Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Lamb
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Sheep's stomach, thoroughly
-cleaned
The liver, heart, and lights
-(lungs) of the sheep
1 lb Beef suet
2 lg Onions
2 tb Salt
1 t Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 ts Cayenne or red pepper
1/2 ts Allspice
2 lb Dry oatmeal (the
-old-fashioned, slow-cooking
-kind)
2 Or 3 cups broth (in which
-the liver, heart and lights
-were
Cooked)
Utensils
4 qt Pot with lid
What you need:
Canning kettle or a large spaghetti pot, 16- to 20
quart size with a lid to fit it Meat grinder
Cheesecloth What to do:
If the butcher has not already cut apart and trimmed
the heart, liver and lungs, do that first. It
involves cutting the lungs off the windpipe, cutting
the heart off the large bloodvessels and cutting it
open to rinse it, so that it can cook more quickly.
The liver, too, has to be freed from the rest. Put
them in a 4-quart pot with 2 to 3 cups water, bring to
a boil, and simmer for about an hour and a half. Let
it all cool, and keep the broth. Run the liver and
heart through the meat grinder. Take the lungs and cut
out as much of the gristly part as you easily can,
then run them through the grinder, too. Next, put the
raw beef suet through the grinder. As you finish
grinding each thing, put it in the big kettle. Peel,
slice and chop the onions, then add them to the meat
in the kettle. Add the salt and spices and mix.
The oatmeal comes next, and while it is customary to
toast it or brown it very lightly in the oven or in a
heavy bottomed pan on top of the stove, this is not
absolutely necessary. When the oatmeal has been
thoroughly mixed with the rest of it, add the 2 cups
of the broth left from boiling the meat. See if when
you take a handful, it sticks together. If it does, do
not add the third cup of broth. If it is still crumbly
and will not hold together very well, add the rest of
the broth and mix thoroughly. Have the stomach smooth
side out and stuff it with the mixture, about
three-quarters full. Sew up the openings. Wrap it in
cheesecloth,so that when it is cooked you can handle
it. Now, wash out the kettle and bring about 2 gallons
of water to a boil in it. Put in the haggis and prick
it all over with a skewer so that it does not burst.
You will want to do this a couple of times early in
the cooking span. Boil the haggis gently for about 4
or 5 hours. If you did not have any cheesecloth for
wrapping the haggis, you can use a large clean
dishtowel. Work it under with kitchen spoons to make
a sling with which you can lift out the haggis in one
piece. You will probably want to wear lined rubber
gloves to protect your hands from the hot water while
you lift it out with the wet cloth. (You put the dish
cloth in the pot only after the haggis is done; you do
not cook the towel with the haggis as you would the
cheesecloth.) Note: Even if the butcher has cleaned
the stomach, you will probably want to go over it
again. Turn the stomach shaggy side out and rinse. Rub
it in a sinkful of cold water. Change the water and
repeat as many times as necessary, until the water
stays pretty clear and handling it does not produce
much sediment as the water drains out of the sink.
