Oatcakes and Veggie Soup

I've been eating a lot of soup lately - partly because it's cheap to make and partly because my kitchen, while technically stocked, is not really stocked for people who like to cook or bake much (fair enough, many don't). So I have two medium saucepans and two frying pans and a massive tart dish. But that's about it, really, so I'm somewhat limited in what I can make. 

Now this hasn't been an issue so far, really, because I should be working most of the time. But every once in a while I need to make something with flour and butter or I'll go out of my mind. Today that madness resulted in these: oatcakes. Perfect, because they require no rising agent (which I've not bought because I knew I wouldn't be baking much), you only need a griddle, and they're great with soup!

My soups have become kind of catch-alls for any vegetables I have sitting in the fridge. Today I had garlic, onions, carrots, leeks, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes and squash (an orange squash they sell in these packs of soup produce here, but I don't know what kind of squash it is). Cook them all in 2 tbsp olive oil until the carrots start to soften and the leeks and onions go translucent. Add 2 cubes of chicken/vegetable stock directly to the vegetables and then add enough water to cover. Season with salt, pepper, and chili (I've been using piri piri since I've been here, which has worked well) and simmer until the squash is soft. Blend with a hand blender until you get the consistency you like and serve!

As for the oatcakes, I made these a tiny bit thicker than the store bought versions, and they came out as kind of a cross between oatcakes and American biscuits. And while they are quite nice all warm and covered in honey or served with cheese, you don't actually need anything with them - they're great just on their own.

 

Oatcakes (from BBC Food)
Makes about 16
110 g (~1 c.) plain flour
110 g (~1 c.) oats (plus more for the board)
55 g   (~1/4 c.) butter
1 tsp salt
cold water (few tbsp)

1 egg
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp milk

Combine the flour, oats and salt in a bowl and mix well. Rub the butter into the dry mixture until it's crumbly, then add just enough cold water to bring the dough together into a ball.

Cover the counter or a board with oats and press the dough out until it's about 1 cm thick. Cut into circles using a scone cutter (or a cup - no scone cutters in a house with no baking sheets!).

Beat the egg, sugar and milk together to make a glaze. 

Preheat an ungreased frying pan over medium heat. Add the oatcakes to the griddle and immediately spread one side with the glaze. Bake, without flipping, until the glaze has turned glossy and the cakes are very light golden brown (about 5 minutes, depending on thickness).

If you've never had oatcakes before, you should definitely try them. I've never noticed them in Canadian grocery stores, but I wouldn't have looked for them before moving to the UK. They've definitely become a staple since living here. Try them with cheese/smoked salmon/cucumber or have them warm with honey - so good!