The Second Donner Party at Tuffet Manor was quite fun, indeed. Everyone brought cannibal-themed food, and much whiskey was consumed (though not really by me, I swear). All-in-all, a great night.

The 25th of January is Robert Burns’ birthday, and in the tradition of a Burns Night Supper, I decided to try my hand at a vegetarian haggis.* The real thing is made with oats, onions, herbs, and sheep organs (heart, liver, lungs) all boiled together in a sheep’s stomach. It sounds dreadful, but looking at photos makes it seem far less disgusting somehow. It just looks like an oat-based casserole. I started with this recipe from the Vegetarian Society of the UK. I made the following modifications to fit my tastes and available ingredients:

1. Soybean oil instead of sunflower oil
2. Brown lentils instead of red
3. Cashews instead of peanuts and hazelnuts
4. Omitted the soy sauce
5. Fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme instead of dried thyme and rosemary and “mixed spice” (whatever that means)
6. Omitted the cayenne pepper (only because I forgot to put it in)
7. Assumed “fine oatmeal” meant steel cut oats, which is what I saw as an ingredient in many other recipes; and I only used 7 oz instead of 8, because my measuring device only held 7 oz and I didn’t think it needed the extra 1 oz.
8. Added celery and garlic to the onions
9. EDIT TO ADD: I can’t believe I forgot to mention this when making the list, but I added 1/3 cup scotch to the vegetable stock. Many recipes called for as much as a half cup, but I thought that would be a bit too strong.

Basically you sautee the veggies, add the stock, lentils, oats, and seasonings, and simmer for a while. Then plop the mixture into a dish and bake at 375 for a half hour or so. It was pretty tasty, and I’m definitely going to make it again.

The ingredients for this version look far tastier than their traditional counterparts (emphasis on the “parts”). I do so enjoy being a vegetarian.

The smell of all the veggies cooking away was absolutely amazing. I usually hate mushrooms, but only because of their texture. If they’re cut up small enough, I get to enjoy their flavor without being grossed out. Everything in this dish is to be chopped quite finely.

After the veggies have cooked a while, add part of the stock and the oats and lentils. Blend the kidney beans with the remaining stock, then stir into the pot.

Simmer for a while until the oats and lentils are partially cooked, around 20 minutes or so. Turn out into the oiled baking dish and bake at 375 F for about a half hour.

Boil up some potatoes and turnips, mash and season separately. I used a bit of Earth Balance margarine, salt and pepper, and a bit of nutritional yeast.

And there you have it: vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties. (This one is a wee bit blurrier than the rest, as I forgot my camera and took these photos with my phone.)

Here’s only a portion of the whole spread: hand-cake (better than face-cake, so I’ve heard), various and sundry meaty things named after fleshy and bony bits, vegan chili (made with free-range vegans), sloppy Joes (made with bits of Joe), and our delicious vegan haggis. NOM!

My favorite dish brought to the gathering was of course, the Spotted Dick and Jammy Balls.

*A sin against God, so it is said.