Do You Enjoy A Bowl of Breakfast Porridge?

Porridge is an original British dish consisting of oatmeal (or other grains)  boiled in water or milk.  Usually eaten as a breakfast cereal dish, particularly in the colder months of the year, it is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal - and served hot in a bowl.  Oat porridge, or oatmeal, is one of the most common types of porridge. Gruel is a thinner version of porridge.

An inexpensive food, it has not always been top of the popularity stakes but in recent times, the tables have turned and porridge is changing its image to one of being nutritious, versatile and delicious.  It is now regarded as a nutritional powerhouse full of sustaining energy. 

The internet is full of recipes for sprucing up this simple food.

For my part, I cook my oats it in a small saucepan with water and added chopped up dried fruit.  I serve with some cold milk and a drizzle of maple syrup.

But you can be much more adventurous! 

Quinoa porridge with cinnamon, almonds and pear

You will need:

• 40 grams quinoa
• 40 grams porridge oats or oatmeal
• 250 ml oat milk
• 250 ml freshly squeezed pear juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 T poppy seeds to sprinkle (optional)
• Finely sliced pear
• Roughly chopped almonds (to serve)
• maple syrup or honey to drizzle

Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve and tip into saucepan.  Add oats/oatmeal, oat milk, pear juice and cinnamon stick, bringing to a simmer.  Cook gently, stirring often especially towards the end of the cooking time until the mixture is thick and pulpy.  Approximately 15 minutes.

Remove cinnamon.  Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Serve with pear, almonds and maple syrup/honey to drizzle.

Spelt porridge with homemade caramel sauce

You will need:

• 200 grams caster sugar
• 50 grams butter
• 150 ml double cream
• 150 grams spelt flakes
• 800 ml milk of choice
• Pinch of ground mixed spice
• 50 grams hazelnuts chopped, plus extra to sprinkle
• Apple wedges to serve

To make the sauce, put the sugar in a heavy based saucepan with 75 ml water and heat very gently until the sugar dissolves.  Bring to the boil and continue to boil for about 10 minutes without stirring until the syrup has turned to a rich amber color.  Watch closely as the caramel could quickly burn once it starts to color.  Immediately dip the base of the pan in water to prevent further cooking.  Dot in the butter and add the cream.  Return the pan to the stove and cook gently, stirring over a low heat until the caramel has softened to make a smooth sauce.  Let the mixture bubble up for a few seconds then remove from heat.  Leave to cool before transferring to a lidded jar. The sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Put the spelt, milk and spice in a large saucepan and heat gently until the milk is just simmering.  Cook, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently until the spelt is just tender.  Add a little more milk if necessary and stir in the nuts.  Spoon into bowls and serve with apple wedges and extra nuts plus the caramel sauce for stirring in.  

Several different porridge recipes to try but perhaps you have your own favorite that you are already using!

Postscript

You might be interested to read that "porridge" is also a British slang word for prison.