britishfood

How can anyone not want to try making something with the charmingly Scottish name of “Clootie Dumplings.”

So what is a clootie?  It is a strip of cloth which the dumpling is wrapped in for cooking. According to Wikipedia , “the saying “Ne’er cast a cloot til Mey’s oot” conveys a warning not to shed any clothes before the summer has fully arrived and the may flowers are in full bloom.”

A Clootie Dumpling is a traditional dessert made with dried fruit and suet. The mix is then wrapped in the cloth (or clootie) and simmered.

Here’s what you need:

1lb self raising flour

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup suet

1 cup sugar

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

8 oz currants

12 oz raisins

half pint milk

1 apple, peeled, cored and grated

1 tbs treacle / golden syrup

Sift flour and spices together, then mix in sugar, breadcrumbs and dried fruits.  Add the suet. Stir the treacle into the milk then pour the mix into the dry ingredients. Mix to form a dough. Scald a pudding cloth (cotton muslin),dust with flour and put the dough on the cloth. Tie the cloth securely into a ball but leave room for the pudding to swell during cooking.

Place an upturned plate in a large pot with enough water to come half way up the pudding. Bring the water to a boil, the put the pudding in the pan. Cover and boil gently for 3 1/2 hours. Note that it must boil continuously so when it needs to be topped up, do so with more boiling water.

Remove the pudding from the pan, unwrap the cloth (carefully!) and dry the pudding in a warm oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy! (Recipe courtesy of Scottish Cooking )

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