So grow your own in pots in your kitchen window, transplant it into your yard garden next Spring and LOOK!

Your not short Basil....

Time to get a UN resolution sorted for this I think, state of emergency declared and troops helicoptered in to protect, the now highly prized, remaining plants.
Or return to our roots and use a splash of Worcester Sauce instead!

Hmm.. bit heavy on the garlic..might taste a bit "hot".

Re: 2 Southern Skye ......... alternatively you could get Prescott to sort it out - he's not doing anything.....

Pesto is gawping. My hail stone dance did the trick.

re 4:

I would have thought that putting Prescott in charge of anything food related would only lead to shortages :-)

I'm with AJ at 5 on this one............ I can't stand pesto either.

What's wrong with tomato ketchup and grated Cheddar cheese stirred into your spaghetti - it works for me!!

Anna,

Surely the packets of Kraft macaroni with the sachet of orange stuff added, together with a large dollop of tomato sauce is the only way to savour pasta.

Also the spaghetti hoops from a tin are delicious and worth a try. Washed down with Irn Bru or Vimto, this is a staple for most West of Scotland families. The additives in the meal are extremely beneficial as they have been proven to keep ricketts at bay.

Pesto is fabulous. We make our own from plants grown in our back garden. The more garlic the better. It's also nice if you sautee the pine nuts briefly in olive oil. Brings out the flavor.

Thanks AJ

I'll be sure to give your recipe ideas a try next time I'm racking my brains for a wholesome meal idea to feed the family!

I've heard you can get the hoops with little sausages added as well - I'll try them, maybe, anything to save time in the kitchen....... and keep our E numbers up!

Anna,
The great thing about it - you only need one pot!! Time saving, cost effective and the kids will be bursting with energy. You never know you might have an Andy Murray on your hands, cos that's what he eats apparently.

Italian cooking is extremely simple and tasty however it is not surprising that many Italian restaurants serve dishes never found in Italy - if only to keep the food philistines happy.

One thing I find unbelievableis that lasagne is served with chips and salad in the UK.

Try spaghetti with aglio (garlic), olio (olive oil) e pepperoncino (chilli pepper) - five minutes to make and delicious.

Oh dear, I think I must be one of Jim's food philistines. Theres nothing I enjoy more than dipping my chips into my lasagne. But, your recipe for spaghetti sounds very nice ........ and quick, Jim.

WHile pesto, lasagne ect have their merit, I find the Italian wine served with each course to be equally of merit!!! Bring on the Tiramasu!!
....Chips with lasagne, guess I missed that when I was last visiting...but then, chips go with just about anything don't they!
Funny, AJ#14
Hi Jim #12, do you ever try your 'pasta a'olio' with Linguine, or vermicelli? My kids like the thinner Vermicelli for some reason....but for the adults, a simple dessert of sliced strawberries with a sweet wine ( I use a Muscat) poured over, with a dollop of whipped cream, goes nice after any pasta dish.
Hi Anna #13, do you sometimes get the 'working woman/mother blues'? "Oh, what now to fix for dinner..." : )

AJ # 14 You are a brilliant historian! I agree, but the trouble with pesto is it is very difficult to deep fry, I was working on a recipe for deep fryed pesto and pasta and now this disaster is going to be a major set back! Six weeks at the least! But, please no more dancing, when I have perfected the recipe I was going to export the stuff to the USA...just to slow down the war machine a wee bit.

Well this is nice - its becoming just like a woman's circle recipe swapping meeting this one. Any knitting patterns anyone?
Tempted as I am by AJ's deep fried pizza and Vimto - I think I'll opt for Melanie's dessert accompanied by all the wine courses that she recommends.
Just before I go to get the can opener out and start preparing dinner (!) .............. one of my Scottish cousins when presented with the 'nouveau cusine' dish of lasange was heard to complain "That it was a waste of b****y, good mince!"

Hi Steve #16, now, now, we're not all warmongers!!
I much prefer to invite my friends over for a good Ceilidh or share a game of billiards with my hubby at our friend's pub!
...how about deep fried shrimp with some cajun spice, on top of the pasta?

Next thing, Anna, we'll all be knitting!!!

I knew you had Scottish blood! It's the Calvinist work ethic too, that gave it away!! Also the sound common sense that prevails when you start typing.

Oh, sorry, you did say that....I read too fast, and was laughing too much about the "can opener" dinner!! I can relate. When I 'slave' away at a home made dinner that can take a good 3 hours depending on sauces, prep time etc, as well as clean up time, and then it's eaten by family/friends in about 10 minutes...well....

Sorry I have to go as the posts are getting too much to take. Melanie, 3hrs, come on, you must be at the cooking sherry or something. Anna, just boil up some haggis,neeps and tatties, that'll keep your clan happy - takes about 30 min.

Hi AJ sorry to scare you off...3 hour prep for dinners, yes, actually, they do exist, but only on special occasion any more...I don't care to cook 'from scratch' or make specialty dishes too often. Don't know about the Haggis, I much prefer hamburgers on the barbie.

Another labour saving one pot recipe AJ. I'm indebted to you!! Wait.....is that with or without pesto?

Sorry, Melanie, just a joke, I would prefer your recipe. Pesto is wanting next to deep fried shrimp!

Melanie, Haggis is great, if you like minced lungs, heart, liver kidneys, testicles and any other bits that are kicking about the butchers floor.

Anna, as a Scot you know you have to cook the haggis seperately.

You could have some clutie dumplings for dessert.

hmmm, haggis sounds similiar to Mexican chorizo sausage.... we wrap it in a tortilla with salsa, cheese, rice and frijoles, guacamole!
okay, I'm getting hungry!

Gosh you make that haggis sound tempting AJ...! I've only had it once at a Burns supper on the island of Benbecula - it was OK but the whisky was excellent so everything started to taste good after a while....... as it often does in these situations!!

Hi Steve #25 jokes welcome!!

Steve

Deep fried spaghetti with pesto could be the next 'Big Mac'. You could start a franchise selling the stuff and seriously clean up. I would imagine it would be rock hard, so you might not need to actually cook the spaghetti, just use it in it's raw state, smear with pesto(urghh) and sell to the unsuspecting public.

Don't have the space to grow basil myself but a generous colleague started bringing in bagfuls of the stuff for me....can't stand to waste the gorgeous stuff (it cost $2 for a few leaves in Chicago stores) and there's a limit to how much pesto/pasta you can eat, so in desperation I chucked it all in the blender with yogurt, ice cubes, water, and salt and pepper...and just drank it....
Oh yum. Deeeelicious!
I'm having a hard job convincing my pals to try basil smoothies (i think they're waiting to see if I turn green), but maybe you basil-lovers will be more open to the idea (or have even been making it yourselves for years).
Lemon basil smoothies (for he grows that too) are evn better!
PS: I thought I'd better check out basil's possible side effects since I'm eating so much of it but I was pretty darn impressed by its properties. Didn't come across mention of any adverse effects. If you know of any please pass the word on.

Anna,
Benbecula, Gruinard? Are you a teuchtar? The wee bits of info point to a serious Scottish heritage, please don't be embarrassed.

you guys are too much !!!! ;) I'm sitting here reading your posts and chatting back, when I should be about my day...this lighthearted banter is very refreshing!!

Reflecting on Anna @7
My dear old Ma brought her limited cookery talents to Canada in 1946. She was kind enough to bring my sister and me too. I suspect that the rationing in the UK had limited her ability to dabble in the higher arts of gastromony, thus I grew up believing that spaghetti sauce was the contents of two tins of tomato soup, lightly diluted with a bit of water, to which Ma added a generous quantity of shredded cheddar cheese.

I have since discovered the nuances of garlic, oregano, thyme, sweet red peppers, onions, celery, and so on. But if I feel a bit nostalgic for Ma's home cooking I just watch a few minutes of "A Private Function." That cures my nostalgia.

My basil crop is thick and healthy, the parsley, thyme, sage, garlic, onions, tomatoes, zuccini and oregano are thick and hearty. Now if I could just figure out how one harvests pine nuts, I would have it made!
Bon Appetit!

Hi Kerry #31...oooh, a basil-yogurt smoothie, sorry Way too healthy sounding for me! In future reference should you be accosted by bagfuls of basil...you can chop it, put it in ice cube trays, add water, freeze; then as you need it, pop the cubes out, and add to your simmering sauce; you can always dry it, too! and, careful, you may turn green and be taken for a leprechaun, or at least a martian! :)

Hi David #34...sounds like your ma and my grandma shared recipes, I sympathize!! ;) I'm so glad that you've discovered 'life after rationing...'

Hi AJ #32 ...care to share your haggis recipe, hard to get any Haggis here (I found Camaron's brand once, not too bad, much like venison sausage). I have a holiday Ceilidh coming up...would love to share it with the Californios.

I think that the Italian farmers should call in the services of Wallace and Grommit or were they anti-pesto?
I use the italian jars already made up its realy good on top of a poached egg with philadelphia cheese, sounds weird but is fab for breakfast ontop of crispy ayrshire bacon.
xx everyone isnt this light relief better than all the bad news !!

Hi Alex #38, yes very refreshing!
Anna, AJ, Steve and all...would love to continue, but as it is morning for me, I best get on with my day...will check back later and see what you've all been up too! Bye for now!! ;o )

So. Now's the time to invest. Are their basil "stocks"?

Skye... roots... Worcester Sauce.... ¿Que?

haggis and pesto
the mind boggles

Melanie.
There's a company in Florida that makes and air freights Haggis around the US.
If you can't locate them quickly on the interne let me know and I will rake through my files.
It's not bad....expensive and add 1 day to whatever delivery time they promise.
btw - Way too many expat Scots with time on their hands today!!

AJ - I am English but I have spent a lot of time in Scotland. My Northumbrian grandparents (he was a Border shepherd) settled in the Scottish Borders in the 50s and some of their 6 kids married Scots, hence the many Scottish cousins! My Dad was stationed at Turnhouse and Pitreavie Castle in the late 60s/early 70s and I went to school in Edinburgh and Rosyth. We went to Burntisland for our hols a couple of times as well!! Benbec is also a RAF connection!! We get around - in the nicest possible way of course.

If you really want to experience 'interesting' cooking you should try military compo. All that can be said about it is that it's filling and guaranteed to give you wind!!

David @ 34 - would that be the famous soup can painted by Andy Warhol? There's a lot you can do with one of their cans - your mum knew her stuff alright!

Melanie
Just get a recipe off the internet, but you're better getting a prepared haggis as the recipe would put you off.

I'm sure any good deli in California would keep a stock. Infact Mike Myers managed to get one in San Francisco in the film I Married an Axe Murderer. He described Scottish food as a dare!!!

Yeah I reckoned the Benbecula connection would be the firing range. I worked at Rosyth for while and now work for the RAF.

You're obviously as good as Scottish.......congratulations

Quote
DannyL, North Wales / 5:38pm 21 Aug 2006 Skye... roots... Worcester Sauce.... ¿Que?

I don't drink alcohol, so Talisker is out as a dressing, and we are quite a lot closer to Worcester than Italy ;-)

David #43 Is that, David M at CCC??? If it is, sorry didn't think to phone you with my Haggis question!

Hi AJ #45 Thanks, I found a recipe on-line too, I think you're right about staying with store bought :) I'm pretty brave about cooking different things, but that is a bit much!

This is a gentle relief, food for thought and thoughtful folk abound.

Anna @ 44 Yes, Andy Warhol captured the image of the easy way around cookery. When I retired from my first career I wrote and published a couple of cook-books. For the longest time I fely I had a snobbish image to maintain. I eschewed a number of 'magic ingredients' including tinned tomato soup, mushroom soup and instant onion soup powder. I finally broke down and all these returned to my larder. Easy meals with homespun ingredients from a multi-national corporatiion.

BTW, I buy lamb from my neighbour and last year, intending to make haggis, I asked him to tell the abbatoir to include the pluck. I really wanted to make haggis, but unfortunately (ha! ha!) they gave me everything except the sheep's stomach. My dog, Bismarck, enjoyed the pluck, cooked up with steel cut oats and served cold for breakfast.

I think I'll stick to making sausage at home, an easy pleasure with huge rewards!

Hi Melanie et al! Haggis is a great dish that I tried first from a can (so-so), and then from the butcher's in Bowmore. To my delight, there were about 8 haggises (haggi?? what's the plural?) lined up for sale behind the counter! The canned stuff was just forgotten at that point.
Also, the strawberry desert sounds fine - would you try with a teaspoon full of balsamic vinegar instead of the wine, and creme freche instead of the whipped cream? It's to die for!
Anything that needs pesto - I'll have to go to a restaurant to eat. Too much garlick!

Melanie,
A good recipe is Haggis Balmoral, which is chicken breast stuffed with haggis, served with a peppercorn sauce with a hint Malt Whisky. This is a spectacular dish, which I'm sure will impress your family and friends.

Note: always serve with mashed tatties and neeps

Garlic is great! cures many things. I get a bad cold/flu, the best recipe is lentil soup with loads of vegetables, cayenne pepper and at least 3 cloves of garlic. the last time I had flu, I woke up sniffling, headachey, and feeling like I had been beaten up. I made my soup, ate it throughout the whole day, and was happily cured, even went out later that night. Garlic is good stuff! Who cares about the smell, it's all cultural anyway, if you grow up thinking it's bothersome, it will be. Babies like mother's milk when she's had garlic.

By the way, I make my own variation of pesto, I don't like basil in large amounts, so I substitute 1/2 parsley/ 1/2 basil and since pine nuts can make me itch, I use walnuts which I much prefer, and of course garlic. Eat with pasta cooked in 10 minutes, and a very simple healthy meal, a sidedish of freshly chopped tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and some salt, heaven.
Really, people don't put dirty oil in their car, why do the same for your body? Must be a reason why Sicilians live so long, no fried pizza slices!

AJ
Can you still get these mince pies with mashed potatoes and beans in the middle. Stephens the Bakers used to make them.
Was in Fife now in the US.
PS Other passion is chips and curry sauce.

Melanie you can't get Haggis in the USA, it is against out countrys Law.

I about died when I found out that Haggis is illegal in the USA, they decided it was unfit for human consumption, and banned it from America.....

So picture this in your head, a Haggis, hidden under a Mexican Sombreo sneaking across the border....LOL...do ya think they would find it....LOL

For all the US folks - NEEPS are otherwise know as Suede Turnips in Scotland. In the South USA called Rutabegas - I think that is how you spell it.

Nita/Melanie....try Camerons in Florida. They also do bridies...

John,
Stephens still going strong and yes you can still get tattie and bean pies. They also do a haggis pie topped with neeps and tatties - gies ye terrible heartburn though.

Curry sauce and chips, not my favourite, but I bet it's better than all the bland grub in the States. I was in New York for Tartan Day and I was gagging for a curry. Didn't help my pal just wanted to drink - surely you can do both!?!?

I was surprised to see their turnips are orange in color, my pen pal sent me a photo of Haggis with Neeps and Tatties, as for Chips with your Pasta, that sounds Yuck...LOL

Nice to see everyone is still exchanging their favourite recipes. This a welcome relief from a couple of the other boards on this site where all they are exchanging is vitriol.

Not sure about Alex @ 38's recipe though - pesto on top of a poached egg! It's a colour scheme thing with me - the green melting into the yellow - No I couldn't face that in the morning even if I did like pesto.

Crikey AJ - you're starting to sound a bit like old Gordon R - with your Haggis Balmoral recipe. One of the best things about the Scottish kitchen is, for me the soup!! I don't mean the tinned variety either - all my female Scottish relations make fab soup - it's just a knack that they seem to have. Not only that but I have tasted memorable soup in small cafes and pubs in places as far apart as South Uist, Jedburgh and Campbelltown. There are no doubt plenty of other places as well - thats what should be promoted about Scotland not the pesto but the guid hamemade soup! Another thing that the Scots are very good at is bakery products. A bowl of good Scottish soup with a morning roll is a fab meal!

Nita,
You must get Haggis in America, because all the St Andrews Societies have Burns nights. Surely the Selkirk grace isn't recited in honour of a giant Big Mac with fries.

Check oot yer sources hen.

We get a version of it, but not the real thing here, I already did check it out, it is illegal in our country.

Anna,
A wee bit of Scottish accent?

Soup is a favourite because people used to be so poor in comparison to our Southerly neighbours. However, enough of that, you should check out some ot the stocks used - like sheeps head, shin and other unusual animal parts. Housewives in Scotland had to use their imagination and used cheaper ingredients, but made it an art.

OK Nita, I'll stand corrected, you get a version which might be better. Next time I'm in NY, I'll seek out the American Haggis and gie it a try.

Do you get turnips/neeps/tumchies in the USA?

Now, now AJ - lets not have any of that. My London ancestors were poor as well. My dear old Dad used to get sent round to the bakers and butchers to see if they had any leftovers at the end of the day by his mother and to offer to sweep the shop floor or something for them. There were cheap dishes in the south as well - like tripe (Yuk!) and other disgusting offaly things.
My Northumbrian Nana made brilliant soup as well and leek pudding - which I've tried to make since but never managed to as well as she did. Actually, we still have one of her old recipe books and there are recipes in their for sheeps head, calves head and disgusting things to do with pigs, such as how to make black pudding and brawn. I like black pudding but I don't want to know anything about the making of it.

we have turnips here, it will look white on your plate, I'd never seen orange until my Scottish pen pal sent me a photo. I also learned that you used to carve turnips over there to put a candle in for Halloween, while we use Pumpkins.

Best Curry in the US - The Palace Tandoori in Norcross, GA. Compares well to the Vernada at Haymarket.
Haggis - Try Taste of Britain - Norcross, GA.

Nita - John was right orange Turnips are Suede Turnips and are called Rutabegas.... You can get them at Kroger, A&P or any decent big food store..

Anna, I stand corrected. Poor people in England are as poor as ordinary Scottish people.

My dad used to love tripe - he worked in London in the late 40's, so it was the effects of rationing I think. He would try and get my brother and I to try some, but we'd rather cut off our legs.

Thank goodness for Continental, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Indian cooking.

Nita

Orange turnips are called swedes in the South of England and they are called turnips in the North of England and in Scotland. I have always called them turnip but when I ask for them in a shop in this part of England I have to ask for swedes. Whatever, you call them they are best served mashed with butter and seasoning. Mind you, I like them mixed up with the potatoes as well.

Ah ok now a Rutabago I know as being a different veggie from Turnips...:0)

We have Wal Marts up here, and Meijers, not sure on the store names you mentioned??? I'll have to look

Hi Nita#62, must be something to do with ...galar na bo' buile??! no, I don't speak gaelic, just having some fun!
Funny AJ #61, though, my Scottish friend did attend a Burns Night where the "imported" Haggis had turned a wee bit nasty, so short of the dire consequences of ingesting such questionable fare....they did resort to something of what you suggested!!! Ah, but I was told the whiskey did help to wash it doon!

Anna I've had turnips cooked and mashed with potatoes before, that is the only way I have had them so far. Rutabagos I have not tried yet.

Melanie - "Haggis had turned a wee bit nasty" - possibly the dish was perfect. As I said before, Mike Myers described Scottish food as a dare.

Note: Irish WHISKEY - Scottish/Scotch WHISKY

Hi Anna, Nita, ...mashed potatoes and turnips..My Tennessee grandma used to make that. Well, that brought back memories.

LOL @ AJ, well growing up the only girl in a house full of boys, I had eaten a few things on a dare before........LOL

Thanks for the url Jake, I've been looking at it, some of the items the store sales, I can get in our International Food Aisle in the store, others I'll have to order and try out.....:0)

Melanie my grandmother was the one who used to make that for us as well....:0)

Ok, Anna, Melanie and Nita, I can't do this anymore. It's got to be back to being sarcastic about UK and US govts tomorrow. I feel swapping recipes is a bit cissy like.

Hi AJ #74 The spelling 'error' was not meant as an insult to Scottish pride I assure you! Thanks for pointing out the difference; I'm more of a red wine consumer myself! Also, the comment about the mad cow disease in Irish Gaelic was not meant as an insult either, I just don't know the proper grammar for Scots Gaelic...maybe I should just stick to Spanish??? Here I am, in trouble again!

LOL @ poor AJ.........hahahaha

Well we could always dare you to eat a few American Foods, if you travel through some of our southern states, you learn to not ask what is in it, if you like it.......LOL

Hi AJ, we won't tell! Real men Do cook!

I'm out the door for an errand, good night all of you across the Pond...will see ya tomorra for some more banter! ; )

agree with 'the not asking part' Nita, 2nd generation Southern Belle signing off.....bye for now!

I love Italian food, but bet not many know pizzas are round to prevent them arguing about who eats the corners.

Melanie, Here is an easy Haggis recipe and I defy anyone to tell the difference from the genuine article.
1lb Beef liver
2 medium sized onions
1/4lb ground beef
8 tbs shredded suet.
1 1/4 cup oatmeal.
1 cup liqued from the boiled liver and onions.
lots of salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to the boil the liver and onions and then simmer for 40 mins.
Brown the ground beef medium.
Put the liver and onions into a food processor and set at chop speed (you want the mixture to be semi course).
Put the oatmeal into a dry fry pan and cook over low heat until golden brown, remove from heat. Add the suet liver & onion mix and the beef, blend together with the liqued, season with salt and pepper (you will use quite a bit more than you'd expect)
Place this final mixture into a ceramic or heat proof (Pyrex or Corning) bowl and tie wax paper around top to seal. Place the bowl into a large pot to which you add water to within 1 inch from the top of the haggis bowl. Now bring to the boil and simmer gently for 2 hours (do not let the pot run dry). Let cool thoroughly and turnout upside down. Simply reheat and serve with mashed potatoes and mashed rutabaga (neeps). I serve it on Burns' night every January 25th with liberal amounts of whisky (malt of course). Enjoy.

Come on AJ - cheer up - you'd never call Gordon Ramsey a cissy would you? Well, I suppose you could try .......... but I doubt if you'd get very far! Anyway, some of the other boards like I said before are full of people having a pop at each other 's countries. No wonder wars get started ...... some of the people on those boards could start a fight in an empty room!
I wouldn't mind but its the same old names saying the same old things all the time!

Nita,
Turnip, Swede or Rutabaga (the orange one) is very nice grated up in a vegetable soup as well.

Ramsey he is the one they've started showing here I think, Hells Kitchen? He is the rudest man I've ever seen on TV, other than Simon Cowell from American Idol show......LOL....

Southern Skye posted:

"Time to get a UN resolution sorted for this I think, state of emergency declared and troops helicoptered in to protect, the now highly prized, remaining plants. . . "

-------------------------

I agree - pesto is fantastic and life-supporting!

Just don't ask the French to be part of the U.N. protective "troop support"!!! At most they'll send 200 baguettes to soak up some sauce remaining from last year's basil crop.

Jim

Ahh, hahahaha! Sed quis custodiet scores again. Tht's why I go for the square pan sicilian style pizza, with four thick lovely corners to kill somebody for.

Basil has no shame, it's a weed. Grow some in a sunny window, if you have such windows in Scotland. Just to have it shredded fresh over pasta tossed with oil and fresh tomato is heavenly. And its true you can cut the basil with other greens -- fresh young spinach is a decent choice -- and use a different nut.

You can get haggis of a sort here in the US. The problem is it can't be made with most of the sheep bits -- especially lungs -- nor boiled in a stomach. It's a nuisance using big beef intestine casings when you want to make it.

Would the French know what to do with Basil?..........LOL

... not to be in trouble again, (sorry ahead of time Anna, AJ)....but dare I say something about Lynn #88 putting the words Scotland and sunny in the same sentence... ;)
Funny Sed #83 I was once in a camp ground in Austria with a bunch of vacationing Italians, it took one group a good two hours to put up a simple camping tent...it was quite comical to watch them argue!
Hi Michael #84 thanks, I may give it a try....although, I think it might send my family out of the house while it's cooking! ;)

Southern Skye #47 Fair point, but I'd have thought you could find a decent fish sauce nearer home. Otoh I hadn't twigged the 'southern' bit before.

Jake #67 was the Vernada formerly the Star of Bengal or Nadia's? Or do you not mean the Edinburgh Haymarket? There use to be a place at the other end of Morrison Street called 'Jamil's" but it got knocked down sometime in the 70s for the Western Approach Road. I never ate in it myself - was scared off my the menu prices.

The Scots are not known for their gastronomical adventuring and I doubt if a basil shortage will affect the majority of fish and chip shops there. From the land of high cholesterol, fried Mars bars and bad teeth I'm surprised that this item has raised so many comments.

AJ 8.
I can't confirm that ricketts is a problem in the West of Scotland but I would refer you to several studies which suggest that over-indulgence in Buckie in the erstwhile kingdom has been associated with the emergence of scurrvy, kwashiorkkar and sundry other berri berri serious illnesses.

Fascinating stuff here! Love it.
I was wondering why pizza is round yet found in a square box!
I'm afraid Haggis is offal in USA.
Worcestershire sauce is great in Tomato juice.
Trader Joe's is selling potted plants of Basil for a few $.

Not least, Harold #92, from the Continent of the Great Stereotype.

DannyL.
In Edinburgh....
Stand across the road/roundabout from Haymarket Station facing west. The road to the right is Corstorphin Rd the one to the left is Dalry Rd. Go about 100 yds up Dalry Rd and it on the left. The guy who set it up is Wali Uddin - I think his nephew Foysol runs it now.....
Check it out.. http://www.theverandah.co.uk/

Nita @ 55 and AJ @ 61, you can get haggis in the US: http:// oatmealsavage. com/ is our source. Nita, I think you're slightly mistaken: you can't IMPORT haggis to the US, but you can make and sell haggis in the US. I hope that clears the matter up for you.

Gotta have the neeps and tatties, of course! and "amber gravy" is essential...single malt scotch, that is! :D

Thanks Jake. Judging by the location and the Bangladeshi theme it may well be the successor to the "Star of Bengal". Nadia's was further considerably along Dalry Road. I always preferred the Star to Nadia's but was in the minority.

Having left the Edinburgh area in '88 I'm pleased to see the Haymarket is still there, never mind the restaurant!

For youse locals.... A month or so back I was in Livingston and noticed a takeawy place on the Drumshorleand Road in Pumpherston (opposite the old Krazy Kuts) called "The Haggis". It was only quarter-to-nine, so I drove on.....

James@93,
I suppose ricketts isn't an issue due the success of the West Coast diet.

Also Buckie didn't arrive in Fife until relocated weegies introduced it. We tended to specialise in heroin addiction and glue sniffing amongst the young and the more mature indulged in Cameron Single Grain Whisky!

The abundance of fruit farms in Fife manage to keep scurvy away, but you might be right about the other diseases that abound. However , far and away the biggest impact, has been the level of mental illness in central and west Fife.

I stay in the eastern district.

Morning AJ - what is Buckie?

Hi Anna,

Buckie is Buckfast tonic wine, a beverage favoured by down and outs, as well as the youth. The distinctive green bottles can be seen dispersed in public parks all over Scotland, but mainly the west.
Ironically the wine is made by a bunch of monks who are raking it in.

I was joking about it, but it is a problem as I'm reliably informed it can blow your "heid aff"!!
When I was a nipper it was Special Brew mixed with Woodpecker cider, which made you vommit over prodigious distances - I seem to recall

Hi Anna, AJ, thought I'd see who was here, as I'm up...good morning!

Dannyl
How well I remember the Star of Bengal. Had my introduction to Indian food there and been a fan ever since. They had the ingredients on the menu and used to memorize them to try out at home. Still cook up a the odd Nargis, Shammee or Shiek Kebab and the thought of a Chicken Ceylon Curry still makes ma mooth water, not to mention bringing sweat to my brow. But for a good feed on a cauld day there's still nuthin like a bowl o' Lentil Soup and a plate o' stovies!

AJ
Never tried the Buckie, hadn't reached the East coast in my day, but do remember drinking (rather too much) Guinness and Cider in Devizes on a Territorial camp back in the 60's. Nasty stuff, couldn't eat for a fortnight and the smell of Cider made ill for the the next 15 years.

Bill,
Guiness and cider - a potent mix. I bet bet they wouln't allow that on an aeroplane these days - explosive stuff indeed!!

Melanie,
Good morning to you. I'm not swapping recipes today, because there is a Tom and Jerry outrage elsewhere on the site which needs attending to.
Nevertheless, have a nice day Melanie.

Bill. Of course ye're absolutely right about the lentil soup. But Ceylon Chicken? Yesssss. The only other place I ever saw that was in a back street near Paddington station some 30 years ago. It seems unaccountably to be a thing of the past... a taste od childhood nearly.
We might get lucky and meet up one day in Expat Heaven to find the 'Star' has been relocated to a corner ther beside a replica of a certain clock...

AJ *100. I think rickets disappeared nationwide with free school milk. The scurvy, kwashiorkor and beri beri comment was a wee bit of a send up from an old biology teacher.
You're right about the lack of Buckfast bottles in the East Neuk - I checked when I was through in Elie in summer. But I haven't seen any in Clarkston or Whitecraigs in the 12 years I've been here.
You're also right about the damage done to far too many Scots by strong drink, whether single malt or fortified wine.
Burns nights, I usually find myself confronted with a rather tasty vegetarian haggis, neeps and tatties. I gave up "real" haggis after Chernobyl/vCJD. Can't find any reason to go back. I think Rabbie would approve. He was a man of the soil first and foremost and I think he would see the need for change.

I have had a bumper crop of basil this year and have made at least 2.5 gallons (so far) of basil pesto. Fresh from the garden, washed and into the food processor with added delights, separated into 2 cup portions, labeled and dated and, after an hour, put into my freezer for future use. And there's more coming in, in the garden!!! Any comments?

Yes Mary. Would you like to buy my e-commerce package?

Haven't considered anything other than indulging pesto with friends and family...hopefully making pesto available for the holiday season as gifts.

I'm surprised that nobody has made comment on the headline to this article "The Pesto's off, the basil's faulty". It's really quite clever, I think. Maybe others would disagree.