Do you 'cook' porridge

[Goatboy]

One of the localish farms here specialises in growing oats. As well as a really good farm shop and cafe they mill their own oats. They do mail order but lucky enough to be able to pick them up myself when passing. Good eggs and veg too. They also have a really good deli stuck out in the middle of know-where, but the cafe draws folk in. Car park is bordered by pens for their pigs and goats. Like having a coffee outside watching my farmard favourites; goats throwing their weight around with my second faves the pigs. The piglets and kids are very funny together.
Good things oats, did you know they used to make a sort of milk for bairns by tamping down oats in water and straining through a muslin bag. Good for you and tastey too.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[oldtimer]

At home: one cup oatmeal, two cups water slowly brought to boil then simmered and stirred clockwise with my home made racing spoon. Serves the two of us.

On the trail. Oatmeal with oat bran, milk powder, brown sugar, seed mix, sultanas and/or raisins ready mixed in a Ziplock bag. Just add water. (Often eat this at home too at odd hours).

You may like to look up Eric Shipton's expeditions. Apparently his staple expedition food was oatmeal mixed with whatever he came across boiled up with it. Very much the minimalist, it was said that one shouldn't travel with Shipton if one didn't like porridge. Great hero of mine when I was young.

I'm a southerner, so I can quote Dr Johnson's definition of oatmeal in his dictionary. "A grain mostly given to horses but in Scotland sustains the people."

 

[bowji john]

Make with water , milk, sugar or salt - makes no difference

Only suitable as the mortar between bricks .

One of the few 'foods' I couldn't eat even in a survival situation

 

[sunndog]

Is a porridge sandwich a 'thing' for you haggis hunters.....or is that just sommat i read in "oor wullie" as a boy?

 

[ged]

Just as a sort of side note, you have to cook wheat grains in order to be able to digest them.

On the other hand, you don't have to cook oats in order to be able to digest them. That's one reason why Scots used to carry them in their sporrans. Or something.
I've never heard of a spurtle, but the Scots have 421 words for 'snow' and Mary probably knows a few more. Not to mention some other interesting words I'll no doubt be learning when she reads this. :yikes:

I'm told that oats soaked overnight are a lot more digestible for most folks than quickly cooked oats, but I don't have a problem either way so I can't vouch for that.

So to answer the original question: do what you like with your oats.

I carry rolled oats in the Jeep, and cous-cous in part for the same reason. I also like them both, which helps a lot.

I can vouch for the powdered milk/coffee-mate approach for outdoor porridge.

 

[Toddy]

I admit my bias; I like oats, I really do.
Wheat, ach, it makes really good bread, and crisp pastry, and for the pasta munchers I suppose it makes decent macaroni, but old fashioned good bread apart, I don't miss it.
Oats I really did miss when told to cut out all gluten from my diet. Thank all the gods that oats are a different grain entirely and I can manage them

Ged's right that they don't need to be cooked to be digestible. The oat milk is as good for adults as it is for growing children too.

The thing with oats though is that they'll grow on virtually any arable land in the UK, and they'll crop even in poor land. Might not be a superb crop, but it's a crop. I grow a planter full every year, just because I can
The oat straw makes great rope and it makes kishies too (traditional British lightweight back pack baskets)

I think oats taste better than wheat, but they do make a stodgy bread, so better made up as oatcakes, of whatever variety you choose.

Colin's recipe put me in the notion, I'm going to make skirlie, but I like mine with black pepper in it, and served with tomatoes and mushrooms and a chutney.

Thick porridge, let to cool and set firm, does slice up easily and it fries well for a breakfast fry up. To be honest I like a slice of it just to break into chunks and eat while I have a mug of tea, but I like the salty chewy oatiness.
It fries up just like another ingredient of the 'Full Breakfast", dumpling and black pudding, eggs, bacon and sausages. It's a 'feast for heroes' as they say; you'll not need much to eat the rest of the day after that lot, put it like that

Growing up we had porridge for breakfast virtually every day; it was warming, gently filling, slow energy release, good for you food. My own sons grew up with it like that too, indeed it's a kind of 'comfort' food for them still. I suppose the way some folks like french toast or sugarpuffs or macaroni cheese.

Peasebrose is another food like that. Himself likes it hot, I like mine a bit runny, some folks like it set and sliced up into wedges. It's just good plain, good for you, food…..and it grows here
Lot of folks like mushy peas, I don't see what's wrong with peasemeal If you can't find peasemeal then buy Besan, that's flour made from the little yellow peas and just roast it to give it the slightly different flavour of our peasemeal.
Toasted oats are brilliant. Topped onto fresh cream and fruit, it makes cranachan. You can add broken up meringues if you have them, or some toasted almonds too, my bother likes chocolate shavings in his, and if you're doing 'posh restaurant' type stuff you can add whisky and some caramelised sugar drizzles.
I like mine simple, though it's very good with butter thins.

Just as well it's dinner time, isn't it ? I'm hungry again

M

 

[sunndog]

Never mind traditional recipies. I think you need to start an oat lovers thread mary.....not a bad idea actually theres some interesting stuff in this thread
See, i can cook, i just dont "make stuff" if you know what i mean. I just have stuff thats cooked and eaten as it is, never a collection of ingredients

I do love my bowl of semi raw oats, but i like the sound of the polenta and skirlie type stuff too. Deffo gonna try them next time i'm on a lazy day bimble
Porridge has always been me staple backpacking breakfast and back up extra food, so it would be nice to try other uses for it

 

[Stew]

I have porridge every morning, pretty much.

I'm sure I'llbe hated for it but I've worked out the 2 mins in the microwave at med-high is spot on for me.

 

[John Fenna]

On exped we had porridge almost every day - to cater for varied tastes we offered a selection of flavor syrups to go on it ie Maple, golden, raspberry, toffee etc.
This meant that no one got bored with one flavor every day and "purists" could do it their way ... once the porridge had be boiled with water as it should be

 

[mousey]

Am I the only one who's quite happy to just put the oats in a bowl with some water [or milk for a bit of creaminess] and let it soak for awhile and eat uncooked? I prefer large rolled oats - I quite like the chewiness of them - rather than oatmeal.

 

[Toddy]

Rolled oats are groats (oat grains that have been de-husked) that have been steamed and then pressed under rollers. So, in away, they're already pre-cooked.

M

 

[Tonyuk]

I cook it pretty much the same way, boil half a cup of oats in a cup of water, add some salt and a bit of syrup. Not rocket science really.

I hate those quick oat style ones that are very fine, they come out the same consistency as wallpaper paste.

Tonyuk

 

[mrcharly]

I used to make my porridge the slow way, stirring a panful.

These days I just chuck some water or soya milk on rolled oats, leave for a few min then eat.

However I like the idea of frying slabs of cooled porridge. Going to have to try that one.

 

[Tengu]

I was told about making brouse by just putting boiling water on the oatmeal...but that I am sure just proves your too poor to cook it properly.

(I love milky porridge for brekfast.)

 

[Alan 13~7]

Am I the only one who's quite happy to just put the oats in a bowl with some water [or milk for a bit of creaminess] and let it soak for awhile and eat uncooked? I prefer large rolled oats - I quite like the chewiness of them - rather than oatmeal.

hi mousey the answer to your question is no... did you come late to the thread and just not bother reading previous posts? I said almost exactly that in post number 18... so no me too also I like them that way... & what have you started here sunndog? I agree with you Mary does appear to be some what of an expert & Knows her oats & I also think Mary should start an appreciation thread with recipes for oat lovers... sorry Mary I forgot I had asked about pin head oats thank you & also Mary is semolina pudding made from polenta?

 

[4freek]

Bake your oatmeal!
Something a little different that tastes great, serves 4 to 6 but you can cut the recipe down for 2

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Topping 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat together the oil and sugar, Mix in the eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and oatmeal, then mix in raisins.
Pour in a lightly greased pan or casserole dish, Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon

REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT

Next morning preheat oven to 350F or 175C

Bake until firm about 35 minutes.
Serve hot with warm milk.
You can use cream or half milk and 1/2 half & half.

 

[Robson Valley]

Allow me to put on my old (retired) Biology prof hat. From the biochemistry POV, it is a profound mistake NOT to cook grains of any kind.
The process renders the starches digestable and that is not a home-made fact, so common to the internet.
Maybe 10,000 years of human grain culture underscores the need for preparation/process to take advantage of the food quality
and ease of storage. In fact, it had to encourage community, a sedentary population, as grain harvest waits for no man.

 

[mrcharly]

Rolled oats are already cooked - they've been steamed.

 

[Goatboy]

4Freek's recipe for baked oats is similar to the one I have. But it also is a close relation to Furmity. I'll pop the old and new versions I have of it below. You can just change out the bulgar wheat for oats and it's just as good.

Furmity (frumenty) (Modern Recipe) (V)


All the way from the Middle Ages, through Tudor times to the end of the 18th Century, when potatoes became more popular, various versions of this dish were the carbohydrate staple and would have been served with every meal.


200g/7oz bulgar wheat
200ml/7fl oz milk
450ml/17fl oz water
100ml/3.5 fl oz single cream
50g/1.75 oz dried cherries
50g/1.75 oz golden raisins
2 free-range egg yolks
4 saffron strands
50g/1.5 oz soft light brown sugar
To serve
1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
100g/3.5 oz flaked almonds, toasted
75ml/2.5 fl oz condensed milk


Place the bulgar wheat, milk and water into a pan. Bring the mixture to the boil and continue to boil, stirring regularly, for 8-10 minutes, or until the bulgar wheat is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside to cool.
When the boiled bulgar wheat has cooled, stir in the cream, cherries and golden raisins until well combined, then return the mixture to the boil.
When the mixture is boiling, stir in the egg yolks and saffron strands until well combined.
Stir in the brown sugar until melted and remove the pan from the heat.
To serve, spoon the warm furmity into four serving bowls. Sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts and flaked almonds and drizzle over the condensed milk.

Furmity (frumenty) (Olde Recipe) (V)


"To make Furmity. Take a quart of Creame, a quarter of a pound of French-barley the whitest you can get, and boyle it very tender in three or four severall waters, and let it be cold, then put both together, put in it a blade of Mace, a Nutmeg cut in quarters, a race of Ginger cut in three or five pieces, and so let it boyle a good while, still stirring, and season it with Sugar to your tast, then take the yolks of four Eggs and beat them with a little Cream, and stir them into it, and so let it boyle a little after the Egs are in, then have ready blanched and beaten twenty Almonds kept from oyling, with a little Rose-water, then take a boulter, strainer, and rub your Almonds with a little of your Furmity through the strainer, but set on the fire no more, and stir in a little Salt and a little sliced Nutmeg, pickt out of the great peices of it, and put it in a dish, and serve it."


Modern Redaction.

Ingredients:
1l cream 120g pearl barley, well washed 1 blade of mace 1 nutmeg, quartered 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into four slices 50g sugar (or to taste) 4 egg yolks, well beaten 20 blanched almonds 1 tsp rose water To make Furmity Preparation: Method: Wash the barley well, place in a pan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes then strain the barley and discard the cooking liquid. Replace the barley in the pan, cover with more water and bring back to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes more, or until the barley is tender then drain and mix in a pan with the cream. Add the spices, bring the mixture to a boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Whilst the mixture is cooking, pound the blanched almonds to a paste in a mortar, adding a little of the rose water now and then to prevent the almonds from oiling. When the barley mixture has cooked, beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Add a generous ladleful of the cream mix to temper and beat to combine. Now add the egg mix to the cream and barley mix and beat well to combine. Stir in the sugar to taste and cook gently (do not boil) until the mixture is thick. Take off the heat. Take a ladleful of the liquid and mix with the pounded almonds. Pass this mixture through a fine-meshed sieve then beat the almond mixture into the main pan. Remove the pieces of whole spices, turn into a dish and serve.

 

[mousey]

... did you come late to the thread and just not bother reading previous posts? QUOTE]

Aha, you've caught me out - I feel like a school boy who's not done his homework.

I did read it, honest, but more of a skim read rather than really taking it in...

I don't feel too odd now, there's at least two of us