“I don’t quite understand, ” Brianna said.  “Did Mr. Berowne not want to admit that a woman hit him?” “Ah, no,” Jamie said, pouring another cup of ale and handing it to her.  “It was only Sergeant Murchison making a nuisance of himself.”That would be the army officer who was at the trial?” she asked.  She took a small sip of the ale, for politeness’ sake.  “The one who looks like a half-roasted pig?” Her father grinned at this characterization. “Aye that’ll be the man.  He’s a mislike of me,” he explained.  “This wilna be the first time — or the last — that he’s tried such a trick to cripple me.” “He could not hope to succeed with such a ridiculous charge,” Jocasta chimed in, leaning forward and reaching out a hand.  Ulysses, standing by, moved the plate of bannocks the necessary inch.  She took one, unerringly, and turned her disconcerting blind eyes toward Jamie. Diana Gabaldon, Drums of Autumn, Chap 41

What is a bannock?  Well, that really depends upon where you are in the world.  The bannock I grew up with here on the Canadian west coast came from the diets of our First Nations; an unleavened dough of wheat flour, water and salt, molded over a stick and toasted over an open fire.  In other regions of North America, you may know bannocks as something slightly different.  There may be cornmeal and baking powder in the dough, and they could be deep fried, rolled in sand and cooked in a pit, or baked in the oven.  Traditional ingredients prior to Europeans included corn and nut flours, those ground from plant bulbs and tubers, as well as seasonal fruits and seeds. In Scotland, where the term originates from the Gaelic bannach, meaning cake, bannocks were originally round, medium-sized flat breads made from a wet dough of barleymeal and/or oatmeal.  (Meal is an unsifted powder, coarser than flour, ground from any grain.)  They were cooked on a girdle, or griddle, and were cut into scones, or wedges.

In Scotland today, the term refers to any baked item similar in shape and size to the original bannock, and is also used to describe a large circular scone that has been scored into sections.  Wheat flour and baking soda are included in most modern recipes.I’ve been researching these for days, and I’m still a little unclear. The most important thing to remember is that a bannock is many things to many people. So what was Jocasta’s bannock like?hamilton beach blender 70580 For all that she was a capable and powerful woman for her time, Jocasta was also a woman of tradition.  cuisinart spb-600 smartpower deluxe blenderUnlike her older sister, Ellen, she obeyed her father and made a political marriage at a young age with a man she didn’t know.  kitchenaid mixer plumberry

When he died, she formed a second strategic match with another man who, to save his own life, took from her the most important things of all. By the time we meet her, she is a sightless, three-time widow and the sole surviving sibling of a once powerful clan that has been shattered to rubble in her lifetime.  Despite it all, she is proudly (yet barely) managing a massive estate and operation in her newly adopted land.  It must all be a little surreal at times for a woman, who, when she was born, would never have been expected to leave the Highlands.bamix spare parts adelaide I imagine Jocasta turning to the familiar foods from her childhood to foster an atmosphere of calm in her dark and uncertain world.  Because while food nourishes, it can also comfort. For me, in times of stress, it’s my Mom’s macaroni and cheese.  For Jocasta, it’s her auld-country Scottish bannocks. (Click on the title below for a printable version of the recipe.)

A dense, but tasty and slightly nutty historical staple of the Scottish diet. Bannocks were originally made from barley or oat flour, as those grains are easier to grow than wheat in the harsh landscape of Scotland. Grind the oats to meal by pulsing them 4 or 5 times in a clean coffee grinder.  Repeat with the barley.  (The meals will have some coarser bits to them, but should be relatively fine.) Set aside ¼ cup of the ground oats for working the dough. Mix the remainder of the 2 freshly ground flours together with the salt.  Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter or 2 forks until the mixture resembles coarse sand.  A few pea-sized lumps of butter are okay. Stir in the milk — you should have a very wet dough, but not soupy – add a little more milk if the dough is too dry.  Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the grains to absorb the milk. Preheat a cast-iron pan over med-low heat for 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto the counter dusted heavily with the remaining ground oats.  

Dust the dough with more oat flour and knead it gently 5 or 6 times. Then, being careful not to overwork the dough, gently pat into a round disc about ½” thick. Dust each side lightly with oat flour, mark a cross into one side of the bannock with the handle of a wooden spoon, then carefully transfer it to the dry cast iron pan.  Cook until golden, about 15 minutes.  Flip and cook until golden on the second side, about 10-15 minutes.  Cool on a rack for 5 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges. Serve warm, preferably with butter and honey/jam.  Jocasta may have preferred hers plain, but that’s no reason for us not to enjoy ours at their new-world best, aye?Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my Canadian readers. The warm beautiful weather continues! Yesterday was a madhouse up in here. I was busy with work when I found out that I advanced to Round #4 of Project Food Blog. Thank you so much for your votes!!! I realized that yesterday was my only chance to bake up my recipe submission because we are going away for Thanksgiving this weekend.

The submission is due Sunday! Let me just say that I didn’t get to bed until after midnight and my kitchen now weeps! Last night, I needed a quick dinner and I also made enough of dinner so there would be leftovers to bring to my in-laws this weekend. Whenever I go away I always try my best to bring one vegan dish along. I started by cooking a bunch of lentils on the stovetop and then I grabbed these CSA veggies from the fridge: Have you ever seen a cuter green pepper? I wanted to pickle it so I could stare at it forever, but ultimately I ended up chopping it up. I also threw in some chopped celery when I noticed that we had some to use up. Dressings don’t get any easier… After draining and rinsing lentils, add into bowl with veggies… Now make your dressing! Black Pepper                                                                     Balsamic Vinaigrette and oil + minced garlic.