Terrouge Magazine
Redwall Cooking: Oatcakes
In this cooking series, I aim to cover a panoply of skill levels in dishes, as well as budgets. It has long been argued what Redwallers could— or could not— use in their cuisine, as the abbey is largely made up of herbivores. For instance, where would milk and cheese come from? If many birds are sentient, where would eggs come from?
In some dishes, you will see me attempt to tackle this issue by going completely vegan. Since the two most-available milk-substitutes are rice and almond, I will opt for the latter. Most “alternative” foods, however, are largely synthetic or expensive. So, I envisioned a sliding scale for my dishes. 1 being the easiest and cheapest— imagine a college dorm room-level of preparation. 5 being either expensive or exotic ingredients, or specialized equipment (mind you, as someone who eschews the modern stand mixer, myself, I don’t have an awful lot of that laying around).
We begin by looking at a simple fare that has long been enjoyed at Salamandastron, for one, and mentioned many times throughout the books: oatcakes.
While researching a recipe to fit this dish, I encountered two directions I could take: oat pancakes or an actual oat cake. Now, I enjoy pancakes as much as the next breakfast-food addict, however I felt that to really kick off this article series I should go for the gusto— an honest-to-goodness cake. And so, without further ado or delay...
Fryin’ it up with Future Friar Fennley.
Oatcakes! My friends, there’s nothing so wonderful when you wake in the morning as a fresh slice of oatcake. Why, I was telling Dee— my apprentice here— that they’re surely the next best way to wake up after good chicory root tea. Future Friar Fennley here, and we’re going to show you how to make a Mossflower classic.
Now, there’s as many ways to bake an oat cake as there is beasts in the world, so we’re going to look at a good ol’ Salamandastron oatcake. One of these is about two paw-length across in a pan, enough to feed your standard scouting troop for breakfast. They’re good for a forced march: oats, nuts, and a good honey glaze. All of these ingredients, as you can see, are made to give you sustained energy until your noontide meal, and you’ll surely not find the cake lacking in filling you up. However, don’t think that this means it’ll bog you down— it’s no heavier than a bowl of oatmeal, but far better for beasts on the move.
Required tools:
Spoon
9’ cake pan (or 8x8, springform is desired, but not required)
Mixing bowl
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated (table) sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
1/2 cup nuts (pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts)
honey (approx. 1/4 cup, enough to cover, drizzled)
brown sugar (approx. 1/4 cup, enough to cover lightly)
Pan:
shortening to coat
flour to dust
1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the oats. Stir until combined and allow sit for 20 minutes.
3. Grease and lightly flour the pan; set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamed.
6. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, beat until combined.
7. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Sprinkle baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg into mixture. Mix well.
9. Add one cup of flour; beat; add half of the oats; beat; add one cup of flour; beat; and add the rest of the oats. Beat well.
10. Spread batter into prepared pan.
11. Sprinkle nuts over the top, then drizzle with honey until well-covered, and sprinkle brown suger over that.
12. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
13. Remove from oven and let cool within pan for 20 minutes. Remove sides (if using a springform pan) or remove from pan and let cool for another hour.
14. Enjoy as a dessert or a quick breakfast.
Rough nutritional info for 2x1 1/2 slice:
400 calories, 20g fat, 250 mg sodium, 54g carb, 2g fiber, 5g protein, 10% vitamin A, 10% calcium, 10% iron.