Giving Oatmeal An Upgrade
On weekends, breakfast is usually a big eggs-and-bacon-and-pancakes kind of meal, a substantial feast some might even call brunch. Except that we eat way too early for that designation.
But this Sunday morning was so blustery, only hot cereal would do. What should it be? Cream of wheat? Grits? Lately, I've been kind of obsessed with congee, the Chinese rice porridge. I've been ordering at Tom Douglas' Seatown Seabar at the Pike Place Market. It's embellished with chunks of pork and finished with chili and black bean sauce. A poached egg nests in the savory bowl of something you'd never call mush.
That's what my sibs and I dubbed all hot cereal when we were growing up and it was the source of much misery. Mush was best shoveled down quickly because it tasted so paste-y.
But I've learned to make oatmeal properly, Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut variety that takes 30 minutes to cook. Instead of letting it boil furiously, it's best to slowly simmer it. I keep the water hot in the kettle in case it starts to dry out and stick. And when it's done, that's when the fun begins. Chopped fruit and nuts pile on top. Brown sugar and maple syrup sweeten things up. Today, insipration struck and I splashed some rum on currants and zapped in the microwave for 20 seconds. What a good idea!
Guess what my husband said? It was the best oatmeal ever!
-- Leslie Kelly
Myglobalkitchens on January 30, 2012 at 08:35 AM
I copy Tom with and add a dollop of whipped marscapone with some poached figs atop Bob's Red Mill multigrain cereal. And then I pool some cream in around the edges. Doesn't get better than that (except for rum soaked raisins)
Kurt on January 30, 2012 at 08:40 AM
The easiest way to fix steel cut oatmeal is to do it in the slow cooker. There are several versions of "overnight oatmeal" available at different food and recipe websites online. When I make it, I put the oats, water, brown sugar, dried fruit, etc. in a large pyrex bowl, put it in the slow cooker, fill the slow cooker with water to make a water bath, and then cook it overnight. It is easy and turns out perfectly every time.
Rebecca Turner on January 30, 2012 at 11:17 AM
I also use the steel cut oats too.. Love them! but I cut up apples and add in lots of siagon cinnamon and instead of sugar and water.. I use apple cider ( not apple juice. that wont work.. has to be cider...) .. gives it a nice tang and sweeten it at the same time... then add in some half and half or a bit of cream if I have it.. more like dessert than a breakfast..yummm.. I have it almost every morning.. even my dogs want handouts! lol
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