St.Patrick's day and Pancake tueday

March is a magical month that rings in new beginnings with the onset of the Spring season and clocks going forward for much needed longer days .Hence, there are also many cultural events to commemorate Spring like 'Pancake tuesday' in the United Kingdom, 'Mardigras' in France and in many other countries, just like we have 'Pongal' and 'Makar sankranti' celebrated in January in India with a similar significance.

Bluebells mushrooming in the woods, delightful daffodils blossoming all over the parks,white woolly apple blossoms and pink fluffy cherry blossoms in abundance in their peak bloom remind me of the magical moments I had over four years ago in the month of march discovering these delights of nature with the first time visitors of Scotland like my sister Nazia, my good friends Jim and Carmen and their lovely daughter-Morgan who came from abroad for my ' ceilidh '(traditional scottish folk dance with a live band using classical musical instruments) which was the wedding reception in Glasgow for my husband's clan and friends organised by my in-laws.

I prepare a typical ' Irish Stew ' occasionally which is really easy and a comforting casserole dish which is an all in one meal and a favourite Irish classic served with bread. We also savour 'Scotch Pancakes' which are like sweet wee 'appams', served with blueberries and maple syrup for 'Shrove tuesday'. Scotch pancakes are smaller and slightly thicker than 'Crepes' or 'English pancakes' and remind me of my childhood memories of starting the day with ' cheele ' ( dosas ) for breakfast as per the typical south-indian culinary tradition .

Oatalicious

Oats,commonly known as ' Daliyaa' in Hindi is becoming one of my favourite superfoods as its so delicious and can be used in so many ways. Classed as a foodgrain and consumed all around the world in various forms,its a healthy , filling and a vital source of energy known to aid cholestrol control and provide vital nourishment to children and adults alike due to its high fibre content .

Porridge is a classic staple breakfast in Scotland and in many other nations and is available in various versions and flavours.My favourite is ' golden syrup ' flavour where oats are flavoured with the wicked ' golden syrup ' which is a decadent overwhelmingly sweet and addictive thick syrup used in desserts just like ' Treacle syrup ' used in brown scones and maple syrup used in 'Appam ' like mini scotch pancakes .

Porridge can be simply made by adding milk to rolled oats and microwaving for 5 minutes, topped with honey ,its a delicious, warm breakfast and can be had with a topping of nuts and raisins or freshly sliced bananas too.You can also make your own 'granola' by simply dry toasting rolled oats with almond flakes with a little butter until its golden brown.This granola mixture is so handy when you need an instant no-cook breakfast - just mix a little honey to plain yogurt, thrown in a handful of freshly chopped fruit and top with toasted home made toasted granola and voila - you have a tasty,fibrous,filling breakfast at your fingertips .

You can use ' pinhead oats ' to prepare a classic apple crumble topping and for 'Cranachan' which is a retro dessert traditionally prepred for 'Burns' night'.I also add rolled oats in my favourite choco-chip cookie batter .Recently I tried making eggless oat cookies with dessicated coconut and it turned out quite good , so I'd like to share the recipe for my vegetarian friends :

Ingredients :

1/2 cup plain flour

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup dessicated coconut

3/4 cup rolled oats

50g butter

2 tablespoons golden / maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method :

1.Preheat the oven to 160degrees celcius .Line two baking trays with parchment paper .

2.In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour,coconut and rolled oats.

3. Melt the butter and golden syrup.Dissolve baking soda in 2 tablespoons boiling water and add it to the butter and golden syrup . Stir this wet mixture to the dry ingredients.

4.Place heaped tablespoonfuls of this cookie batter and flatten with the back of a spoon .

5.Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tip - Cookies will be slightly soft and brittle when you remove them from the oven,so do wait until they cool down completely before your store them in an airtight cookie container .