[Sca-cooks] Irish Festival Feast Report

[Sharon Palmer]

>On Sun, 8 Aug 2004 23:22:29 -0400
>  Sharon Palmer <ranvaig at columbus.rr.com> wrote:
>
>>Littiu - Oat Pudding
>
>any chance of a recipe?

It's not my recipe but one from our Authenticity 
Officer, Tigernach mka Stephan Hayes
--- My working recipe was:
Oat Pudding (Littiú)
2 c coarsely ground oats (run lightly through a food processor)
2 c milk, 1/2 tsp salt or to taste, egg yolks (optional), butter
Heat milk to the simmering point without boiling, 
so that small bubbles form around the rim of the 
pot. Add oats and salt. If you wish to make it 
even richer, you can add the egg yolks, well 
beaten, to the mixture.  Pour the mixture into 
greased bowl or fireproof dish, and set it, 
covered, by the fire for about 45 minutes, 
turning it regularly so that it cooks evenly and 
solidly.  Or bake at 300°.  As it cooks, it will 
pull away from the bowl a bit.


---- And the original:

The other thing I think you're looking for is 
'Littiú", which is described as a porridge but to 
my mind is more like a steamed pudding.

Ingredients:
Oats , coarsely ground (I have used rolled oats 
mashed up in a mortar, or run lightly through a 
food processor for this).
Milk
Salt to taste
Egg yolks (optional)
Butter

Method:
Heat a quantity of milk to the simmering point 
without boiling, so that small bubbles form 
around the rim of the pot.  Remove the pot from 
the heat. Take an equal volume of the coarsely 
ground oats, and makes them with the milk, adding 
a bit of salt.  For 2 c. of oats I use about one 
half teaspoon of salt. If you wish to make it 
even richer, you can add the egg yolks, well 
beaten, to the mixture.  When the batter is 
smooth, pour the mixture into greased bowl or 
fireproof dish, and set it, covered, by the fire 
for about 45 minutes, turning it regularly so 
that it cooks evenly and solidly.  In a regular 
kitchen, you could simply put this in a low oven 
(300°).  As it cooks, it will pull away from the 
bowl a bit.

It can be cut in wedges in the bowl, or turned 
out onto a plate.  It's delicious as is, savory 
with salt, and scrumptious when accompanied by 
rich cream and drizzled honey.  I imagine it 
could be used as a side dish with gravy as well. 
I have also thought of cutting up the bowl of 
this into cubes sprinkling it liberally with bits 
of butter and hard cheese, and setting it to bake 
by the fire. The dish is described in books of 
monastic rules, and is prescribed in the Brehon 
law as the appropriate food with which noble 
hostages and foster sons are nourished by right.

Notice that this is radically different from a 
porridge.  In ordinary porridge, the proportions 
are four volumes of water to one of oatmeal, 
while this one is equal volume is of milk and 
oatmeal.  It sets up quite firmly. Too fine an 
oatmeal makes for a gluey product.

Tigernach mac Eóghain ua Áeda