Porridge
We haven’t found a very appealing name for this food category at home yet. “Porridge” and “mush” are the only two general classifiers we use, and neither get the kids excited about dinner. Naming aside, we do love a bowl of porridge/mush/oatmeal/congee/polenta.
SWEET:
In the morning it’s usually sweet for us, especially the kids. Oats (steel cut and old fashioned both have a place in my pantry), rice, farina (like cream of wheat), or any leftover cooked grain in the fridge will do. Sometimes to start a pot of sweet porridge I drop a teaspoon of butter in the empty pot, heat till just starting to brown, then add some fruit. Diced apples or bananas in the winter. Plums are very nice if available. Sometimes I lightly toast sliced almonds in the browning butter. This is the time for spices, too. Some go-tos: classic cinnamon, Christmasy allspice, piney/citrus cardamom, turmeric + ginger is nice if I’m interested in spending time scrubbing stains out of Jack’s clothes, ground coriander is just so tasty with apricots. Once the things in the pan are caramelized/fragrant/browned to our liking, I add the dry (or leftover cooked) grain and water. Sometimes a nut milk, too, if I have it around. I cook or reconstitute on the stove until we’ve got our consistency right. A thinner, borderline-pourable porridge is for me.
Salted butter is my tip top favorite thing to add to a bowl of porridge that’s headed for the sweet side of the spectrum. I drop 2-3 teaspoons in if it’s a hearty get-me-to-lunch bowl, let it start melting. Chopped toasted nuts and seeds next. Dried fruit if that’s your thing. Then a sweetener. If we have some tasty honey I’ll spoon that on. Maple syrup is a good one. Good ol fashioned brown sugar brings me back to the oatmeal of my childhood. Sometimes I pour a bit of boiling a water over a bunch of diced dates, let it sit 5-10 min, stir/mash it up and use that as our sweetener. It’s a nice option if avoiding refined/added sugars.
SAVORY:
It should be noted that there are loads of versions of a savory porridge all over the world. I’m sharing the frankenstein versions that we like to make at home. Born of personal tastes, things we’ve enjoyed elsewhere, things we have in the fridge, curiosity, tummy aches, etc., they’re just right for us.
Faux braise polenta: Leftover protein (tofu, chickpeas, chicken thighs,
Cacio e pepe mush: Pecorino, peas, lemon, black pepper
Denny’s mush: Any grain works great. A fried egg, leftover boiled/steamed potatoes smashed and griddled up with some good fat, chunks of sausage/bacon as you please. You know what tastes great here? Some maple syrup, it’s great.
Tummy ache mush: White rice, lots of water, salt.
Crispy egg: Leftover white rice, chile crisp, fried egg, black vinegar, scallions
Lentils & chutney: Leftover rice, red lentils, cilantro chutney, crispy shallots