Recipe for Scottish Oatcakes with Olive Oil

 
Have a break, have an oatcake!

Yes, that's right...don't go for that chocolatey wafer that satisfies you for about 2 minutes and then you're off raiding the cupboards for another snack.  Oatcakes  made with extra-virgin olive oil are one of the best snacks you can have.   Oats are a superfood containing protein, essential fats and minerals including zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron.  They also contain soluble fibre that helps to reduce cholesterol, B vitamins for healthy skin, nails and hair, and helps the absorption of vitamin C (so have a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice along with your oatcakes!)  And don't forget that the energy you're getting is released slowly, so it'll keep you going for longer and you won't need anything more to eat until your next meal.

Ingredients

300g fine oatmeal

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons boiling hot water
                 
 

Method

- Mix the oats, oil and salt together.  

-Stir in the hot water little by little until the dough is smooth.  

- Sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and roll out the dough when it is still warm.  

- The thickness depends on taste, but as a general guide, perhaps about a quarter of a centimetre.  

- Use a scone-cutter (or a glass if you don't have one) to cut out the shapes.

- I lightly cook the oatcakes on an old-fashioned griddle (a non-stick frying pan will do the same job), but they can also be oven baked for 15 mins at 180oC.

- One last tip...use a fish slice to transfer them from the worktop to the pan or baking tray as they can be quite fragile before being cooked.

 

If you live in our area of Scotland or decide to holiday in our self-catering holiday cottage near Blairgowrie, then you can visit Blair Atholl, also in Perthshire and see the oats being ground at the Blair Atholl Watermill, and buy a bag in the shop afterwards!

Oh, and you'll need some fresh local cheese to eat together with the freshly made oatcakes.  We can recommend 'Anster' cheese made by St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company.  Visit the farm, watch the cheese making from the viewing gallery, grab a cuppa in the coffee shop and buy a chunk to take home with you.  Well, if you can manage to wait until you get home...you could take the oatcakes and a knife with you and have a wee snack on the beach at St Andrews!