceptionally cute Haggis McGonk included in this post.

NYK, Frugaldom

5 comments:

  1. Haggis McGonk is indeed cute :-) I may join you with a bit of whiskey this evening as here it is brrrrrr....cold! ~ Pru

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    1. I will most certainly be partaking of a wee tipple this evening, cheers, doon the hatch, slainte and all that! ;)

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  2. Love the idea of the frugalhagg. That's a new one on me!!

    Happy Burns' Day!

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    1. The way I see it, haggis is just a pie or meat loaf without a pastry wrapping, so boiling it in a cloth over the stove while it's lit seems ultra-frugal to me, especially when you consider the original meat content is normally the offal. Seems we can get away with eating anything as long as we add some oats. :)

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  3. I'm English & love Haggis, married to a Scot who hates Haggis, neeps, porridge, oatmeal & whiskey, so last night's Burns Supper was ...... Chicken curry!

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