Just Cook It! Oatmeal
Many people are happy about saying goodbye to the February weather until next year. I’m honestly a little sad to see February go. Like most of you, I won’t miss the weather. However, I do enjoy celebrating National Hot Breakfast Month.
My columns over the past few weeks have covered a few breakfast foods that I enjoy. I really enjoy all breakfast foods, but I have to be selective regarding which ones I choose to highlight and write about.
I thought that I had pretty much tried them all, until I was once again proven wrong this past week. It really wasn’t a new food that I had the pleasure of trying, but it was a new combination that I thoroughly enjoyed.
When you feel like you have tried a lot of different things, you get incredibly excited when you find something new. It’s almost like an artist discovering a new color with which to paint. It doesn’t happen often so you have to enjoy it for the few seconds that it occurs.
I was searching through my cabinets, and I came across a food item that I haven’t prepared in quite sometime – steel cut oats. We are all familiar with oatmeal, and I’m as guilty as the next person of kind of defaulting to the instant stuff that comes in the little pouches.
I’ve made steel cut oats many times in my life and the thing that generally deters me from making them is that they take about 35 minutes to cook. If you have the time and the patience though, they are absolutely well worth the effort.
Rolled oats are traditionally oat groats that have been de-husked, steamed and then rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers before being stabilized by being lightly toasted. You probably didn’t realize how many steps went into making your oats so that you can then turn them into oatmeal.
Steel cut oats are a little different. Steel cut oats are whole oat groats, which have been chopped into pieces. Since steel cut oats don’t go through the entire process that rolled oats do and since they aren’t rolled flat they take longer to cook. Their flavor is a bit nuttier and the texture is a bit chewier or more al dente than the traditional rolled oatmeal.
Steel cut oats are cooked on the stove and are generally boiled in water for about five minutes before being simmered an additional 25-30 minutes until they are tender and reach the desired consistency.
I’ve generally enjoyed steel cut oats much the same way as you would enjoy traditional rolled oats. I’d finish them with a little honey, syrup, or sugar for sweetness and then add a little milk or cream before thoroughly enjoying a nice hearty bowl. Sometimes I’ll even add fresh berries, a sliced banana, some dried fruit, or some cinnamon depending on the mood I’m in at the time.
When I made my steel cut oats last week, I began reading the container as they cooked away on the stove next to me.
One of the suggestions for how to enjoy your cooked steel cut oats was to enjoy your steel cut oats but adding a pat of butter and stirring until it melted. I’ve enjoyed grits this way many times, but never oatmeal. I’m not so sure that this combo would work with rolled oatmeal, but did it ever work with steel cut oatmeal!
I tried it and it was awesome! The nutty flavor and the al dente texture of the steel cut oats almost reminded me of a rice or pasta dish, but it still had the flavor profile and complexity of a grain. I, of course, used Kerrygold butter, which provided an even more superior flavor and texture along with the added health benefits of being made with grass-fed dairy.
This combo would even be great with a drizzle of pure maple syrup added to the mix. I think I’m actually going to try that one this week.
One thing I like to do when making something such as steel cut oats is to make extra. Since you are putting in extra time and effort to enjoy what I believe to be a superior product, it only makes sense to make enough to enjoy for the next couple of days so that you don’t have to exert the effort over and over again. Do the work once and reap the reward and enjoy the benefits over and over.
Enjoy what’s left of National Breakfast Month and I’ll talk to you in March which just so happens to be – National Nutrition Month!
Mario Porreca of Belle Vernon is an entrepreneur, author, lifestyle solutions expert, and the host of Just Cook ItRadio. He can be reached at: www.MarioPorreca.com. Twitter: @MarioPorreca