a nice bowl of porridge.

I admit that I have never liked oatmeal as far as hot cereal goes. The snot-like texture doesn't quite sit well with my stomach and even with bits of chocolate and fruit, I have never really been able to get past it. That is, however, until I discovered steel-cut oats, which has a much more desirable (at least to me) texture. It never fails to make a nice breakfast cereal, especially when combined with fruit and spices.

This recipe is just an outline for a morning porridge, which can easily be altered to your taste. Experiment with different fruits (fresh and/or dried), nuts, sweeteners, and milks (I plan to try coconut milk next)- the options are endless.



Simple Porridge

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 cup steel-cut oatmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk or cream
1/4 cup brown sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit, chopped)
dash of cinnamon
fresh fruit and/or toasted nuts for topping

Directions:

In a medium sized saucepan bring the 4 cups of water to boil. Sprinkle the oatmeal over the boiling water, stirring constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Add the salt and reduce the heat to low and allow the porridge to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in milk or cream, brown sugar, raisins (or other dried fruit). Top with a dash of cinnamon and fresh fruit/nuts.