Porridge Ponderings
Episode Twenty Two
Hello there! Thanks so much for joining me for another wordy ramble, I’m so glad you’re here.
Close your eyes.
Actually, don’t do that because you won’t be able to read the rest of this blog.
Imagine it’s a cold morning outside, fog hangs between the trees like Pashmak spun sugar, the sun’s first rays slant through the haze highlighting the frost on the ground, and making it sparkle like a million tiny diamonds. The birds are out warbling to each other through the partially hidden trees, and the sound of traffic seems more distant.
You’re inside where it’s warm, there’s possibly a log fire crackling contentedly over there in the corner. You have your super soft sleep pants on, the ones you never want to take off, and a plush, fluffy robe is wrapped around you like a hug. Your feet are safely ensconced inside your favourite woolly slippers, and the house is silent and peaceful, either no one else is up, or you’re taking time out for yourself.
A steaming pot of tea is over there on the table, releasing the light citrus tang of the Earl Grey brewing within. A cup and saucer waits nearby to be filled, stirred politely with the little teaspoon, sugar or lemon added as you wish. In your hands is a bowl of the most creamy, delightful, soul-warming porridge, topped with brown sugar which has melted into a syrup beneath the crunchy-buttery crushed walnuts, a sprinkle of the spicy warmth of cinnamon, a few slices of perfectly ripened sweet banana, and a spoonful of tart cranberries.
I don’t know about you, but I think every winter morning should start like this.
There’s something intrinsically peaceful about porridge, its slow preparation, the way it plops and sighs in the pot as it’s cooking. Yes, there are those horrid ‘instant’ porridge packs that you can throw into the microwave and nuke for ninety seconds, then swallow it down as you’re rushing out the door to work.
To me, that’s like trying to enjoy a sumptuous three course dinner from the driver’s seat of your car.
Porridge should be enjoyed slowly, just like it should be cooked slowly.
The traditional grain for porridge in the Western world is rolled oats, and it’s originally thought to be a Scottish dish. However 5,000 year old bog bodies (yuk) which have been exhumed from sticky mires all over Europe, show evidence of peoples in that era also consuming porridge. And although poking around in the stomach of an ancient, leathery corpse will tell us these people ate an early variety of oats, it doesn’t tell us how they ate them.
It doesn’t require much skill to realise they wouldn’t have eaten the microwave version, complete with ‘real’ ‘strawberry’ and ‘apple’. Porridge can also be eaten savoury, made with a hearty meat broth, with herbs and spices, and there are quite a few people who enjoy the savoury variety more than the sweet. I suspect bog people would have been tucking into bowls of this variety.
Depending on how lush you cook your porridge also reflects on the taste. Die-hard Scots say it should only consist of oats, water, and salt. Oliver Twist workhouses served the infamous dish of gruel, which is basically porridge watered down so much, you pretty much have to drink it. Please sir, may I have some more?
Of course oats aren’t the only thing you can make porridge from, that’s just the most popular one in the English-speaking world (and parts of Germany and Nordic countries). There’s a veritable plethora of grains one can stew and consume, ranging from flax in Canada, to sorghum in parts of Africa, and wheat and semolina porridges such as tejbegriz, a Hungarian dish of semolina cooked in milk and served with sugar and cinnamon or cocoa that we occasionally have for supper. You can make porridge from quinoa, rye, and spelt, or from potatoes and yams, and of course rice is another popular grain to make squishy meals from, such as the congee common in parts of Asia. I love me a good rice pudding, which is basically a porridge, but usually eaten for dessert, always very slowly cooked in loads of milk or coconut cream, and served with freshly stewed cinnamon plums, and a sprinkle of pistachios.
My absolute favourite porridge dish is a take on an American recipe I found a few years ago for Baked Oatmeal. And I’m going to share it with you.
Baked Oatmeal with Berries
Take two cups of rolled oats and mix them with three cups of milk (it can be regular or nut milk). Put them in a container together and leave it in the fridge overnight, so the oats starts absorbing the milk already, and they go a little bit frilly.
Mix together three beaten eggs, two tablespoons of oil (your choice - just not olive), 1/3 cup of maple syrup, a half a cup of plain yoghurt (again, your favourite - I love the Greek style vanilla), one teaspoon of vanilla essence, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. You can do all of this the night before as well, and just pop it in the fridge next to your frilling oats.
Then in the morning, turn your oven onto a medium-low heat, around 160C, mix the soaked oats together with the eggy mix, and stir through around a half a cup each of blueberries and raspberries (frozen is perfectly fine). Pour this delightful mix into a suitable-sized lightly oiled oven dish, and sprinkle over another handful of those pretty berries. You can also add some chopped apple if you like, leaving the skin on for colour and nutrients.
I like to top this with a couple of spoonsful of raw or demerara sugar, and a similar amount of sliced almonds for crunch.
Pop the dish into your heated oven and bake for about 30-45 minutes - then put your coat on and go for a walk in that chilly morning air, and work up a really good appetite.
When you come home, the house will be filled with the incredible perfume of maple syrup, homely oats, and the tang of those jewel-like berries. When you take the dish out of the oven, let it sit for a few minutes, maybe while you make a pot of tea, then serve a generous portion with a good dollop of your favourite plain yoghurt, and a drizzle of golden honey.
Life is good.
Enjoy xx
We have just gone back to porridge in the mornings - so good! Maple syrup, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, blueberries and greek yogurt is the standard recipe here.
I have never heard of baked porridge before, and this is delicious.
I had the shock of my life when I had breakfast at an elderly neighbour's and she gave me porridge. It was made of salt and was disgusting. That was the first time I heard of salt in porridge. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if I had known it was salty rather that sweet before I took the first bite!