Rough Oatcakes

"Oats: - a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people." Samuel Johnson, author of the first English dictionary, 1755

"Yes, and where else will you see such horses and such men?" - reply from Lord Elibank, Scottish soldier and author.

Oats have been a staple grain of Scotland for centuries. It is said that they are one of the few grains that can withstand the harsh Scottish climate. These delicious oatcakes are simple to make and can be eaten sweet or savoury.

I remember reading a story years ago about Sir James Douglas, "the Black Douglas", or "Good Sir James" (depending on your point of view), the friend and trusted captain of Robert the Bruce, during the Scottish Wars of Independence. The Bruce gave Douglas the task of leading raiding parties into English territory, causing as much disruption as possible, and then returning under cover of darkness. The Scots had to travel light if they were to be effective, and so carried with them a bag of oats under their saddles, which they would mix with water and bake on their shields into a flat cake. These cakes were quick and easy to cook and could be eaten as they rode. The nutritious oats would sustain them on their journey. The Scots' success in raiding parties and ease in avoiding capture made Douglas the scourge of England. The English tried to copy the Scots' tactics, with their soldiers placing loaves of bread under their saddles as they rode. When they came to eat, however, the bread was soaked through with horse sweat and inedible!

We live in more civilised times now, although it appears the Scottish dream of independence has not diminished!


Ingredients

300g rough oats
50g plain flour
50g melted butter
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking powder
hot water to mix (250-300ml)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.

Mix the oats with the flour and baking powder. Add the melted butter and salt and form into a ball of dough. Roll out onto an oats covered work surface to a thickness of about 3mm. Using a pastry cutter or the edge of a glass cut into rounds of about 8cm in diameter.

Place the oatcakes on a lightly greased baking tray in the middle of the oven and bake until golden brown and hard, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Oatcakes are delicious with a range of accompaniments, such as cheese, jam, butter or my personal favourite, cheese spread! These oatcakes will keep in an airtight container for several weeks.

Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW?

Oatcakes are reported to be the favourite breakfast of the Queen of England, and the favourite cake of David Cameron.

DID YOU KNOW?

Oats are one of the most nutritious and unrefined grains available. They are high in fibre and are thought to help in lowering cholesterol. They are often named in a group of so-called "superfoods".

Tattie Scones

Leftovers. As the holiday season arrives you can be sure that we are all going to cook a lot more than normal, eat a lot more than normal, and quite likely have a lot more left over food than normal. What would Christmas turkey be if it didn't last until almost the New Year?!?! Turkey curry, turkey fried rice, turkey soup, and the ubiquitous turkey sandwiches are all part and parcel (pun intended) of Christmas cuisine.

But what about the other leftovers? There's only so much you can do with day old brussel sprouts or cauliflower, and I would not recommend eating them too many days after you cook them, unless you want some pretty noxious happenings going on in your stomach!

Fortunately though, we have the humble boiled potato (or tattie in the Scottish vernacular), which, while not so inspiring on the day it is cooked, gets a delicious makeover thanks to this traditional Scottish recipe. The great thing about this recipe is that it is so easy to make, and utilises ingredients that everyone has to hand anyway.

Ingredients

500g leftover boiled potatoes

100g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

50g butter

a pinch of salt

oil for frying

Method

Mash the boiled potatoes using a masher or the back of a fork. Add the butter and blend this into the potatoes. Try to gets as many lumps out of the potatoes as you can. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mashed potatoes and then stir in gently, until you have a ball of dough. If it is too sticky add a little more flour.

Turn the dough onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out thinly, to about 5mm thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass to cut small rounds of about 2.5cm in diameter. 

In a large heavy bottomed frying pan, heat a little oil over a medium heat. Alternatively if you have a griddle you can fry the scones without any oil. Fry the scones gently 4 or 5 at a time, until they are browned on both sides. This should take around 8-10  minutes.

Serve immediately with a little butter. For an even more savoury variation, add a little grated cheddar cheese to the mashed potato before adding the flour.

Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW?

Tattie scones are an integral part of the traditional Scottish breakfast, together with fried eggs, square sausage, bacon, baked beans and/or grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, toast and black pudding. All washed down with a strong cup of tea. The perfect way to start the day!

DID YOU KNOW?

A griddle is a cooking utensil with a flat surface for cooking food with no additional oil. In Scotland a griddle is known as a girdle, and can used for making oatcakes, potato scones and traditional Scottish pancakes. Just don't mistake it for your Granny's corset!

Scottish Scones

A traditional favourite for "Afternoon Tea", the humble scone has its origins in the villages of Scotland, but these days is just as likely to be served at luxury hotels like the Ritz!

The scone is the forerunner of the American biscuit, which is often served as a savoury side to fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, whereas the sweeter scone is traditionally served with butter, strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Cassave Chips

Potato chips? Boring!
Banana chips? Difficult to get them crunchy.

Cassave chips? Yeah baby! These are the real deal my friend (OK - we are not strictly friends as such, but, as the old Jameson advert goes, strangers are just friends we haven't met yet!)

Anyway -  back to the cassave chips.

Surinamese Loempias (Spring Rolls) with Pepper Sauce

These little beauties are a Surinamese take on spring rolls or egg rolls, a common starter or snack food across East Asia. The difference between the Surinamese loempias and traditional Chinese or Vietnamese spring rolls is that the Surinamese version are thicker and softer than the crispy Asian spring rolls. The softness comes from the fact that they are dipped in an eggwash before frying.

The loempias are served with a hot pepper sauce, which is also described below.

Pisang Goreng/Bakabana (Fried Plantain)

This is an Indonesian street food, also very popular in Suriname. It doesn't actually use bananas as you or I might know them, but plantains, a cousin of the banana used mainly for cooking. Plantains come in many varying degrees of ripeness. For bakabana the plaintain should be ripe, with the skin yellow getting towards black and you should be able to press down on the flesh. Don't get too ripe plantains, however, or these will fall apart when you try to fry them.

Saoto Soup (Indonesian Chicken Soup)

This delicious and filling soup originates in Indonesia, and was popularised in Suriname through the contracted workers from Java who came to work the sugar plantations after the abolition of slavery in Suriname in 1863. It is a firm favourite with my kids, who ask for it almost every week!

The secret of this soup is as much in the garnishes that accompany it as in the soup itself. Rice noodles, shredded cabbage, potato sticks, fried onions, boiled egg, chopped celery leaves, bean sprouts, boiled rice - the list of possible additions to the relatively simple soup are what give it such a flavour explosion and "moreishness".

Scotch Eggs

The ultimate picnic food! These beauties are perfect for outdoor eating, they are just as good hot or cold, and require no knife and fork!

The secret to a good scotch egg is getting the right ingredients.
The eggs should be fairly small in size but of good quality.

Crispy Chicken Strips

This is a simple Tex-Mex dish that is excellent as a snack, or as a filling for a tortilla or as part of a main course. I came across it by accident really, while looking for inspiration for dinner in the local supermarket. I saw this packet of seasoning mix for "Crispy Chicken Bites", which looked pretty tasty on the picture on the packet. Just as I was about to put into my shopping basket, I took a look at the ingredient list and thought

Telo met Bakkeljauw (Fried Cassava with Salted Cod)

One of the great things about tropical countries is that most of your time is spent outdoors, and that means there is a huge selection of street food on offer. Suriname is no different, and this following dish, Telo with Bakkeljauw, is one of the most popular street foods in Paramaribo. It reminds me in particular of the roadside snackbar at Paranam, by the aluminium smelter, right before you hit the Afobaka Highway and the entrance to the interior of Suriname. We used to make this trip regularly and would nearly always stop here for some Telo. Lovely!

I mentioned the other day about how versatile cassava is, and this is one of the many dishes that can be made from the humble root. It is of Javan origin, and is great as a midday snack!