A PORRIDGE PRIMER: HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH PORRIDGE
I want you to fall in love with porridge, and to learn to top it like a boss.
I’m sorry I said like a boss. It’s not like me, but sometimes I write these posts in the thrilling intersection of passion, inspiration and utter fatigue—and I go outside of myself. Forgive me.
But I’ve been wanting to talk to you about porridge for a long, long time. Like many years. It wasn’t cool to talk about porridge until fairly recently, which is fine, because I never found the time anyway, but here’s the thing: Porridge—be it millet or oats or hot cereal or polenta, rice porridge or the like, is one of the simplest, most satisfying meals on the planet. It’s also incredibly easy to top and completely blow your kid’s minds (or your own) with a new and beautiful bowl any winter morning.
Skeptics, stay with me. If you’re not on board yet—the bland, pasty bowls of oatmeal many a mother served on blustery mornings might be to blame. Without a doubt, if you don’t pay attention, porridge can feel like a prison sentence, not a subtly sweet treat. But with just the slightest attention to detail, it can be the very thing worth waking up for.
There are very few things to know, and once you know them, you will surprise yourself over and over again; let’s get to it.
A PORRIDGE PRIMER, BELOW
A PORRIDGE PRIMER:
To truly master porridge, you need only water, salt, your milk of choice and a tiny bit of patience. Not much at all. You may also need a good imagination, and a sense of adventure (to keep the toppings fresh and new each day), but first let’s start with the basics.
PORRIDGE TYPES
If your current experience with porridge ends with oatmeal, you’re in for a treat. I got tired of oatmeal after about one winter, but oats mixed with cornmeal, or millet, or buckwheat, can be something truly memorable. In fact in my opinion, all grains are best mixed half / half. Millet and oats. Oats and cornmeal. Rice and Oats. Buckwheat and Rice. The larger and smaller grains play nicely together when cooked in water, and it helps you avoid that gloopy, one-note bowl of oats experience some of us remember from childhood.
There are also prepared hot cereal mixes you can buy (we mostly avoid wheat, so we like Bob’s Red Mill’s Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal, a mix of brown rice, corn, sorghum, and Whole Grain buckwheat)—to keep your porridge fix at the ready.
MORE SALT, LESS SUGAR
Always, always include at least a pinch of sea salt in your water while cooking your grains, maybe even two. A little salt equals a lot more flavor, and less need to add brown sugar, syrup or honey to enjoy.
ALL-PURPOSE PORRIDGE TOPPER
My favorite dreamy porridge topper is sweet, saucy berries stewed with pure maple syrup. My freezer is always stocked with frozen organic strawberries, blackberries, or mango, which can be quickly cooked into a juicy topping that brings any grains to life.
Here’s How: Combine one 12-oz bag of frozen berries with 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup in a small pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until the berries soften and weep, releasing their juices (if they are very small or dry, like blueberries and some blackberries, you may need to add a splash of water—about a tablespoon. Cook until the berries are just soft and juicy, but not too runny. Serve over warm porridge, and store any leftovers in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
THAT’S YOUR JAM
On sparcer days, If you don’t have fresh fruit or frozen berries on hand, a loose jam or preserves or a runny marmalade, plus a splash of milk or cream make a simple but delicious porridge happen on the fly.
PERFECT CREAMY PORRIDGE RECIPE, BELOW
PERFECT CREAMY PORRIDGE
1 cup oats, millet, buckwheat, or cornmeal (or a mix)
4 cups water
Hearty pinch sea salt
Cinnamon stick, optional
Cream or cow’s, oat, almond, or hazelnut milk of choice, to taste
Pure maple syrup or honey, to taste
Fruit, jam, nuts, seeds, granola or other toppings, to taste
RINSE YOUR GRAINS AND DRAIN.* BRING THE WATER AND SALT TO A BOIL IN A MEDIUM POT OVER HIGH HEAT. ADD THE GRAINS AND THE CINNAMON, IF USING, AND COOK, STIRRING OCCASIONALLY, UNTIL TENDER, 15 TO 22 MINUTES, DEPENDING ON THE GRAIN (OR GRAINS), AND YOUR PREFERENCE FOR AL-DENTE, OR COMPLETELY SOFT PORRIDGE.
IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES OF COOKING, ADD IN YOUR MILK OF CHOICE AND STIR TO A CREAMY FINISH. OR, SPOON THE PORRIDGE INTO BOWLS, AND DRIZZLE WITH CREAM OR MILK.
TOP WITH SYRUP OR HONEY, YOUR ALL-PURPOSE PORRIDGE TOPPER, BANANAS, BERRIES, GRANOLA, ROSE PETALS, SEEDS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT SUITS YOUR FANCY.
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES
SERVES 4
PORRIDGE, IN AN INSTANT
Grains are perfect candidates for cooking in an rice cooker or instant pot. Both models usually have a porridge setting which allows you to either set a timer, and slow (ish) cook your grains to be ready for you by morning (in a rice cooker) or cook your grains so quickly (instant pot) that you can quickly cook them the morning of. Look for the “Porridge” setting and read your appliance manual for any tips/tricks.
QUICKER STOVE-TOP GRAINS
I have always cooked my stove-top grains in water, and finished them with milk, allowing them to cook about 15 to 20 minutes to a creamy finish. I learned from Amy Chaplin’s wonderful new book, Whole Food Cooking Every Day, that if you pulse your grains and water in an upright blender before you begin cooking, you break down the size, making them both cook faster, and finish in a creamier consistency. I love this trick—if you have time and you’re cooking your grains on the stovetop, and not in a rice cooker or pressure cooker, give this shortcut a go.
images belong to Sarah Copeland, and should not be pinned or posted without attribution. **
Photos // HARRISON LUBIN
Food + Prop Styling // SARAH COPELAND
Ceramics // LAIL DESIGN
Linens // CRATE & BARREL