Potato and Haggis Pasty Recipe (Vegan)

Yeah, I know! Who'd have thought it. Vegan safe haggis! I first discovered Macsween's Vegetarian Haggis when I moved to Scotland a few years ago and decided to hold a Burns' night celebration. Since then I've used it as a very filling addition to our roast dinners (when able to get it, that is; now I'm back in England and our local Waitrose only seems to stock it between Christmas and Burns' night, which is frustrating!) Have a look online if you can't get it locally, or take a holiday in Scotland and stock up - it freezes well! 

I am fond of a good pasty and the haggis seemed like a good consistency to try out in one. My boyfriend seems to think these are rather good too, as they are a little more peppery than I would usually make and have a meatier texture for those who miss it. He went from full-on meat eater to vegan overnight after watching the  Cowspiracy documentary, so didn't give himself an easy task when it came to transitioning. He was most annoyed when he found out that the only meat substitutes he'd heard of (Quorn) weren't even safe for vegans!  

This recipe makes about ten pasties, though that rather depends on how big you make them! I find that pastry doesn't always hold together very well at the edges without the beaten egg 'glue', so I make rectangle ones with the edge underneath. You may prefer to make proper pasty shapes though, it really doesn't matter.

Ingredients

2 packs puff pastry (making vegan puff pastry is a skill I haven't mastered, so I prefer to by it!)

12oz potato, cut into small cubes

1 litre boiling water

1 medium red onion, cut into small chunks 

1 medium white onion, cut into small chunks(I'm sure leeks would work just as well if you didn't want two types of onion)

3 oz vegan hard cheese, grated (I use a strong cheddar style one from Tesco's own range)

1 Macsween Vegetarian Haggis, chilled but not frozen (other brands of vegetarian haggis are available, but you'll need to check that they're vegan as I've not tried them out)

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried oregano

Olive Oil for frying

Soy Milk for glazing

Flour for rolling out.

Preheat your oven to 200C

In a saucepan put the boiling water and potato on to simmer until soft. When they're done, drain them well and sit them to one side. It doesn't matter if they cool, so this can be done a little in advance.

Fry the onions in the olive oil using a small frying pan until they start to soften, but not colour. (they will finish cooking in the oven, so don't overdo it)

Get a large mixing bowl and break open the haggis. Give it a mash with a fork just to break it up and then mix in the onions, drained potato and grated cheese. 

Flour your pastry board and sprinkle it with half of each herb. Roll out one slab of pastry, so that the herbs press into the pastry as you roll. Repeat the same with the other slab of pastry. Cut the pastry into rectangles about 6 x 5 inches or use a saucer to cut around for traditional pasty shapes.

Pile a good spoonful of mixture into the centre of the pastry and press lightly with your hands to get more in if necessary. This makes milking the pastry edges neater and wrapping the pasty into it's final shape less messy. It also makes sure you get the maximum about of filling in per pasty. The filling will shrink on cooking and you want to try and avoid having those ones where it's all air and pastry! 

Here's one I was making in a more traditional pasty shape!

Fold the pasty into your preferred shape and press any edges together with a fork. Place onto a baking sheet and brush with milk before placing in the middle of your oven and putting on for 30 minutes. For anyone who has read my blog before, you'll know I have a very temperamental oven! I always urge you to keep a watch on your food while it's cooking as your appliance may be more efficient than mine and you may prefer to adjust your cooking temperature or times accordingly. 

Any Veg Creamy Soup Recipe (Vegan) aka The Only Soup Recipe You'll Ever Need!!

Well, that title may not appeal to everyone, but for me it is true. This is the ONLY soup recipe I ever use! Using basic quantities, you can make a creamy soup, using whatever vegetables you have to hand. It doesn't matter what you put in, so long as the overall weight to fluid ratio is about right. It doesn't really matter if you use slightly more or less vegetables to fluid, as it just means your overall soup will be thicker or thinner, which is largely down to personal taste anyway. It freezes well, so you can make up a cauldron full and have some on hand for lazy days.

Ingredients

16oz diced vegetables (It doesn't matter how much of each, or what selection use use) I use potato, sweet potato, leek, onion, cauliflower, parsnip and brocolli. Generally speaking, the more parsnip use put in the sweeter it will be; the more potato and cauliflower the creamier it will be. I like to have a good variety if I have it. This is especially useful for using up all those veg that are starting to get a bit rubbery in the bottom of the store :-)

2 pints of vegetable stock

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried sage

Olive Oil

Make sure you weigh the diced vegetables, not the natural weight and remember that the smaller you dice, the quicker your vegetables will cook.



Put the vegetables into a large saucepan and add enough olive oil to  lightly coat the vegetables (usually a couple of tablespoons). Turn up the heat and sear the vegetables without burning. Once all the vegetables are coated and have had a go at the bottom of the pan, add the boiling stock water. Add the herbs. Give the pan a stir and bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid on until the vegetables are cooked through.

Pour the vegetables and the cooking liquid into a blender and blitz until smooth. Return to the pan and reheat if necessary. This can be cooked in advance and left in the pan for re-heating later.

Serve with bread or oatcakes.

If you make too much then leave it to cool and freeze.