Veggie Haggis-Stuffed Peppers
In honour of National Vegetarian Week, and as your resident Scottish stereotype-fulfilling haggis obsessive who also happens to be veggie, I come to you today with a recipe that satisfies the most carnivorous of palates and melts the bravest of hearts.
Yes.
Haggis.
My all-time favourite food since birth (slight exaggeration maybe), in its veggie form. Before we begin, I feel I ought to make something clear to anyone who "doesn't like" veggie haggis: it is way less carroty than it used to be. Way, way less. I like carrots, but Macsween veggie haggis used to be absolute carrot overload - it is now only 3% carrot. So you should try it, because it's really great.
And with that (possibly unnecessary) clarification out of the way, let's get to the FOOD. Or, as they like to pronounce it on the Co-operative ad: "füd", rhyming with 'good'. Also known as /fʊd/. (In case you cared at all, it should be /fu:d/. Linguistics is so fun.)
Rightio, recipe time! This recipe is actually provided by good ol' Macsween, who have many many yummy recipes on their website. This one, however, came on a wee tag attached to the haggis itself which is mighty useful. You can view the original recipe and all their other (REALLY COOL) recipe ideas here.
Veggie Haggis-Stuffed Peppers
serves two as smallish mains, or gigantic starters if you're hungry; can be vegan
Ingredients
large red pepper, halved
quarter of a 454g pack of Macsween veggie haggis (the whole pack should do four peppers/eight halves)
olive or rapeseed oil
salt & pepper
pepper Boursin cheese (optional, omit to keep it vegan)
Directions
1. To cook the haggis, break it into small chunks and pop in a microwaveable tub with a wee splash of water, then cover and heat in the microwave for 10 minutes on medium, pausing it after five minutes to stir. You can also do it in the oven, but it will take 70 minutes... Your call.
2. While the microwave is blasting your haggis with radiation (yum), place the pepper halves upside down (i.e. the other way up from how you'll be serving them) on a baking tray, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and drizzle with an oil of your choice. Leave them under the grill ("broiler" in USA lingo) on a medium heat until they are charred, soft and kind of wrinkly (in the most positive and appealing way possible).
3. Once the haggis is done and piping hot, give it a mix to break up any remaining chunks then flip the peppers, season again and pop the haggis in.
4. Crumble some Boursin over the top (or whatever other cheese you happen to be craving) then grill until it is sufficiently melty for your cheesy needs.
5. Serve with a salad or other side of your choice and enjoy the taste of (an environmentally conscious) Scotland!
HOW EASY IS THAT. Answer: very. I'm a humongous fan of 'active' cooking, i.e. stuff that involves more actually doing something and less waiting around, but for those less fanatical about active cooking or anyone remotely in the teeniest bit of a rush/with other stuff to do, this is a winner. And it tastes great. And if you don't add cheese then it's vegan too. Win win win win win!
You could also use Macsween Moroccan spiced veggie haggis which I am yet to try but so keen for, having read the ingredients list. The hunt begins. The haggis hunt. (As a heartbreaking aside, The Scotsman's annual Haggis Hunt sadly came to an end in 2015 after thirteen wonderful years. It will be greatly missed.)
Yes.
Haggis.
My all-time favourite food since birth (slight exaggeration maybe), in its veggie form. Before we begin, I feel I ought to make something clear to anyone who "doesn't like" veggie haggis: it is way less carroty than it used to be. Way, way less. I like carrots, but Macsween veggie haggis used to be absolute carrot overload - it is now only 3% carrot. So you should try it, because it's really great.
And with that (possibly unnecessary) clarification out of the way, let's get to the FOOD. Or, as they like to pronounce it on the Co-operative ad: "füd", rhyming with 'good'. Also known as /fʊd/. (In case you cared at all, it should be /fu:d/. Linguistics is so fun.)
Rightio, recipe time! This recipe is actually provided by good ol' Macsween, who have many many yummy recipes on their website. This one, however, came on a wee tag attached to the haggis itself which is mighty useful. You can view the original recipe and all their other (REALLY COOL) recipe ideas here.
Veggie Haggis-Stuffed Peppers
serves two as smallish mains, or gigantic starters if you're hungry; can be vegan
Ingredients
large red pepper, halved
quarter of a 454g pack of Macsween veggie haggis (the whole pack should do four peppers/eight halves)
olive or rapeseed oil
salt & pepper
pepper Boursin cheese (optional, omit to keep it vegan)
Directions
1. To cook the haggis, break it into small chunks and pop in a microwaveable tub with a wee splash of water, then cover and heat in the microwave for 10 minutes on medium, pausing it after five minutes to stir. You can also do it in the oven, but it will take 70 minutes... Your call.
2. While the microwave is blasting your haggis with radiation (yum), place the pepper halves upside down (i.e. the other way up from how you'll be serving them) on a baking tray, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and drizzle with an oil of your choice. Leave them under the grill ("broiler" in USA lingo) on a medium heat until they are charred, soft and kind of wrinkly (in the most positive and appealing way possible).
3. Once the haggis is done and piping hot, give it a mix to break up any remaining chunks then flip the peppers, season again and pop the haggis in.
4. Crumble some Boursin over the top (or whatever other cheese you happen to be craving) then grill until it is sufficiently melty for your cheesy needs.
5. Serve with a salad or other side of your choice and enjoy the taste of (an environmentally conscious) Scotland!
HOW EASY IS THAT. Answer: very. I'm a humongous fan of 'active' cooking, i.e. stuff that involves more actually doing something and less waiting around, but for those less fanatical about active cooking or anyone remotely in the teeniest bit of a rush/with other stuff to do, this is a winner. And it tastes great. And if you don't add cheese then it's vegan too. Win win win win win!
You could also use Macsween Moroccan spiced veggie haggis which I am yet to try but so keen for, having read the ingredients list. The hunt begins. The haggis hunt. (As a heartbreaking aside, The Scotsman's annual Haggis Hunt sadly came to an end in 2015 after thirteen wonderful years. It will be greatly missed.)
Plus, to any peeps thinking that anything so delicious must be wildly unhealthy (definitely not the case, just look at these lazy brownies or this chocolate fudge cake for evidence..), then let me remind you that the ingredients of veggie haggis is very simply a blend of oats, pulses, vegetables and seeds with a tip top combo of spices thrown in for good measure. Practically this summer's new superfood. In fact, why not have a read of the full ingredients list here and be amazed at the fact that there are quite honestly only good things in this?
Sidenote: anyone remember when black pudding actually was hailed as one of 2016's predicted superfoods earlier this year? Yes, really: have a read here and here. It may be high in iron and zinc but it doesn't quite seem to have caught on in the same way as coconut oil and avocado..
Now go forth, and enjoy your haggis. The experience is enormously enhanced by an impassioned pre-meal proclamation of Rabbie Burns' Address to a Haggis - ingrained as practically an integral part of my personality pretty much since I learned to speak. Embrace the Scottishness. It's really very tasty.
P.S. If you want some powerful one-liners on vegetarianism from celebs, have a gander at this. Apparently Albert Einstein is a celeb.
*All photos in this post are mine. If you wish to use any, please ask my permission and credit me!*
As always, all images are click-to-enlarge.
I wish for the great of success in all of our destiny endeavors
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