Author Notes
This is a breakfast I created to use Scottish oats, which are whole oat groats that have been flattened in a slow grinding process, producing something like rolled oats, but retaining all the nutritional value of the whole grain. They take longer to cook than rolled oats but would get too mushy if cooked overnight in a slow cooker like steel cut oats. To make these work for a quick weekday breakfast, I was inspired by a recipe from Heidi Swanson of toasting rolled cereal the evening before. I found that toasting these in some butter and then soaking them in boiling water made them easy to finish off the next morning. Then I experimented with other grains and liked including some nutty teff grain for body and flax seeds for texture. I've also made this with a mixture of rolled and steel cut oats, and I've swapped in chia seeds for the teff grain, all with good results. This hot cereal is delicious with lots of different toppings. I suggest dried apricots, hazelnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. Will including the nutritional powerhouse of teff grain and superfood of flax seeds in your daily breakfast bring you health and superhuman powers? Maybe not. But taking the extra few minutes in the evening to start a warm bowl of oatmeal for the following morning, and infusing your house with the fragrance of buttery, toasted grains in the process, will make you feel cared for, which apparently accounts for a great deal of the healing power of placebos. A good breakfast when you'd like a little extra insurance for getting through a demanding day. —Fairmount_market
Ingredients
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1/4 cup
Scottish oats
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1 scant tablespoons
teff grain
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1 scant tablespoons
flax seeds
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1 teaspoon
butter (or substitute coconut oil for a vegan version)
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1 cup
boiling water (divided)
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1 pinch
salt
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dried fruit, nuts, maple syrup, and a splash of milk for toppings
Directions
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The evening before, heat a small saucepan and set a kettle to boil with 2/3 cups water. When the pan is warm, melt the butter or coconut oil. Then add the grains, and cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until they are toasted and very fragrant. Turn off the heat. Carefully add 2/3 cups boiling water (it will splatter), stir, and cover.
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The next morning, add 1/3 cup water to the pan and reheat (for a richer porridge, use 1/3 cup cow's milk or almond milk). Let the oatmeal and teff mixture simmer for about five to eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is the desired tenderness and thickness. Serve warm, sprinkled with the toppings and a splash of cold milk.
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Note: For a family of two adults and two kids, I triple the recipe:
3/4 cups oats,
1/8 cup teff grain,
1/8 cup flax seeds,
1 Tbsp butter,
~1/2 tsp salt (to taste),
3 cups boiling water.
You can of course cook this all at once if you have more time in the morning. Simply add all of the boiling water to the toasted grains and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
I'm a biology professor and mother of two, and in my (limited) free time I love to cook, which is much more forgiving than laboratory science. Last year I helped start a farmers market in my neighborhood, and to promote it, I created a food blog: fairmountmarket.blogspot.com. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with recipes for local, seasonal ingredients and finding fun ways to cook with my children.
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