Porridge!
In the european dark ages, gruel or [porridge was a commonly served as a main course. That meager meal of gruel was not always by choice. Basically, food in the european dark ages was boiled, baked or roasted over a fire. Fancy sauces and gourmet food were not part of everyday life. Most europeans were surviving a plague and food was scarce. Boiling grain in a pot with bits of meat, nuts, vegetables or fruit is pretty much how gruel was made. Porridge was made with all grain back then and not much else. Most times, the meat in gruel was rather gamey or rancid during the middle ages. The farther down the social scale a person was, the worse the gruel was. The very worst rancid gruel was served to prisoners who were lucky enough to be fed at all. When things started returning to normal after the plague, gruel was still a staple for many people. Porridge made from only grain was still a main course too. With the renaissance age came many innovations in farming tools and farming techniques. The quality of porridge became quite nice. Gruel is pretty much a meal of the past, while porridge is still well liked even in modern times. Every european country, eastern european country, Russian region and many asian countries have porridge in their cuisine. Nearly any kind of grain can be used to make porridge, including rice. I posted a nice recipe for a traditional Netherlands pearled barley porridge called Krentjebrij earlier this month. In Ireland and Scotland, steel cut oats are traditionally used to make porridge. Steel cut oats are groats. Groats are the inner portion of an oat kernel. Steel cut oats are are groats that have been cut into small pieces. Steel cut oats are not like rolled oats. Rolled oats require only a short cooking time and they are usually referred to as oatmeal when they are cooked like porridge. Steel cut oats require a much longer cooking time than rolled oats. Even after simmering in a pot for a long time, steel cut oats can still have a firm texture. They also have a nutty kind of flavor. Because steel oats do not easily turn into a pasty mush when simmered, they are perfect for making porridge There are many traditional Irish and Scottish steel cut oats porridge recipes. I chose to create a nice flavor for today's steel cut oats porridge recipe with ingredients that I had on hand. I live in Las Vegas and this city is in the middle of an arid desert, so just like home kitchens in the Sahara and the middle east, my cabinets are stocked with many dried nuts, fruits, mushrooms, grains, herbs and spices. Dried staples do not last long in a tropical humid climate, but they sure do keep well in the arid desert air. I honestly have dried fruits that are a year old and they look as new as the day that I purchased them. Dried mango really keeps well in an arid climate. The mango flavor actually becomes more concentrated when mango is dried. Dried mango becomes soft quickly when boiled and it leaves plenty of color and flavor in the boiling liquid. Dried mango is a very good choice for flavoring porridge, even though very few cooks think of using it for that purpose. In europe and America, brown sugar is often used to flavor oatmeal or steel cut oats porridge. Brown sugar and oats is a flavor combination that is hard to beat, because it provides a warm satisfying comfortable flavor that is perfect for a cold day!
Porridge of Steel Cut Oats, Black Currants, Sun Dried Mango and Walnuts: This recipe makes 1 large serving of porridge! Boil 3 cups of water in a sauce pot over medium high heat. Add 2 to 3 ounces of sun dried mango slices. Boil till the mango slices start to become tender. Remove the mango slices from the boiling liquid and place them on a cutting board. Leave the boiling liquid on the heat. Cut the mango slices into short thin strips and set them aside. Add 1 1/4 cups of steel cut oats to the pot of boiling liquid in the pot. After the liquid returns to a boil, reduce the temperature to low heat. Add the reserved mango slices. Add 2 tablespoons of black currants. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ginger paste. Add 2 pats of unsalted butter. Add 1 very small pinch of sea salt. Add 1 pinch of nutmeg. Add 1 pinch of cinnamon. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of brown sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Simmer the porridge. Add water as necessary, but allow the porridge to reduce and thicken to a medium heavy consistency. Gently simmer the porridge, till the steel cut oats start to become tender. Add 1/2 cup of milk. Simmer the porridge, till the steel cut oats become tender and till the porridge become a medium heavy consistency. Ladle the porridge into a deep serving bowl. Try to expose a few pieces of the mango and black currants on the surface. Sprinkle some coarsely chopped walnuts over the porridge.
During the cold winter weather anywhere, including the high desert of Nevada, porridge fills a tummy with warmth and fuel to get through a long day. When it is 35 degrees in the desert, it feels like the temperature is well below zero, because body heat dissipates in the arid dry air quickly. We got our first cold spell in Las Vegas last night and this warm filling bowl of porridge was perfect for the moment! Yum! ... Shawna
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