Irn Bru Ham and a Burns Night Recipe Roundup

If you're just here for my phenomenally popular IRN BRU HAM - scroll straight to the bottom - it's the final recipe in this post (although the others are rather good too...)

To celebrate Burns Night, which falls on 25th January, I've decided to do a roundup of my Haggis and Scottish Recipes. Some previously published on my blog plus a couple of new ones. Hopefully you'll find something here to whet your appetite and get you in the mood for some serious Burns. Remember Haggis is for life not just Burns Night!

HAGGIS & BLACK PUDDING "PUDDOCKS IN THE HOLE"
Makes 8 Puddocks
(A Puddock or taid is a craitur seemilar tae a frog/toad that bides on laund an in fresh watter. Growen puddocks can lowp faur wi their lang shanks)

125g plain flour

pinch salt
75ml milk
75ml water
2 free-range eggs, beaten
lard or dripping 
black pudding
haggis

Preheat the oven to 230c
Sift the flour into a large bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Combine the milk and cold water in a jug.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs. Pour in a little milk and water, and then whisk the lot together to make a smooth batter. 
Leave at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
Put 2 x 4 hole yorkshire pudding tins, greased liberally with lard or dripping, on a high shelf and leave for 10 minutes to heat up.
Cut the haggis and black pudding into 8 slices each and stack one on top of the other.
Remove the tin from the oven, ladle in the batter and place a haggis/black pudding stack in the middle of each hole.  
Put the puddings into the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes until well risen and golden. Keep an eye on them towards the end of the cooking time, but do not be tempted to open the door until they look ready or they'll sink.

GRANDMA MONEARN'S SHORTBREAD
This was my Granny's recipe hence the imperial measurements. She was a fantastic baker and won many prizes at the WRI. She served her baking to her many B&B visitors until well into her 80's. 

12 oz plain flour

8 oz butter (room temp)

4 oz caster sugar

2 oz cornflour

Put everything in a food processor and blitz until it comes together.
Divide into four equal pieces and roll out on a floured surface to form rounds. Pinch the edges and cut into eighths to form petticoat tails.
Alternatively roll out on a floured surface and cut into circles/shapes using cutters.
Transfer on to a baking tray and prick with a fork.
Cook for 30 minutes at 150 degrees.
Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with caster sugar.

MEATBALL AND BEETROOT THISTLES

I developed these for the Good Family Food Facebook Page on St Andrews Day but they would work equally well for Burns Night.

Simply skewer some Scotch Beef meatballs onto cocktail sticks. Peel and slice raw beetroot into thistle flower head shapes (disposable gloves will save you from purple fingers!) Top the skewers with the beetroot, brush with Scottish Rapeseed Oil and roast in the oven

HAGGIS TATTIE SCONES

175g Riced or Mashed Potato

100g Haggis

50g Plain Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

Warm the haggis to soften and mix it well into the potato.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and thoroughly combine. 

Liberally flour your surface and roll out gently to form two circles about 1/4" thick. 

Cut the circles into quarters.

Heat a gridle or heavy frying pan. 

Smear on some butter with kitchen roll. 

Once hot, cook scones for about 3-4mins on each side until golden brown.

HAGGIS OATCAKES

1 Cup Oatmeal

100g Haggis

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Bicarbonate of Soda

Boiling Water

Mix the oatmeal, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Warm the haggis to soften and add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Gradually add boiling water and mix to a soft consistency. Turn on to a worksurface or board sprinkled with oatmeal and divide into two. Form each half into a round and roll as thin as possible without cracking. Cut into eight and bake on a griddle over a low heat until the edges start to curl up. 

WHISKY NEEPS

700g neep (swede) peeled and cubed

50g butter

4 Tbsp demerara sugar

2 Tbsp Whisky

S&P

Place cubed neep in a pan with the butter, sugar, whisky and enough water to cover.

Bring to the boil and cook uncovered over a high heat until the water has evaporated to leave a buttery glaze. This will take around 30 minutes.

Season, serve and enjoy.

IRN BRU HAM

For the Ham
2 kilograms mild-cure gammon joint
1 onion (peeled and quartered)
2 litres Irn Bru

For the Glaze
2 Tbsp Marmalade
1 Tbsp Whisky
2 Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
2 Tbsp demerara sugar
Cloves

Put the gammon in a pan (skin-side down if it fits like that) add the onion, then pour over the Irn Bru.

Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for just under 2½ hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour per kilo.

When the ham's had its time take it out of the pan and let cool a little for ease of handling. 
Reserve half of the Irn Bru liquor for the sauce. 
Then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes. Stud the intersections with cloves.

Mix together the marmalade, whisky, mustard and sugar and spread it over the fat. 

Preheat the oven to 240c. Cook in a lined roasting tin for foil-lined roasting tin for approximately 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.

If you want to do the braising stage in advance and then let the ham cool, give it 30-40 minutes, from room temperature, at 180c turning up the heat towards the end if you think it needs it.
Meanwhile boil up the Irn Bru liquor with an additional teaspoonful of both of mustard and marmalade and thicken with cornflour slaked with water to make a sauce.