Late for Christmas, on time for New Year's . . . Does anyone have a stick to your ribs/warm your heart Orcadian Fruitcake recipe? Dan In Chicago

Hi Dan, I don't think there is such a thing as an Orcadian Fruitcake recipe as such. You might like to try this recipe for a Dundee Cake though - http://www.electricscotland.com/food/recipes/dundeec.htm - nice and fruity. However if it is something that you want to eat hot, then try this recipe. It appeared in as an advert for Evening Classes many years ago. I read it at the time and it made me laugh so much that I cut it out and kept it. I still laugh every time I read it. Whoever wrote it has a fine sense of humour :-) It was written in Orcadian dialect but I've provided a "translation" for the slow of understanding ;-) Clootie Dumpling a l'Orcades Tak a half a dozen knevfills o' selfraiseen flooer, a guppon o' currants, half a poke o' raiseens, and a peedie poke o' caster shuggar. Coop the whole lot in the baseen but don't forget tae coop out the tattie peeleens and the toe nail clippeens first and gae it a queeck swill under the tap in the interest o' hygiene fur ye cana be too careful nooadays. Add a chunk o' margarine and a peedie grain o' mixed spice and gae the whole conglomeration a steer up wi' a strong widden speun or the end o' the beesom while ye poor in a midleen swash o' soor milk until hids all jeust wan great claggy roo. Then coop hid oot ontae a good strong bit o' cloot that's been covered in flooer (an owld pair o' long draars works a traet), tie hid up wi a piece o' string bit no too tight or hid might swall and burst and hids warse than skitter tae scrape aff the walls. Bung the whole thing in a pot o' boilan watter for three and a half oors, coop hid oot ontae a plate, peel aff the cloot and ye've a dish that Egg-on Ronnie wid be prood o'. If hids broon hids cookid and if hids black hids buggered. An added bonus is a clean pair o' draars bit the elastic never works the sam efter and hid is a job tae keep them up. "Translation" Take a half dozen handfuls of self-raising flour, a double handful of currants, half a bag of raisins, and a small bag of caster sugar. Empty the whole lot in the basin but don't forget to empty out the potato peelings and the toe nail clippings first and give it a quick rinse under the tap in the interest of hygiene because you can't be too careful nowadays. Add a chunk of margarine and a small quantity of mixed spice and give the whole conglomeration a stir with a strong wooden spoon or the broom handle while you pour in a moderate quantity of sour milk until it's all just one great sticky mess. Then empty it out onto a good strong bit of cloth that's been covered in flour (an old pair of long underpants works a treat), tie it up with a pice of string but not too tight or it might swell and burst and it's worse than sh*t to scrape off the walls. Place the whole thing in a pot of boiling water for three and a half hours, empty it out onto a plate, peel off the cloth and you've a dish that Egon Ronay (Good Food Guide editor - MCC) would be proud of. If it's brown it's cooked and if it's black it's overdone. An added bonus is a clean pair of underpants but the elastic never woks the same afterwards and it is difficult to keep them up. Believe me, many an Orkney housewife would have recipes like that - never weighed or measured anything - but always produced delicious home baking. Enjoy! Season's greetings to all. -- Mike Clouston ----- Original Message ----- From: <Juanelan@aol.com> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 1:23 PM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Well wsihes > Late for Christmas, on time for New Year's . . . > Does anyone have a stick to your ribs/warm your heart > Orcadian Fruitcake recipe? > Dan In Chicago >