HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS . . .?
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Rugby players the world over can articulate the benefits of a dish that is regarded as being as quintessentially Italian as high fashion, Ferraris and Sophia Loren.
Pasta – and here’s the science and nutrition bit - low in fat and high in carbohydrate, it’s an ideal food for rugby due to its ability to increase muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbohydrate) levels – is eaten at rugby clubhouses up and down Scotland after training and matches.
To mark the Scotland v Italy RBS 6 Nations encounter at Murrayfield this Saturday, Scottish Rugby, through its Regional Development Managers, asked for pasta recipes (some with a few treats added, it has to be said) to be sent in for the ultimate taste test.



Members of the Scotland rugby team, preparing for Saturday’s clash, were the judges with palates every bit as educated as John Torode and Gregg Wallace from TV’s Masterchef.
The four recipes that made the shortlist were seafood lasagne from Stirling County’s youth section; two-team pasta a la shire from Aberdeenshire Colts; chicken pesto pasta from Broughton; and mince and haggis lasagne from Orkney.
Novotel’s Stuart Kay, head chef at the Scotland team hotel in Edinburgh, cooked the dishes and Scotland tight-head prop Euan Murray and centre Nick De Luca loaned their taste buds for the occasion.
Scottish Rugby’s High Performance Nutritionist, Richard Chessor, said: “Pasta is a fantastic food for rugby players and is eaten by the Scotland team on a regular basis.
“Low in fat and high in carbohydrate it’s an ideal food for rugby due to its ability to increase muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbohydrate) levels. Furthermore, wholemeal pasta is a great source of fibre to help support the player’s digestive systems.

“Beyond its nutritional benefits pasta can be used in a variety of ways – from a simple fettuccine with olive oil to a lean chicken lasagne (a particular favourite of the boys). In Scotland camp we increase our consumption of pasta towards the end of the week as the players look to build their energy stores for the match and it is often used as part of the pre-match meal.”
The players, in time-honoured fashion, deliberated, cogitated and digested, before narrowing their options down to two dishes – the seafood lasagne and the mince and haggis lasagne.
De Luca said: “It’s a close-run thing. I particularly like the work that’s gone in to the seafood lasagne – there are kippers, haddock, prawns and scallops in there and they’ve even gone to the effort of garnishing the dish with bay leaves, red pepper and grated cheese to recreate the Italian flag.
Murray said: “All the dishes have been really tasty but we’ve plumped for the mince and haggis lasagne. It’s pasta but with a great twist of our traditional Scottish dish, haggis.”
The recipe was created for Orkney RFC by Anne Stewart, whose husband, Willie, is a stalwart of the club’s thriving mini section.
Anne said: “In Orkney the traditional Burns’ Supper consists of mince, haggis and clapshot, which is a tasty variation on the usual haggis, neeps and tatties.
“It can be possible that there will be leftovers which can be used to produce mince and haggis lasagne, which makes a great meal served with salad leaves, grated carrot and grated swede or grated beetroot dressed with vinaigrette.”
Anne acknowledges that the recipe was inspired by renowned chef Sue Lawrence’s haggis lasagne.
Rodney Spence, Orkney’s chairman and former full-back, was delighted with the news of the club’s success. “If Scotland win the game this weekend it could well be down to our dish,” he said.
To thank Orkney for their culinary contribution, a member of the Scotland squad will be travelling to Pickaquoy in Kirkwall later this season to run a coaching clinic for the club and perhaps sampling the champion dish. “That’s fantastic news and we’ll reap the benefits from that,” Spence added.
Here’s the Orkney recipe, which has left Euan Murray and Nick De Luca, hungry for success this weekend.
Ingredients:
Mince cooked in the traditional way, 450gms haggis, 400mls white sauce (béchamel), 150gms grated Scottish cheddar cheese (Orkney white mature cheddar is best) and a packet of lasagne sheets which don’t need to be pre cooked. All measurements are approximate.
Also required
23cm square 4cm deep ovenproof tin/serving dish (or equivalent)
Another larger roasting tin to use as a bain Marie.
Method: Mince
500gs steak mince (Orkney Beef would be best)
1 large or 2 small onions chopped
3 large carrots – topped and tailed, scraped and diced (no larger than 1cm)
150 – 200gms swede peeled and diced into 1cm dice
15 mls oil
1tbsp cornflour
1 tablespoon commercially available gravy thickening agent
450mls beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Put a heavy bottomed saucepan on to heat and add oil. When sizzling hot add mince. Stir until well browned all over and all juices have evaporated and add onions. Stir through the browned mince and cook for 5 – 10 minutes until onion is transparent. Turn heat down a little and add other prepared vegetables. Stir thoroughly, cover with a lid and allow to sweat for 10 minutes. Vegetables should be beginning to brown a little at edges by now so add the beef stock and allow simmer quietly for 30 – 45 minutes. Put a little cold water into the jug from the stock and mix in the cornflour and gravy thickening powder until thin and lump free. If the stock has evaporated too much add some hot water to the mince, bring it back to the boil and add cornflour mixture stirring continuously until thickened. Bring back through boil and then remove from heat.
Haggis: While the mince is simmering remove the haggis from its skin, put into a suitable container cover and put into steamer if available. If not microwave later.
White sauce can also be prepared while mince is cooking.
Put 50gms Scottish butter into a small heavy based sauce pan and melt until bubbling.
Add 50gms plain flour and mix using a wooden spoon to make a roux. Gradually mix in 300mls of hot milk a little at a time boiling well between each addition. Season with a little salt and pepper.
Remember to check on the mince!
The mince, haggis and white sauce should all be very moist as the lasagne sheets will absorb some of the cooking liquid and the resulting dish will be too dry.
Assemble the lasagne – serves nine normal appetites or six greedy people
Switch the oven on to 350ºF, 180ºC or Gas Mark 4
Spread half of the mince in the bottom of the serving dish
Rinse the lasagne sheets one at a time under the hot tap and place a single layer on top of the mince.
Spread all of the haggis on top of the lasagne and repeat with another layer of wetted lasagne.
Repeat the mince and lasagne layer.
Spread the white sauce on top and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Place the dish in the roasting tin which should contain some water.
Put the whole into the middle of the oven for approximately 45-60 minutes or until a core temperature of 82ºC has been reached.
Remove from oven, allow to stand for a wee while, then cut into portions and serve.

This article was posted on 26-Feb-2009, 19:19 by Hugh Barrow.