COOK with Elizabeth

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28128, 17 November 1956, Page 2

COOK with Elizabeth

Genuine Scottish Oatcake

Kindly sent out to us direct from Scotland come these two genuine recipes for oatcake and shortbread. Shut your eyes as you eat them and you will see again muted colours over misty moors, small torrents leaping over white stones between gold and russet trees, hear the hum of bees in the heather and soft voices inquiring if you would no take a piece of oatcake with your tea. Oatcake: 8 ozs oatmeal, $ teaspoon salt, pinch baking soda, 2 teaspoons melted bacon fat, hot water to mix. Heat a girdle very slowly to medium heat. Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly, make a well in the centre, add the melted bacon fat and sufficient hot water to make a soft mixture. Sprinkle a board with plenty of oatmeal, turn out the mixture and kneed thoroughly. Roll as thin as possible, rub with oatmeal, then cut into the desired shapes. Bake on the girdle until the cakes curl but do not turn over. Place in a moderate oven and bake until slightly brown. Shortbread: 8 ozs butter, 4ozs castor sugar, 16 ounces plain flour, or 14 ozs flour and 2 ozs rice flour. Cream the butter and sugar a little, then work in the flour until it forms a paste. Turn out on to a board and work until smooth. Roll out to between half and three-quarters of an inch thick and cut into rounds. Prick all over with a fork, then bake in a moderate oven from half to 2 of an hour. Lift off on to a wire tray to cool and dust with castor sugar.