Haggis is usually made from sheep guts, but of course ours is veggie, hence the recipe title. The preparation and cooking can be done while you are soaking the oats – otherwise soak them the night before and drain in the morning. Refrigerate until needed.
Serves: 4
Time to prepare: 1 hr 20 mins
Time to cook: 40 mins
Dietary requirements: Dairy-free, Egg-free, Halal, Kosher, Vegan
Ingredients
75g/3oz fine or medium oatmeal (the pinhead or fine variety works best – available from health stores)
110g/4oz of uncooked brown or green lentils OR 300g/11oz cooked (about 1¼ tins of drained, rinsed lentils)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large carrots, finely grated
4 to 6 mushrooms, sliced
¼ tsp each of allspice, cumin, paprika and nutmeg
¼ tsp each of dried sage and thyme
1 tbsp soya sauce
400g tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
60g/2oz mixed nuts, ground
3 tsp yeast extract, eg Marmite
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Salt and black pepper to taste
Knob of dairy-free margarine, eg Pure or Vitalite brand
Instructions
Preheat oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5.
Put the oatmeal in a bowl and cover with water. Let it stand for at least an hour. Drain thoroughly.
If cooking lentils from scratch, place them in a pan of water and boil rapidly for 20–30 minutes or until soft (the time will vary according to the type of lentils). When the lentils are ready, drain and rinse them in a sieve. Otherwise ignore this stage and go to step 4.
Sauté the onion in the oil until it is soft. Add the carrots and mushrooms, and cook for a little longer. Then add the herbs and spices, soya sauce, cooked lentils and about a quarter of the kidney beans. Mix in the yeast extract until it is well incorporated.
Using a blender or potato masher, mash the remainder of the beans to form a thick paste (add a little water if necessary to prevent it getting too stiff). Add this to the lentil and vegetable mixture.
Finally, add the drained oatmeal, salt and pepper, and the garlic. If the mixture looks too dry, add the margarine. Mix well.
Transfer to an oven-proof dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
