Haggis and Redcurrant Ragu

This is what happens if left with a relatively empty fridge and a hge bowl of haggis to use up in the thrifty spirit that being Offaltarian brings to you. I also bought some reduced Morrisons venison meatballs  and needed to make a sauce since dry meatballs and dry pasta is the basis of deliciousness rather than the delicious itself.

To make the ragu (which is the main event … everyone has venison meatballs every day of course) it is very simple. You will need:

• two sticks celery
• one teaspoon garlic salt
• one teaspoon dried rosemary
• one teaspoon sugar
• one can chopped tomatoes
• 4 heaped tablespoons cooked haggis
• 150g redcurrants removed from stalks, discarding manky and mouldy ones, you can remove the brown end where the flower was if you like but I didn’t and it didn’t make any difference to the flavour, just added a bit more fibre and we all love that!

Basically, it’s then very simple. Gently fry the celery, add the garlic salt, sugar and rosemary, swoosh it all about. Add tomatoes. Swoosh. Add haggis. Stir thoroughly. Add redcurrants. Simmer 10 minutes. The End.

Not really a recipe, and you ay notice born out of not having many ingredients in the house. In fact me and the Mr mostly had celery and redcurrants and haggis. Just shows you can make a meal from anything. The redcurrants were leftover from our Christmas when we had partridge and I think haggis and redcurrants is an excellent combination. The fruit cuts through the richness (which is I guess why they often partner game) and with the tomato makes a really nice tart sauce. I’d recommend trying it especially if you see some in the supermarket either reduced or you’re feeling like an adventure. I’d pair them with anything rich. I imagine redcurrant and duck would be good, or with sweet potato.

The most important part was re-using the haggis, which was excellent. Some Offalsceptics say you can’t reheat offal and that you’ll DEFINITELY DIE if you do. I totes didn’t die. The haggis worked really nicely in two ways. Firstly the meat added an extra meaty intensity to the sauce. Also the oatmeal swelled further so you got these little nice saucy oaty bits. It really made the texture of the sauce very chop-licking.

I’m looking forward now to the making of my own haggis and the using up of the spare haggis. Watch this space!

Down to business …

Yes, that’s correct. I tackled the haggis. I am indeed a brave lady. My haggis-involvement was not purposeful though. I went for a run with my friend and then we went to Asda where I bought two brassieres for £1 each and then turned my thoughts to dinner.

Now Asda (it may just be the Holt Park one) is woefully short on the offal. I was slightly despairing that for a quick dinner I would have to get a £1 veggie lasagne, but then the reduced section came to my rescue.

Whoops indeed, Asda! I’ve never cooked Haggis. I’ve eaten it before – drunk at Burns Night Parties and I have ogled over this recipe from my friend RockSalt! You should totally check her things here. So this was indeed a new step for me. I checked it was indeed offal and was gratified to see the first two ingredients as pork lungs and pork liver. Excellent! It even looked a bit Scottish, what with the artfully placed thistles and all:

The instructions for cooking were on the back and as I had neither time nor inclination to steam or boil my haggis, I microwaved it, like what ye clansmen of Olde Bravehearte did. You take the filling out the fake bladder and blast it for five minutes, stirring half-way through. It tasted just like the drunk boiled ones I’d eaten before.

What you may not suspect is that a 454g haggis is actually a lot of haggis. I ate maybe a fifth. There’s still some in the fridge now. I’m intending to use it in exciting ways – maybe even Scotch egg it? All Scottish people (like Stephen Hendry) may know this, but haggis on toast is delicious. I did not.

I got  fancy and fried some leeks to go with it and my toast was from a really good baker in Headingley on North Lane just next to the vintage shop next to what was Oddbins. It is small and nice. I put some redcurrants on top and their sharpness cuts through the haggis, which was (whether due to amount plated or brand bought) a bit cloying.

But yes, first proper offal dinner at home done. Win.