Robbie Burns, poet and arguably Scotland’s greatest son, was born on January 25, 1759; each year, on or about that date, Scots and lovers of his poetry throughout the world gather for a Burn’s Night supper in celebration of his life and works.
Whether formal or informal, it’s always a convivial affair and it usually follows roughly the same pattern. After the guests have gathered and been welcomed by the host, Burn’s Selkirk Grace is said and supper is served. It usually consists of soup, such as Scotch broth, cock-a-leekie or Cullen skink (a sort of smoked haddock chowder), but the highlight of the evening is the arrival of the haggis, carried in shoulder high and preceded by a bagpiper.
The host then recites Burns’ Address to a Haggis, a long and fairly unintelligible (to English ears) poem in Scottish dialect.
The haggis is served with ‘neeps ’n’ tatties’ (swede or turnips and potatoes), followed by dessert, often cranachan, with cheese and oatcakes to follow. And, of course, it’s all washed down with what the Scots refer to as the water of life – Scotch whisky.
After dinner come the speeches and toasts, first to the immortal memory of Burns and then to the lassies, with yet more whisky – all in all, a fairly inebriated occasion.
This is my menu for a Burns Night supper. Some dishes are traditional and some not, as I don’t think you can buy haggis in Malta, although you can buy it online from Amazon.
I have an ancient haggis recipe, described as a ‘pudding for strong stomachs’, and I would make it myself, but it might be difficult to find the sheep’s stomach you need to boil it in.
As for the sheep’s windpipe the recipe calls for, which is hung over the edge of the pan to let the wind out, that may be a bit of a problem too! So I’ll stick to a nice, rich beef stew in red wine instead, preceded by cock-a-leekie soup, accompanied by neeps ’n’ tatties, and followed by raspberry cranachan with petticoat tail shortbread – and, of course, a tot of whisky.
Beef in red wine
Ever since the Middle Ages, there has been an Auld Alliance between the Scots and the French, probably because at one time they were both fighting the English.
This stew makes a delicious Auld Alliance between good Scottish beef and equally good French wine, although the local classic Merlot is pretty good too.
(Serves 6)
1.5kg good stewing steak
150g smoked streaky bacon in one piece, rind removed
Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
500ml good red wine
Beef stock
Salt and pepper
2 tsp brown sugar
Bunch of parsley stalks, sprigs of thyme and 3 bay leaves tied together
12 small onions or shallots, peeled
350g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp butter mixed with 1 tbsp flour
Chopped parsley for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Cut the steak into three-centimetre cubes and the bacon into small lardons. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and, working in batches, fry the meat until brown, then turn it into a casserole dish.
Add the onion, celery and bacon to the pan and fry until the onion and celery soften and the bacon browns, then stir in the garlic and fry for a minute more. Tip it all on to the meat, pour in the wine and enough beef stock to just cover, then give it a good stir and season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the brown sugar, add the bunch of herbs, cover with foil and a lid and cook in the oven for 90 minutes.
Heat another tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until starting to brown, stir in the mushrooms and fry just until they begin to wilt. Add them both to the casserole and cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove and discard the herbs, stir in the butter/flour mixture a little at a time and return the stew to the oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with neeps ’n’ tatties.
Cranachan with petticoat tail shortbread
(Serves 6)
250g plain flour
75g caster sugar
175g butter
Caster sugar for dusting
2 heaped tbsp porridge oats
450ml carton cream
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp whisky
2 cartons fresh raspberries
For the shortbread, preheat the oven to 160˚C and grease a baking tray. Sift the flour into a bowl, stir in the caster sugar and rub in the butter. Press the mixture together until it forms a dough, then turn it out on to a lightly floured surface and cut it into two equal pieces. Knead each piece lightly until smooth, then pat and press it out to an 18-centimetre circle approximately one centimetre thick and transfer them both to the baking tray.
Mark the tops with the back of a knife into eight triangles, or petticoat tails, prick them with a fork, crimp the edges and dust them with caster sugar. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes until lightly browned.
Allow to cool on the tray, then dust again with caster sugar, cut through into triangles and arrange on a serving plate.
To make the cranachan, sprinkle the oats into a large frying pan and stir constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon until it turns golden brown, then let it cool. Whisk the cream until it stands in soft peaks, then stir in the honey and whisky. Lightly crush one carton of the raspberries and fold them into the cream, then stir in most of the oatmeal until it’s all just combined.
Divide between six glasses, top with the remaining carton of raspberries, sprinkle with the rest of the oatmeal and serve with the petticoat tails.
Cock-a-leekie soup
A simple soup, but really tasty.
(Serve 6)
4 large chicken thighs
1 large onion, sliced
3 tbsp pearl barley
1l water
Salt and pepper
2 large leeks, trimmed and sliced
2 sticks celery, chopped
750ml chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Pull off and discard the skin from the chicken thighs but leave the bones in. Put the chicken, onion and pearl barley into a large pan, pour on the water and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove the thighs from the pan, cut the meat into dices and discard the bones. Put the meat on a plate and cover with foil.
Add the leeks to the pan together with the celery, chicken stock and most of the parsley and bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for five minutes more. Taste and season as necessary, then ladle into warm bowls, sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and serve with some warm, crusty bread.
Baked neeps ’n’ tatties
I use swede rather than turnips because I prefer its flavour and, because I’m constitutionally incapable of leaving well alone, I add a carrot or two as well, which would probably be frowned on, but I like the colour, so there!
(Serves 6)
800g potatoes, peeled
450g swede, peeled
2 large carrots, about 300g peeled and diced
50g butter
Ground black pepper
Chopped parsley
Cut the potatoes into chunks and cook them in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. Cut the swede into small dice and cook in boiling salted water until tender.
Drain well. As cooked swede can get rather waterlogged, return it to the saucepan and set it over low heat for a few minutes to dry out. Cook the carrots in boiling salted water, then drain.
Roughly chop the vegetables and mix them together with the butter and a grind of black pepper so that they are crushed rather than mashed.
Preheat the oven to 220˚C. Butter a shallow baking dish, turn the potato mixture into it and rough up the top a bit with a fork. Dot with a little extra butter and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes until the top is crisp. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with the stew.