Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups water
good pinch salt
3-4 stems of rhubarb
1 orange
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
honey / maple syrup etc
yoghurt or kefir (optional)
Summary
Every winter evening of my childhood, the oats were set out to soak for the morning, and it was always on the stove by the time I appeared for breakfast. I blame my Scottish grandmother for keeping me quite the porridge puritan – brought up on simple rolled oats and cooked with a good pinch of salt. Nothing fancy on top, usually a sprinkle of sultanas and a spoon of honey, a milk moat around the edge of the bowl. But these days the field is wide open. Your porridge might be any soaked whole grains, quick rice flakes, quinoa, millet, even polenta (Nan, DID NOT hear that) – just something easy, warm and comforting with a few delicious extras on top. An apple or pear sliced into the bowl is usually the thing. This zesty orange rhubarb is quick too, you could stew a whole bunch for a week’s worth of bright, beautiful breakfasts.
Orange Rhubarb and Porridge
Combine the oats and water and leave to soak overnight (or while you shower). To cook, add a generous pinch of salt and gently heat on the stove. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times. If you haven’t soaked the oats, it might take a little more simmering. You might like to add half a cup of milk here, to make your porridge runnier and extra creamy.
Meanwhile slice the rhubarb stalks into bite sized chunks and pop them in a small pot. Take the zest off the orange, adding it to the pot, and then squeeze the juice in as well. Simmer the rhubarb for 5 minutes with a lid on, until the thickest chunks have softened. The orange juice keeps this quite tart, so if you like more sweetness you may like to add more maple syrup or your sweetener of choice once it is cooked.
Pile into a bowl. Top with your favourite yoghurt or kefir. A drizzle of extra maple syrup and a little ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.
More porridge additions!
stewed fruit or winter compote
walnuts or almonds, LSA with a little grated nutmeg
hemp seeds, banana and honey
a half cup of coconut milk in the cooking pot, with coconut flakes on top
yoghurt or kefir with ground cinnamon
Yummo. Soaking oats, or muesli overnight in fruit juice , makes breakfast deliciously easy