Ingredients:

2/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats
1 2/3 cups water
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
1 cup black beans, drained, divided
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped cilantro for patty, 1/2 cup for pico, additional for garnish
3/4 teaspoon Bob’s Red Mill Baking Powder
1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Oat Flour, additional for forming patties
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomato (Roma or cherry tomatoes are nice)
2 green onions, chopped, additional for garnish
1/2 cup fresh sweet red pepper, red or green
1/2 cup picante salsa, medium or mild if preferred
4 tablespoons cup Greek yogurt

Instructions:

Soak oats in water for 3 hours. In a 4-quart or larger saucepan, bring softened oats, oat water, garlic, and salt to a boil. Cook on medium, covered, , 9-minutes, stir twice. Uncover, turn heat to high, add black beans, cumin, and red pepper, stir constantly and cook 4-minutes.

Pour hot porridge into a large bowl and stir in 1/3-cup cilantro. Add baking powder, stir for 15-seconds and then sprinkle in oat flour a little at a time stirring until mixture is well mixed and thick. Sprinkle a large sheet of wax paper with about 2-tablespoons oat flour. Form 4 patties by shaping with hands and sprinkling with oat flour.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat safflower oil on high. Fry patties on both sides 5 minutes, adjusting heat between high and medium-high, until patties are brown and crispy. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl toss together remaining 1/2-cup cilantro, tomatoes, green onions, sweet pepper, and picante salsa.

Place Black Bean Porridge Patties on a large serving patter or on individual salad plates. Top each patty with Pico de Gallo, and dollop with Greek yogurt. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onions. Serves 4 large patties.

Ingredients

Porridge
130g Pinhead Oatmeal, rinsed (soaked overnight & drained)
300 ml Lamb Stock
2 tsp Turmeric
2 ½ teaspRas-El Hanout
3-4 Blanched Cabbage Leaves (stalks removed)
1 ½ teasp Diced Apricots (optional)
Pinch salt
Sea Salt
2 Large Shallots diced
2 tblsp Natural Yoghurt
200g Lamb Loin (trimmed)

Bon Bon
100g Lamb Mince
1 x Large Shallot (diced)
1 x Small Clove Garlic (crushed)
Salt & Pepper
10g Oatmeal, 10g Sesame Seeds & 10g Poppy Seeds mixed together
1 x Egg beaten with a little milk
Flour

Mint Tea (Optional)
250 ml  Mineral Water
1 teasp Tea Leaves
10-12 Mint Leaves (ripped)
3 Sprigs Mint

Method

Porridge

1. Bring the lamb stock to the simmer, add the turmeric, ras-el-hanout, shallots, apricots if using and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 1-2 minutes
2. Add the soaked and rinsed oatmeal and stir. Keep stirring frequently

Lamb Bon Bon

1. Mix the lamb mince, shallot, & garlic together. Season with salt & pepper
2. Roll into small balls approximately the diameter of a 10p piece. Chill for 10 minutes.
3. Roll the lamb balls into the flour, egg mix then oatmeal mix. Shake gently to remove any excess. Repeat the egg and oatmeal if necessary. Chill for 10 minutes.
4. Bring a small pan of oil, approximately 2cm deep to 180°C (test with a small piece of bread, it should be crisp and golden)
5. Drop the bon bon into the oil for approximately 5-7 minutes until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, keep warm.

Lamb Loin

1. Lay the cabbage leaves flat under a tea towel and roll with a rolling pin to break the veins of the leaf.
2. Lay the flattened leaves on cling film, overlapping each one.
3. Place the lamb loin across the cabbage and season with salt & pepper.
4. Roll the loin tightly in the cabbage and cling film to create a sausage. Tie both ends securely and as tightly as possible.
5. Cook in a large pan of simmering water for approximately 12-15 minutes. Remove and rest for 2 minutes

Mint Tea

1. Place ripped mint leaves & tea leaves in a warmed pot
2. Boil the mineral water and pour into tea pot. Leave to infuse for 2 minutes
3. Place a mint leaf in each cup
4. Pour the mint tea into each cup using a tea strainer.

Plating the dish

1. Taste and season the porridge. Divide equally between three warmed plates
2. Remove the cling film from the lamb loin and carve into 6 equal pieces. Season with a little sea salt, place 2 pieces of lamb on top of each porridge.
3. Place the warm bon bon on top
4. Drizzle with natural yoghurt
5. Pour 3 small cups of mint tea.

Eat and enjoy.

Serves 3 to 4 people

Ingredients:

¾ cup  of oatmeal
3 x ¾  cups of water
Knob butter (Portion)
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon cream

Fruit:

4 ozs gooseberries soaked in:
1 tablespoon Vanilla vodka + sweetener (leave overnight)
1 apple + sweetener, pealed and sliced in lemon juice (stops apple going brown)

Topping:

1 tablespoon Demerara Sugar for each dish
1 Squirt cream each dish
1 After eight each dish

Method:

Add oatmeal and water to pan, bring to boil,
Add butter and salt mix well.  Leave to stand
Add cream and mix well.
Add fruit and mix well
Place in bowls add Demerara sugar to top and caramelise under a grill or burner.
Leave to stand
Add squirt cream and after eight.

Enjoy.

Neal Robertson’s recipe that won him the 2011 Speciality Award!

Serves 2

For the compote

100g blueberries
40g golden caster sugar

For the porridge

80g medium oatmeal
300ml water
300ml single cream
a pinch of salt
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp nutmeg
2 dessert spoon heather honey

To make the compote: bring the berries and sugar to the boil until the berries burst and the sugar dissolves. Add more sugar to taste.

To make the porridge: toast the spices in the oven for 5 minutes to take away the rawness and set aside. Boil the oatmeal and water until the water is absorbed, then add all the other ingredients and cook until thickened.

Check seasoning and serve topped with the warmed compote.

The countdown is under way to find the next person to be awarded the world’s best porridge maker title and prestigious Golden Spurtle trophy at the event which is held in the Highland village of Carrbridge.

The high profile competition takes place on Sunday, 9th October, this year, and is expected to create a worldwide stir from contenders wishing to battle it out for the title.

In addition to the Golden Spurtle competition, and to encourage more people to be positively involved, World Porridge Day will be held on Monday, 10th October to raise awareness of the Scottish-based charity Mary’s Meals.

See full press release, Click Here

In the run up to Shrove Tuesday, Sue who is known for her appearance in the ‘Supersizers’ series, and cook Anna Louise Batchelor, 2009 speciality winner of the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championships, will be filmed creating seven different dishes.

The recipes and tasting sessions will be shown online to raise money for the charity Mary’s Meals, which runs school feeding projects in developing countries.

All the recipes feature porridge, the meal given to children at the charity’s schools in Malawi.

The recipes and films will be shown on website See the Difference (www.seethedifference.org), a new initiative which helps charities to raise money and awareness through short films – and guarantees donors that they will see evidence of the difference their donation has made.

Sue said: “I eat porridge most days, I just take it for granted, but half way around the world it’s a life-transforming food.  Mary’s Meals’ very specific remit is to feed children so they are full and able to study. What they do on one level is incredibly simple, but on another level quite profound. Education is the greatest gift you can give a child.”

It costs less than £7 to provide a child in Malawi with a mug of nutritious, maize-based porridge every school day for a year. See the Difference hopes that the recipes will encourage many supporters to donate £7 towards the £3,563 needed to feed all the children at Mchenza primary school, in the Balaka region of Malawi, for a year.

Neal Robertson, Jay Rayner and Gerry Rae.

2010 World Porridge Making Champion, Neal Robertson  was invited down to London to put his porridge making skills to the test in a BBC arranged cook off against master cook, Gerry Rae – head chef of Simpson’s in the Strand. Judging the results was The One Show presenter and food critic, Jay Rayner (pictured centre).

Read more here

Ingredients:

1 Cups Organic Oat Flour plus ¼ Cup for sprinkling
1 Cup Thorough Cooked Porridge (Organic Gluten-Free Pinhead Oats)
½ Teaspoon Metallic Free Baking Soda (bicarbonate soda)
½ Teaspoon Ground mixed spices (Nutmeg, Mace and Clove)
½ Teaspoon ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon ground Ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground Himalayan Salt
¼ Cup Organic Vegan Sugar (or Caster Sugar)
2 oz Shredded Vegetable Suet
2 oz Wild Organic Blueberries
1 oz Organic Black Zante Currants
1 oz chopped Organic Medjool Dates
1 oz Orange coarsely zested
½ organic apple, coarsely grated
1 Teaspoon Treacle
1 Beaten Organic Egg
½ cup of organic Buttermilk

Method:

Sift the oat flour, soda, spices, and salt into a bowl and stir in the porridge, sugar, suet, dried fruits, and grated apple or carrot. Mix black treacle with egg and enough of the buttermilk to give a soft mixture with a cake like dropping consistency when mixed into the dry ingredients.

Dip a large piece of muslin, like an old pillowcase, a cheese cloth into boiling water, remove it and squeeze out excess water. Lay it out on a surface and, in the center, sprinkle the extra flour and sugar in a 30 cm (12 in) circle. Spoon the dumpling mixture on top, carefully gather up the corners of the cloth to shape the dumpling mix into a sphere and tie securely with string leave a little room for the dumpling to expand.

Boiling Method:

Rest a heatproof plate in the base of a large pan, on a trivet so that it is not in direct contact with the heat and place the Clootie Dumpling on the plate, knotted side up. Pour in enough water almost to cover the pudding, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer gently for 3 ¾ – 4 hrs. Take a peek every now and then to check the water level and top it up if necessary.

Steaming Method:

Using a Chinese Dim-Dum Bamboo Steamer, place the Clootie Dumpling in and cover, steam over boiling water for approximately 35 min till fully expanded. Then remove from steamer, cut away the Clootie and continue below.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F/Gas 4. Lift the pudding out of the pan and dip it briefly in a bowl of cold water – this will ensure that the outside of the pudding doesn’t stick; unwrap the pudding and transfer it to an ovenproof serving plate. Slide it into the oven and leave for 15 mins, until the outside of the pudding has dried off and is dark and glossy. Allow to cool for a few minutes or allow to cool and store in an airtight container for up to seven days. The best way of reheating I’ve found is in a microwave, or alternatively in a low-to-medium oven covered in buttered foil.

Serve in chunky wedges, with scoops of custard* and perhaps a small glass of fine Scottish whisky.

For home-made custard:

½ pt (275ml) cream
3 egg yolks
1 level Table Spoon Organic Vegan Sugar (Caster Sugar)
1 level tea sp. Cornstarch
1 whole vanilla bean powder (or essence/extract can be used)

First heat the cream in a small saucepan up to the boil. In a bowl mix egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla together. Then pour the hot cream in – stirring all the time – and return the mixture to the saucepan. Heat very gently, still stirring until the sauce has thickened, which will only take a minute or two.

If your custard begins to break or separate you can fix it : Take the saucepan off the heat, don’t just turn the heat off. Take ½ egg yolk, cornstarch and tsp of cream creating a batter then slowly wisk into the broken custard it will fix its self. Remember never over beat custard.

Highwood Crossing’s steel-cut oats, from south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, are ground a bit coarser than the pinhead oats of Scotland (the coarsest grind found in Scotland), which gives this dish a texture that I like. The apple reduction I use looks like vanilla extract – it’s called La Carminée du Terroir and is from Au Verger du Clocher in Quebec, Canada.

Ingredients:

Photo, James Ross

1/2 cup Highwood Crossing organic steel-cut oats
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup apple compote (see recipe below)
1 1/2 tbsp apple reduction
3/4 cup candied cranberries, plus 9 more for garnish (see recipe below)
2 1/2 tbsp double (or whipping) cream
2 1/2 tbsp crème fraîche
3/4 cup oatmeal croutons, toasted (see recipe below)
3 – 4 oatmeal sticks, toasted (see recipe below)
About 1/3 cup oatmeal-crunch crumbs, toasted (see recipe below)

Method:

Place oats and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and, stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. Add salt when oats reach boiling point. Reduce heat but maintain a gentle boil, stirring to ensure oats don’t stick to bottom of the saucepan. When water is completely absorbed, in about 20 minutes, remove from heat. In the meantime, mix apple reduction, apple compote, and candied cranberries in a medium bowl. Mix in cream. Then mix in cooked oats. Lastly, mix in oatmeal croutons.

Divide among serving bowls, garnish with oatmeal-crunch sticks and crumbs and then with candied cranberries. Serves 3 – 4.

Cook’s Notes: Because time was of the essence in the competition, I soaked the oats in the water for about 45 hours in order to shorten the cooking time and make them a wee bit creamier. Most of that time they were refrigerated, but I brought them to room temperature just before the competition.  To toast the oatmeal croutons, sticks, and crumbs, place in a preheated 350°F oven on a dry cookie sheet for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Roasted Apple Compote

This recipe (with a couple of minor changes) is from Chef Dwayne Ennest of Calgary’s Diner Deluxe.
3 Gala apples, cored and coarsely chopped, skin on
3 Honey Crisp apples, cored and coarsely chopped, skin on
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup hard apple cider
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 cup demerara sugar
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine apples and oil in a roasting pan. Place in the preheated 400°F oven for about 15 or 20 minutes, or until apples are soft and slightly browned.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add roasted apples and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until sauce has thickened.Using a blender or potato masher, puree mixture but leave some lumps for texture.Makes about 2 – 4 cups depending on size of apples and degree to which you puree mixture.

Candied Cranberries

I use the Black Currant Dessert Wine from Field Stone Fruit Wines in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada, but you can replace it with another fruity dessert wine.
300 grams (just under 3 cups) frozen cranberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tbsp black currant dessert wine

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread cranberries in 1 layer on a buttered baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with sugar, cover with foil (leaving 1 corner opened to let steam escape), and place in 350°F oven for 45 minutes. Transfer into a non-reactive, heat-proof dish and stir in dessert wine. Stir occasionally as cranberries cool, to help infuse flavours. Makes about 1 cup.

Oatmeal Croutons/Crumbs/Sticks

Here’s the secret to my competition recipe, which is hard to admit since I am a butter lover: I actually used the Original formula of Becel margarine in this! Neither butter nor the other versions of margarine I tried produced quite the same flavour or crunch.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups Quick Quaker Oats, toasted
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt butter/margarine in a large saucepan. Add other ingredients in order given. Press into greased 8- by 8-inch pan and bake 20 minutes at 375°F. Top of crunch should be golden brown, but cake will be soft. One minute after removing from the oven, cut most of cake into approximately 2-inch squares and the rest into three or four sticks, approximately 3-inch by 3/4-inch in dimension. Cake will harden as it cools.

Using a good, heavy knife, cut cooled squares into 1/4-inch croutons until you have 3/4 cup to use in the Cran-Apple Crunch. Crumbs will be created as you cut the croutons.

Cook’s Notes: To toast the 2 cups of oats, put them on a dry cookie sheet in a 350°F oven for about 9 minutes. Watch carefully that they don’t burn.

Calgarian wins international porridge competition
A Calgarian has perfected a Scottish food tradition and has taken home a world title for it. Jim speaks with the porridge champ, Catherine Caldwell. – Click Here to listen now.

Oatmeal Bangers
50g medium Mornflake Oatmeal
500g organic Berkshire breed pork (belly and shoulder)
5g finer flake Halen Mon organic sea salt
2.5g black peppercorns
3.5g fennel seeds
5g demerara sugar
1g all spice.
1 cup of apple puree (made from cooking and eating apples)
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
Organic hog casings (pre-soaked)
1 tablespoon of butter (for frying)

Porridge Mash
450g floury potatoes
1 1/4 teaspoon of finer flake Halen Mon organic sea salt (1 tsp for boiling potatoes, ¼ tsp for Oatmeal).
50g fine Mornflake Oatmeal
1 ¼ cups Speyside Glenlivet still water
42g grams Calon Wen organic butter

Onion Gravy
500ml of water retained from poaching the sausages
1 organic chicken stock cube
2 tablespoons of olive oil
500g shallots
½ teaspoon of finer flake Halen Mon organic sea salt
25g Calon Wen Organic butter
2 cloves of garlic
1 spring Rosemary
80 ml of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of cornflour

Method Oatmeal Bangers

1. Making the sausages

Place the Mornflake medium oatmeal in a frying pan and dry fry over a high heat until toasted.
Set aside to cool.
Take the Berkshire breed pork joints and de-bone, removing sinew and excess fat.
Cut into chunks of a suitable size to go through a mincing machine.
Mince the pork.
Place the pork in a container and refrigerate whilst you prepare the spices.
In a pestle and mortar grind the peppercorns and fennel seeds. Add the salt, sugar, all spice and then set aside.
In a bowl blend the apple puree and cider vinegar and then set aside.
Remove pork from fridge, place in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the spices by hand. Then mix in the blended apple puree and cider vinegar.
Second mince the pork mix and replace in the fridge.
Take the organic hog casings and thread onto the stuffing nozzle of the mincer.
Remove pork mix from the fridge and feed through the mincer, this time stuffing the casings to make sausages.

2. Poaching the sausages

Fill a large saucepan with hot water of a temperature over 70c. Use a kitchen thermometer to ensure a constant temperature throughout the poaching. Gently place the sausages into the water ensuring that they are covered by the water. Leave to poach for 20 mins.

After 20 mins remove the saucepan from the heat but keep the sausages in the water allowing them to cool within the water for a few mins. This will prevent the casing from splitting. Remove the sausages from the water and place in a container and store in the fridge. Retain the poaching liquor add the stock cook and boil for 2 mins.Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 mins. Transfer the stock into a container. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge until it is required for making the onion gravy.

3. Frying the sausages

Put the buter into a large saucepan and place on a high heat.
Place the sausages into the pan and cook until browned, turning occasionally.

Onion Gravy

In a large saucepan heat the olive oil. Chop the onions and shallots finely and place into the hot oil sprinkling them with the salt. Add the butter and cook on a high heat until the onions and shallots are lightly browned. Reduce heat and cook for 45 mins until the onions are caramelised. Roughly chop the garlic. Finely chop the Rosemary and then add both to the frying pan, turning up the heat to cook into the onions for 5 mins. Reduce the heat and then cook for a further 15 mins . Add the stock from the poached sausages and cook into the onions for 15 mins. In a saucepan boil the red wine vinegar until it has reduced by half in volume. Add to the gravy, increasing the heat and cooking in for 5 mins.

Reduce heat and continue to cook for 30 mins. In a cup mix the cornflour with a little cold water to form a paste. Add this to the gravy cooking in to thicken. Keep hot until ready to serve.

Porridge Mash

Wash the potatoes and remove any blemishes but leave the skins on.
Cut into 1cm slices. Wash the slices to remove the starch.
Place into a saucepan of cold water, ensuring all the slices are covered. Add the salt.
Bring the potatoes to the boil and cook for approximately 8 minuets or until you can cut with a knife.

Drain immediately. Place the cooked, drained potatoes into a metal sieve. Place the sieve over the empty saucepan and replace this over a very low heat to dry the potatoes. Using a mouli grate the potatoes into a fine mash. Place the medium Mornflake Oatmeal and Speyside water in the top saucepan of the Porringer/bain marie.Heat over a very high temperature for 3mins.Add the salt and stir in thoroughly. Cook on a high heat for a further 3mins then reduce the heat to a simmer.Cook for a 3-5mins, until the meal forms a good thick consistency. Add the butter, melting and stirring thoroughly into the meal. Add the mashed potatoes and stir vigorously to ensure no lumps are formed.

Plate up the Oatmeal Bangers and Porridge Mash with a generous serving of the onion gravy and eat piping hot.