Monday, January 26, 2009

Talking of haggis...


I was so busy celebrating Robert Burns' 250th birthday yesterday that I forgot it might be a good idea to celebrate it on the 'Spill too. A friend of his lived in my house during the time Burns was based in Dumfries, so I have this fantasy about him dropping in for a dram...

...anyway, here's Ae Fond Kiss, which is my favourite Burns song.

Ae Fond Kiss - Five Hand Reel

18 comments:

TatankaYotanka said...

Sweet version ....

Linn records were giving away downloads of tracks from their complete Burns cycle in the run up to yesterday ... don't know if you can still get them.

http://www.linnrecords.com/index.aspx

I'm a big Jim Mullen fan and would recommend his Burns Cd from a few years back.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Hh6aojKpo

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a great Burn's Night TFD. My Great Grandfather was a Burns. One of these days I hope to experience a Burn's Night in Scotland - it's on my bucket list.

tincanman said...

You live in a 250 year old house? Cool!

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a cool evening TFD. We had McSween's haggis and this year, instead of doing the faux nouvelle cuisine layered thing that freaked out Nilpferd (crikey, we're a year old indeed) I just mashed the neeps up with the tatties and lots of butter. Luvvely jubbely.

Blimpy said...

7 people poisoned by eating blowfish testicles! You don't get that with a haggis!!

treefrogdemon said...

@Tatanka: yes, I too am on Linn Records mailing list and I did download a couple of the free songs - but then there was a problem and it got stuck. How was RT?

@tincanman: it's at least that old. Round here they built the same style of house for hundreds of years - one storey, very thick stone walls, slate roof (formerly thatch - mine had thatch once). So I'll probably never find out how old it really is.

TatankaYotanka said...

'You live in a 250 year old house? Cool!' ....... draughty! Brrrrrrr...

@tfd, RT's in Wimbledon tonight but I got into The Barbican for next Wednesday.

steenbeck said...

I'm actually making vegetarian haggis right now, and I'm ridiculously excited to have had the (ahem) genius idea of wrapping it in pastry and then baking it. Has to be better than some sort of sausage casing, no? (Inside...shallots mushrooms, garlic, thyme, rosemary, cayenne, nutmeg, red lentils, kidney beans, ground cashews & pistachios, oatmeal, stock, whiskey, lots and lots of pepper) Crazy? that's right. I'm a mad scientist in the kitchen.

treefrogdemon said...

Right - I'm coming round...Oh, wait

nilpferd said...

Funnily enough, the Romanian in-laws do a sort of haggis in a pastry casing at easter.. it's the meaty version though, with all the same sheepy bits the scottish one has.
Yours sounds good though steen.
Don't forget to test the whisky before you start though; it might be bitter, which would spoil your haggis.

nilpferd said...

actually re whisky I've just realised I dined at a restaurant this evening which had 50 different sorts and I didn't try any of them.

I think I have to go and lie down now.

Blimpy said...

I'm coming round too! Save me some! It sounds amazing - photos please! "Haggis serving suggestion/ recipes" is one of our top search items.

(i actually had a lush haggis in pastry thing for my lunch today from the deli near my work - that's two in consecutive days - i love it!)

steenbeck said...

So, Blimpy, should I say, "This is my virgin attempt at thrusting a haggis into a moist succulent pastry shell."

I'll take a picture, but it's a funny thing about haggis, of any variety, it's just not photogenic.

Blimpy said...

Similarly that's why you'll never see my coupon* on The 'Spill.


*scots slang for boat race*

*cockney slang for face

steenbeck said...

Ah--right there with you Blimpy.

Having said that, I think there are certain RR regulars who are going to have to make their faces seen eventually, and you're one, McFlah.

Blimpy said...

I have a polaroid of myself with a giant haggis, fixed to my fridge with magnets - how very zeitgeist!

TatankaYotanka said...

@ Blimpy ... do show ... intrigued as to how giant a haggis might be before it collapses into a fritter under its own gravitational pull.

Anonymous said...

This haggis was aboot 6' x 4' !!