A VEGAN ROBBIE BURNS' DAY SUPPER

Vegan Haggis and Typsy Laird ( a special kind of Trifle)

I've attended only one formal Burns' Supper, in honor of the immortal Scots bard, oh, about 40 years ago (I remember because I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, Justine). My late husband, Wayne Clark, was working with a bunch of "Geordies" from northern England and they invited us to the dinner. These folks were so much fun-- kept me in stitches all night.  I wasn't drinking (I can't tolerate hard liquor anyway, even when NOT pregnant!) but, boy, could they drink! It was a really enjoyable evening, despite the elderly band .(I was all of about 23, but they were really pretty elderly.) There was the ceremony of piping in the haggis, which I actually didn't think it tasted too bad--kind of like a bland meat loaf (this was pre-vegan or even vegetarian days.). 

Years later, here on Denman, I tasted haggis again at a friend's house. There was memorable for the moment when one young lady of about 7 years-old put some haggis in her mouth, promptly spit it out and deposited it on the first available receptacle, which happened to be my husband's plate!

In England and Scotland you can actually buy vegan haggis at butcher shops, but here in North America we have to make our own, as far as I know. With my, albeit limited, taste memories, and some knowledge of the ingredients, a few years ago I headed into the kitchen to develop a vegan haggis recipe (I do have some Scots blood on my maternal grandmother's side), for vegans of the Scots persuasion, or Scots of the vegan persuasion.

The recipe is in my new book World Vegan Feast, and it tastes better than the traditional version, in my opinion.  BUT you can also make it from this vegan "meatloaf "recipe on my blog (also with a gluten-free alternative), with about half the amount of herbs seasonings.  You steam it for 2 hours over simmering water in a well-greased 2 qt. ceramic British pudding basin or bowl that will fit into a large pot, covered with 2 layers of foil. (The blog recipe will give you a larger Haggis than the recipe in the book.)

(BTW, if you don't know what a traditional haggis is or how it is made or what it is made from, see this page but, be warned, it isn't pretty!)

I use some oatmeal, of course--it's traditional-- but also potato, which is not, but it is common in Scottish cooking. I tried it originally with ground seitan, then with textured soy protein, then with vegan "hamburger crumbles". It works with all of them. You don't want it too spicy, but I find that vegan foods often need more seasoning, so I use plenty of onion and some traditional spices. I make it in an authentic way called “pot haggis”, which means that it is formed in a bowl or pudding basin, packed into a bowl and steamed. You can wrap it in a cloth first, like a real savory pudding, if you like. It's actually very tasty, especially with some vegan gravy.

We like to celebrate Robbie Burns' Day every year on January 25th-- my husband is only half Irish, after all-- his mother was the only one of her siblings not born in Scotland.  We have the vegan haggis, of course, with gravy. For the rest of the meal, it's traditional to have Scotch whiskey, of course (I don't like Scotch, but DH enjoys it now and then) and Cock-a-Leekie Soup (a chicken and leek soup) to start, but this delicious white bean and leek soup is a great vegan alternative.

Tatties'n'neeps (mashed potatoes combined with mashed turnips) is the traditional accompanying dish. I like to roast the turnips  in the oven first and then mash them into the potatoes-- the turnips have so much more flavor that way-- or even just serve mashed potatoes accompanied by roasted turnips, usually roasted with parsnips, carrots and onions.

An alternative could be a dish of mashed potatoes and kale (in old Scotland, vegetable gardens were called "kaleyards").  You can alter a recipe of mine for Mashed Potatoes with Sauteed Kale and Garlic, also from my book "World Vegan Feast", or at this link. It's easily adaptable to a Scots meal by using kale instead of chard and chopped green onions instead of garlic.

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For dessert, a gorgeous sherry trifle called "Typsy Laird" (photo above) is traditional and there is also a recipe for this in World Vegan Feast, including the vegan sponge cake used in this delectable dessert. 

You can obtain the vegan sponge cake recipe (and variations) as a Google Doc at this link: https://bit.ly/3sPWsDc

Vegan Sponge Cake baked in a tube pan

Vegan Sponge Cake baked in mini-Angel Food pans

Vegan Sponge Cake baked in layer cake pans

THE FORMAT FOR A BURNS SUPPER

Chairperson's opening address:

A few welcoming words start the evening and the meal commences with the Selkirk Grace.

(Vegans can  adopt another traditional Scottish Grace without all the references to meat, such as this one:

"Grace be here, and grace be there,
And grace be round the table;
Let ilka ane take up their spoon
And eat as muckle’s they’re able.")

The company are asked to stand to receive the haggis. A piper then leads the chef, carrying the haggis to the top table, while the guests accompany them with a slow handclap. The chairman or invited guest then recites Burns' famous poem To A Haggis (translation included), with great enthusiasm. (My friend Fireweed can read Burns' To a Haggis in its original form -- quite a feat, and she does it beautifully!), in translation, and also in a veganized translation, clever girl.  I'll have to ask her transcribe that..

When the person reciting reaches the line "an cut you up wi' ready slight", he cuts open the haggis with a sharp knife.  It's customary for the company to applaud the speaker then stand and toast the haggis with a glass of whisky. 

(An aside: Reading To a Haggis reminds me of an incident when my stepson Sean stopped in Aberdeen, Scotland after serving for a few weeks on a Dutch tall ship where no one would speak English to him. He thought, "Finally, they speak English here!" No such luck-- he couldn't understand a word they said! The Aberdeen brogue was like another foreign language.)

I hope this inspires you to celebrate with a vegan Burns' Supper, if not tomorrow, then next year on January 25th.

PS: Another day when haggis is often served is St. Andrew's Day (patron saint of Scotland), November 30th.  I have even read of "Haggis Puffs" being served-- I assume that refers to the haggis mixture being baked in puff pastry. UPDATE: Here's a recipe for Haggis Puffs, if you're intrigued-- to make vegan, use leftover vegan haggis, such as one of the two recipes above, vegan puff pastry, and brush the dough with soymilk instead of egg wash.

Cheers!