Cook's Year

No apologies for giving another recipe using porridge oats - because they are both healthy and CHEAP. In all honesty it should be 'oatmeal' as used in Scotland, but the porridge oats work well enough. This is a somewhat similar to the Irish Soda Bread and is one way to put bread on the table when we have run out of supermarket sliced or even yeast when home-baking. This eats well with soup when the bread is still crusty and slightly warm. With of course - butter! Use a mug or large 'breakfast' teacup as a measure and you won't even need scales for weighing out.
Oatmeal Bap:
1 measure oatmeal (or porridge oats)
1 measure plain flour
1 measure sour milk or buttermilk or diluted yogurt
1 rounded teaspoon salt
1 rounded teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Soak the oatmeal in the milk overnight. Sift the flour, salt and bicarb together and stir into the soaked oats, adding more flour if necessary, as the dough needs to be fairly stiff.
Knead, then roll out to a round about 2" thick. Place on a floured tray, mark into wedges and bake at 180C, 350F, gas 4 for 20 minutes (or longer) until cooked through and lightly browned.

Next Best thing to Haggis: serves 5
8 oz (225g) ox liver
1 teacup of water
4 oz (100g) shredded suet
4 oz (100g) pinhead oatmeal
1 onion (approx 5 oz/150g)
salt and pepper
Put liver in a small saucepan with the onion and water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile toast the oatmeal in the oven (or under grill or in dry pan) until light brown.
Mince the cooked liver with the onion and make the cooking liquid back up to a cup with cold water, then add this with the toasted oats and plenty of seasoning to the liver and onions. Turn into a greased pudding basin, cover and steam for 2 hours.
Traditionally, this is served with mashed potatoes and swedes.