6 cups flour

1 ½ cups lard

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups currants

3-4 cups water

Mix flour with lard by hand

Add baking powder, salt, and currants

Add water and make a dough

Place dough in two 8 inch square cake bpans.

Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes

Makes 8-10 servings

----Juliette Iserhoff, Fort George/Chisasibi

Also from Fort George/Chisasibi:

"In the winter months, January to March, eggs are best from the Pike."

Mash the eggs and beat until foamy.

Add 1 tsp. of baking powder and ½ cup of fish oil. The amount of oil determines the moistness or dryness of the bannock.

When flour is available, ad to egg mistures until combined ingreidents can be kneaded as a soft dough before cooking. Add 2/3 cup water when mixing batter.

Grease and heat a large pot.

Put in the batter and let this cook and rise like a cake for about 1 ½ hours.

Sea Whitefish eggs are best in July

----Juliette Iserhoff

I throw whatever together whatever’s at hand and slowcook them over coals of a fire or on top of a woodstove, taking it off when it seems ready. It often comes out pretty chewy.

Here’s my Akimiski Island recipe:

Take several pouches of Quaker Instant Oats (Apple and Cinnamon or any other interesting flavour), mix with equal amount of white flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, whatever fruits are available (raisins, apple bits, etc.), a couple of tablespoons of oil, and a cup of brown or white sugar. Mix together well. Place lump in greased frying pan or pot, cover with foil, set on top of woodstove that’s not too hot or near coals of fire. Wait until cooked through (it could take several hours!). Experiment! Add chocolate chips, walnuts, whatever you have.