Haggis with Neeps and Tatties

Happy Robert Burns Day! Scotland’s favorite son was born on January 25th, 1759. On this day, those of Scottish heritage around the world remember the famous poet with a traditional Rabbie Burns Supper. Even those who couldn’t recite a line of The Bard’s works may have heard of the evening’s menu featuring haggis.

My grandparents immigrated to Canada from Glasgow in their thirties and retained their Scottish accents and selected traditions throughout their lives, but haggis wasn’t one of them. Their daughter, my elderly aunt, who passed away in her 86th year, confessed that she had never tasted haggis. And we certainly didn’t refer to turnips and potatoes as neeps and tatties.

Still, I was amused when I came across an entry in a cookbook for a vegetarian version of haggis, to be served with the traditional neeps and tatties. It is claimed that the recipe originated with a restaurant on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. As Robbie Burns night was at hand, I decided to give it at try.

The ‘haggis’ is actually a simple lentil loaf. Two cups of cooked lentils are combined with 1/2 cup of fresh bread crumbs, and assorted seasonings including garlic, chopped onion, sage, salt and pepper, and a touch of cumin and nutmeg. The mixture is then formed into a loaf, brushed with olive oil, and baked at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes till lightly browned and firm. I served the loaf with mashed potatoes and mashed turnip. Well…not exactly turnip, but rutabaga, which is also called Swedish turnip, or yellow turnip or even, yes, neep.

The lentil loaf was quite tasty and we enjoyed our Burns supper.

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Cranachan for Robert Burns Day

Great Scot! It’s Rabbie Burns Day again. By way of honouring the bard, we had cranachan for dessert. Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dish, usually served in the summer, but in modern times also enjoyed on special occasions such as Burns Day. Recipes vary, but all are very simple.

Toast oats, fine or flaked according to personal preference, in a frying pan or on a baking sheet, until lightly browned.

Whip half a cup or so of whipping cream until stiff. Then whip in a couple of tablespoons each of Scottish malt whiskey and runny honey.

In glasses or parfait dishes, swirl together or layer the oats and the cream along with a half pint of fresh raspberries.

There should be enough Scotch left to raise a glass in a toast to one of Scotland’s favorite sons.

For more on Robert Burns, and an interpretation of his poem To a Mouse, follow this link to last year’s Burns post.

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Great Scot!

Happy Robbie Burns Day! In honour of the famous bard, I am revisiting a post from a couple of years ago, with best wishes to everyone for a good day, even if you’re not lucky enough to be Scottish. If you are interested in Burns, you could do worse than look up Andrew O’Hagan’s book:
A Night Out With Robert Burns: The Greatest Poems arranged by Andrew O’Hagan. McClelland & Stewart, 2008.

Great Scot! It’s Robert Burns Day! Rabbie Burns, Scotland’s favorite son, the Bard of Ayrshire, was born on January 25, 1759. Now, people of Scottish descent all around the world celebrate the great poet on this, his birthday. In Canada, where many Scots settled in the early days of the country, Burns is remembered by memorials across the country. Halifax, Fredericton, Montreal, Toronto, Winsor, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria all have Burns monuments.

Unveiling of the Burns Monument in Toronto's Allan Gardens, 1902. Photo Wikipedia.

Even if, sadly, you don’t have a drop of Scottish blood, nor any interest in poetry, you likely are familiar with some of Burns’ works. Every New Year’s Eve, people around the world sing Auld Lang Syne, a Burns poem that is set to the tune of a traditional folksong, Can Ye Labour Lea.

Perhaps in high school you read John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel, Of Mice and Men. The title is taken from a line in Burns poem To a Mouse on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough 1785: The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley.

Or perhaps you’ve heard a snippet from A Red, Red Rose:

O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve’s like the melodie
That’s sweetly play’d in tune–

Andrew O’Hagan’s book offers up the most popular of Burns’ poems. Each is introduced with a bit of personal commentary or background information, and there is a glossary at the end of the book to help with deciphering some of the old Scottish words. Even so, it can be hard to interpret some of the language. It helps to have Google on hand! For those willing to make the effort, there are rewards to reap. Below is a nice side-by-side interpretation of To a Mouse, courtesy of Wikipedia. Closing this post is a photo (Wikipedia) of Burns Cottage, his birthplace, located a few miles south of Ayr. For many years, a small souvenir-style ceramic replica of Burns Cottage stood on a shelf in my Scottish grandparent’s dining room, my grandmother having grown up in Ayr. It’s what I always think of when I think of Burns.

Burns Cottage

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Bibliophilia Monday: A Night Out With Robert Burns

A Night Out With Robert Burns: The Greatest Poems arranged by Andrew O’Hagan. McClelland & Stewart, 2008.

Great Scot! It’s Robert Burns Day! Rabbie Burns, Scotland’s favorite son, the Bard of Ayrshire, was born on January 25, 1759. Now, people of Scottish descent all around the world celebrate the great poet on this, his birthday. In Canada, where many Scots settled in the early days of the country, Burns is remembered by memorials across the country. Halifax, Fredericton, Montreal, Toronto, Winsor, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria all have Burns monuments.

Unveiling of the Burns Monument in Toronto's Allan Gardens, 1902. Photo Wikipedia.

Even if, sadly, you don’t have a drop of Scottish blood, nor any interest in poetry, you likely are familiar with some of Burns’ works. Every New Year’s Eve, people around the world sing Auld Lang Syne, a Burns poem that is set to the tune of a traditional folksong, Can Ye Labour Lea.

Perhaps in high school you read John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel, Of Mice and Men. The title is taken from a line in Burns poem To a Mouse on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough 1785: The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley.

Or perhaps you’ve heard a snippet from A Red, Red Rose:

O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve’s like the melodie
That’s sweetly play’d in tune–

Andrew O’Hagan’s book offers up the most popular of Burns’ poems. Each is introduced with a bit of personal commentary or background information, and there is a glossary at the end of the book to help with deciphering some of the old Scottish words. Even so, it can be hard to interpret some of the language. It helps to have Google on hand! For those willing to make the effort, there are rewards to reap. Below is a nice side-by-side interpretation of To a Mouse, courtesy of Wikipedia. Closing this post is a photo (Wikipedia) of Burns Cottage, his birthplace, located a few miles south of Ayr. For many years, a small souvenir-style ceramic replica of Burns Cottage stood on a shelf in my Scottish grandparent’s dining room, my grandmother having grown up in Ayr. It’s what I always think of when I think of Burns.

Burns Cottage

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