Scottish Oat Cakes
From Nick Nairnís Island Harvests
These oat cakes are traditionally cooked on a griddle over an open fire, but you can get a great result by baking them in the oven, too. They can be made well in advance, cooled and stored in an airtight container. A nice bit of cheese is all you really need to enjoy them, but use your imagination and the sky is the limit — as the following recipe demonstrates. The lovely, soft, creamy texture of goatís cheese is the perfect foil for the sharp sweetness of cherry tomatoes and basil.
Serves 4
3 cups oatmeal, plus extra for dusting
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bacon fat, lard or butter
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, melted
6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
14 cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 sprigs of fresh basil
Preheat the oven to 350įF.
Put the oatmeal, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix well. Place the fat, lard or butter and water into a small pan and heat until the fat has melted. Make a well in the center of the oatmeal, add the liquid and mix together with a palette knife. The mixture will initially seem a bit wet but the oatmeal will gradually absorb all the liquid to give you a soft dough.
Divide the mixture into 2 and roll each piece out on a work surface lightly dusted with oatmeal to a 6 inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Donít worry if the edges arenít very neat — they look better that way. Cut into quarters (farls, as they say in Scotland), brush off the excess oatmeal and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the oat cakes every 5 minutes or so to stop them from steaming and going stodgy, until crisp and lightly golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To serve, brush the oat cakes with some melted butter and place 2 pieces on each serving plate. Pile the goat cheese and cherry tomatoes on top, drizzle with a little olive oil and then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Garnish with the sprig of fresh basil.
Cookbook available in May 2000.
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