#25 Good Enough for Robbie Burns

Shownotes for #25 It's good enough for Robbie Burns!

The music for the opening and ending of the show is Fast Food Rampage by the The Touch Ups, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

Stuff you need to know for this show's recipe:

The recipes here are about hour. The optional recipe at the end take 90 minutes. These are longer than usual, but very good.

Talk Back! We are a Snacking Community. Go to the End of these Shownotes and click on comments. Leave your thoughts and experiences. Or email me at [e-mail].

The podsafe music used in the show:

In keeping with the shows Scottish theme, I found this wonderful rendition of Auld Lang Syne by Friction Bailey. The band's founding members, Steve and Joy Guiles, live in Southern California. Their music has been compared to 10,000 Maniacs, Innocence Mission, Over the Rhine, and Sixpence None The Richer. Steve recorded the majority of the instruments (bass, guitars, dulcimer, casio keyboard, piano, harmonicas, and percussion) in his own John Cash Studios.

Warm Oatcakes with Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs (V)(Adapted from Shiela Macrae's "Traditional Scottish Cookery")

Oatcakes:

450g (1lb) cooked Oatmeal, any variety.
225g (8oz) plain flour
110g (4oz) margarine
5 tbsp lukewarm water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 190ºC/ 375ºF/ Gas 5

One cup of rolled or steel-cut oats will yield the pound of oatmeal cooked.

Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Mix in the sugar and oatmeal and bind with the melted margarine and water.

Work the dough on a floured board or mat until it is soft and pliable, adding more flour as needed. Freshly-made oatmeal is quite moist, while oatmeal that has cooled for hours is drier. For this reason, the total amount of flour you need will vary. The dough nis ready when it does not stick to the well-floured board. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 6mm (1/4 in), making sure it does not stick. If so, add morte flour. Cut it out into 5cm (2" rounds). Place them on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. As soon as you take them from the oven, start preparing your scrambled eggs.

Scrambled Eggs:

Allow two eggs and ½ tablespoon of milk per person, beaten together with some salt and pepper. Pour into a non-stick pan in which you have melted a knob of butter, and cook the eggs over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time, until the eggs are cooked.

To serve, spoon the scrambled eggs on top of the warm oatcakes, and serve with slices of Scottish Smoked Salmon. Leftover oatcakes can be stored in an airtight container, and are delicious with cheese, jam, and of course, Nutella!.

Boyndie Broth (V/C)(Oatmeal Soup; adapted from Hamlyn's of Scotland's website)

A very nexpensive, velvety and elegant soup which is quickly and easily prepared. It is just the thing for someone trying to stretch their food budget. Adding some smoked haddock or smoked salmon makes a complete meal.

50g (2oz) Scottish-style Oats (steel cut)
1 chopped onion
1 large carrot grated
2 tablespoons butter
550ml (1 pint) chicken or vegetable stock
550ml (1 pint) milk
Salt and white pepper
Chopped chives or parsley
Cream for finishing (optional)

Melt butter in a large pan over a low heat. Add onions and carrot and cook gently until soft. Add oats to pan and cook for about four minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 minutes. Add milk and heat through. Season to taste. Add chives or parsley, and a little cream if desired.

The above makes a thick broth - use less oats and more stock if you prefer a thinner soup.

Mince Collops (C)(Adapted from Sheila Macrae's "Traditional Scottish Cookery")

1 lb very lean ground beef, ground steak, or even ground lamb
1 medium onion, cut in half
1 tbs oatmeal
1 1/4 cup beef stock
4 sliced toasted Whole Wheat bread
4 Poached Eggs
8 slices of crisp bacon
4 halves grilled tomatoes

Saute the ground beef in as little oil as possible in non-stick skillet until well browned. Add the onion, cut side down and the oatmeal. pour ion enough stock almost to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45-60 minutes. Discard the onion.

Serve spoonfuls of the collops on the toast, topped with a poached egg, a grilled tomato, and two slices of bacon.

Here's an additional recipe, not included in ther show:

Cranachan with Raspberries (V)(adapted from "12 Best Foods Cookbook" by Dana Jacobi)

Oatmeal made from 1/2 c steel-cut oats and 1 c fresh buttermilk
1 c heavy cream
2 tbs sugar, honey, brown rice syrup or Splenda
1 tbs Scotch whiskey
1/2 c toasted Walnuts, chopped
1 c fresh raspberries

Whip[ the cream until it is thick, but not stiff. Add the sweetener, a tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat until the cream is stiff, but not dry looking. Using a spatula, mix in the Scotch whiskey, then the walnuts, then the oatmeal. This can be done 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered.

To sxerve, place a few raspberries in the bottom of a footed desert dish or clear glass bowl. Top with the oatmeal cream. Sprinkle on a few more berries. Serve chilled.

Here is the shopping list for next week:

Next week, I going to take another can of biscuit dough out to refrigerator and show you new things to do with it. This time, we’ll use crescent dinner rolls. So pick up a couple of cans. You’ll need some eggs, some black olives, an Italian herb mix blend, some feta cheese, either some Greek kaskaval cheese or parmesan, some thinly sliced sopressata salami, or any unsmoked salami, some roquefort, gorganzola, or blue cheese, some fresh parsley and a few tablespoons of heavy cream. That’s it! I know Kaskaval and sopressata are a stretch, but you may have a Greek deli where you can find the cheese, in which case, buy the feta there too, and ask for the imported, Greek-style. It’s less salty. Or you may have an Italian deli where you can find the salami. Otherwise, you can use parmesan and ordinary salami.