– slow cooked on a BBQ!
Adam Protter shows his “ready sleight” with his cooking knife (cleaver) mixing chowmein, haggis, roast duck, green beans, and bashed neeps. – photo courtesy of Adam Protter.
Well they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Last week on CBC Radio's national program “Freestyle”, I said that I would like to see Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners coast to coast across Canada, and that my friends in Victoria, Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax would be hosting their own forms of Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners, and hoisting a glass to “Toddish McWong.”
who insists on holding a Robbie Burns Day Dinner every year. He is also
one of the founding members of the Whistler Slow Food Society. Adam sent me this report to share…
My Burns
dinners are usually accompanied by much grumbling, eye rolling and
cries of “Do I have to eat the Haggis?” I
was thrilled to learn of your observation that Robbie Burns Day and The
Chinese New Year coincide in the same week and that a joint celebration
was in order!
made some Peking Style, Tea Smoked Duck, Haggis (it's the good
stuff from Peter Blacks Scottish Butcher in West Van). I tea smoked
with the ducks, the other was steamed. I also stir-fried some Sichuan
Green Beans, using a Sichuan Chili, Garlc & Peanut paste. Rounding
out the meal were Roasted Garlic Ginger Chow Mein noodles with cabbage,
carrot, onions & peppers and Bashed Neeps (mashed Turnips &
Potatoes).
BBQ Haggis – yum yum… but it must be slow cooked! – – photo Adam Protter
All
of us were wearing a bright red item of clothing. One of my guests,
Sheila McQuillan, read the last two verses of Robbie Burns' Ode to the
haggis as I splashed a wee dram of good Single Malt over it's
glistening, steaming, beauty. I then slashed the Noble Pud open to
reveal it's tasty insides. The Proclaimers were playing on iTunes and I
said the Selkirk Grace:
eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can
eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.
– Robert Burns
“Kampai” & Gochisosama Deshita” (we're a Karate family with many
Japanese friends & my eldest daughter went to Japan last summer on
a school exchange). (Todd's
note: not to worry, this year's GHFC Vancouver dinner had a distinct
Japanese-Canadian presence with writers Joy Kogawa, Lensey Namioka and
animater Jeff Chiba Stearns).
– photo Adam Protter
It degenerated into Chocolate Marsala Panetone with
Coffee & Bailey's Irish Cream fortified with tumblers of scotch
whisky. I redeemed myself this morning with fried haggis, eggs
and tomatoes for breakfast.
am very interested in taking this latest obsession to new heights and
look forward to receiving your guidance to help us on our journey.
was disappointed in my duck. It was tender and tasty, but the
skin didn't crisp and I wanted a sweet glaze on it as well as a bright
red colour. I added Annatto seed paste to the marinade to get
a red colour, but the results were so so. The spices were gritty so
I'll use my spice/coffee grinder longer next time as well as starting a
day earlier and then let the duck dry in the fridge for 24 hours before
cooking. The smoking packet didn't work very well, rice, sugar &
tea in a foil envelope with holes.