Vegetarian haggis for Burns Night

Celebrate Burns Night on 25 January with our holistic nutritionist Nikki Robertson’s vegetarian haggis, either baked in a loaf tin or made into parcels wrapped in Savoy cabbage 

Vegetarian haggis

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 6

You will need: loaf tin, foil

Ingredients

• 80g lentils
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large mushrooms, chopped
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1-2tsp black pepper
• 1 carrot, grated
• Juice ½ lemon
• 80g nuts almonds/hazelnuts, crushed into small pieces
• 100g pinhead oats
• 1tsp mixed dried herbs
• 1 tin butter beans or borlotti beans, drained and chopped
• Butter/oil for frying
• 2tsp miso paste
• 60g hemp hearts
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Cover lentils in water and bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer until soft – do not allow to dry out.
2. Sauté the onion in some butter or oil for 5 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms with cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper. Cook for further 2 minutes.
4. Add carrot and lemon juice for 2 minutes.
5. Add the lentils and their water.
6. Stir in the nuts.
7. Add oats, herbs and cayenne pepper. Cover with water and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add beans, egg, miso and hemp hearts. Give it a taste: it should be spicy so add more pepper to taste.
9. Cook for 5 minutes, then pack into a buttered loaf tin and cover with foil.
10. Bake at 175°C for 20 minutes.
11. Turn out onto a plate and serve with mashed neeps and tatties.

 

To make Savoy cabbage haggis parcels
You will need: 1 leaf of cabbage per parcel

Boil cabbage leaves for 5 minutes, rinse and sit in cold water for 5 minutes. Then dry and roll between 2 tea towels separately (otherwise, they’ll stick together).
Put cling film down, place leaf on top, large spoon of haggis and roll, folding ends in as well.
Wrap cling film tightly and seal ends. To cook bring a pan of water to boil, then add parcels and simmer for 20 minutes.