Oats and
oat cakes are still used today in
Beltane celebrations, especially in
Scotland where the tradition originated. Therefore, oats have been widely accepted as a very appropriate
Beltane food, good for
fertility and
luck. This recipe, Farls, was popular in northern
Ireland and Scotland, incorporating the ever-popular
potatoes as well (with the oats!).
Ingredients:
Directions:
Soak the oats in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. (Use the amount of water your oats package tells you to use as if for cooking.) Drain the oats if there is extra water at the end of their soaking, then mix the potatoes and other ingredients into the bowl. Knead it together until a dough forms. If it's still too moist, add flour until it can be picked up and shaped. Form into round patties. Fry in hot vegetable oil until lightly browned and serve immediately.
NOTE: They seem to cook best if you put them in the pan and don't smush them down with the spatula on their first side. When you flip them over, that's when you can smush them down a little, because they've got a cooked surface that won't get stuck to your spatula.
Yield: 8 servings
Source: Paraphrased from McCoy, The Sabbats
Use for: Beltane
Pagan recipes