Since I've been reading and writing so much about the Scots-Irish, I figured it was time for a Scottish recipe. This one originated in Kilmarnock in the Ayrshire region. It contains no liver!
3/4 lb. medium oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
3/4 lb. suet, finely chopped
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 brown sugar
salt & pepper, to taste
water, to mix
Place first six ingredients in a bowl and mix with enough water to blend mixture together without making it soggy wet. Place the mixture in a greased pudding bowl, cover with waxed paper, tie, and steam for 3 - 4 hours. Serve hot in slices.
To prepare the bowl for steaming, make a pleat in the waxed paper, and secure it with string.
Then, take a large tea towel and first tie two corners together, then tie the other two. The towel should not be tight around the bowl, but the knots should be secure enough to hold when lifting the bowl out of the hot water.
To steam, place the bowl in a large pot with a lid, adding water to about halfway up the bowl. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to just enough to keep the water bubbling. Don't allow the water to boil away.
It's chopped or ground animal fat, preferably beef for my taste. Ask a butcher to grind it for you. Or substitute butter, which should have water enough in it to mix the ingredients without adding more.