The Scottish Connection

Last week I e-mailed my friend Ellen in Scotland to get her opinion on the issue of a possible cessation of Scotland from Great Britain which came to a vote soon after I heard back from her.  I had met Ellen through my former pen pal, Dorothy whom I had corresponded with from sixth grade through college.  Dorothy came to the U.S. to visit me in the 1960's, married and is now living with her husband in Northern California.  

I have Dorothy's mother's recipe for Scottish Tomato Soup.  It is a hearty recipe suitable for Scotland's chilly winters as well as the winters here in Mammoth Lakes.  I tried it this week on a friend who came to dinner. 

Scottish Tomato Soup

Adding Ingredients to the Stock

Beef Stock*

2-pound can tomatoes

3-4 carrots

1 large onion

2 medium potatoes

1 small piece rutabaga, if desired

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons pearl (large) tapioca

*Make the stock by cooking 2 small or 1 large beef shank for about 1-1 1/2 hours.  Use as much water as you want soup.  

Add all the other ingredients to the stock and cook for one hour or until all vegetables are tender.  The vegetables should be cut up into fairly small pieces.  Put everything through a sieve (or food processor).  Add tapioca, stirring and boil 20 minutes or until tapioca is clear.

Scottish Tomato Soup

To get back to Ellen, I visited her and her husband, Bill some years ago and have never forgotton what they served for dinner- their national, storied dish- HAGGIS.  I always thought Haggis was 

a hearty concoction prepared in the lining of a sheep's stomach.  Bill, however, in his strong, deep brogue set me straight.  Haggis, he said was an animal from the high, pointed peaks of Scotland.  The two legs of the goat-like creature on one side of the animal are much shorter than the legs on the other side of the animal.  This enables the animal to feed on the vegetation of the highest mountains.  If the legs were equal in size, the steepness of the slope would surely send the animal down the  mountain swiftly.  Since the meat of the animal is highly revered, the mountain people devise various methods to try to get the haggis to turn around in order to get him off balance.  They then wait for him to fall and roll down the high brae into the lowland where they can take their prey home to prepare their national dish- a delicious, spicy main course suitable for a queen. 

When we finished our meal, I told Bill I was stuffed.  He roared with laughter.  Apparently "stuffed" in Scotland has an entirely different meaning than here in the U.S.