April Bloomfield’s English Porridge
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Even though the weather has been warmer lately, I was craving a nice hot bowl of oatmeal. I remembered making this recipe a few months ago, and I loved it, so I whipped up another batch. I love the contrast of the cold milk with the hot porridge, and the texture is really nice from the mix of steel-cut and rolled oats. My toddler loves this, too!
April Bloomfield’s English Porridge
Food52
Author Notes: This porridge is just right. Bloomfield calls for equal parts of two styles of oats, which means the steel-cut bits keep their pop, while the rolled oats melt around them — and getting them to the perfect texture only takes 20 minutes. Cooking with half milk, half water is enough to make it feel rich and loving, without slogging you down first thing in the morning. This will seem like a lot of salt. But it won’t be too much, because at the end you’ll add something sweet and something milky and it will all live in harmony. Adapted slightly from A Girl and Her Pig (Ecco, 2012)
Serves 2 to 3
1 1/2 cup whole milk, plus a few generous splashes
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon Maldon, or other flaky sea salt (if using finer salt, start with 1/2 teaspoon and add to taste)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
About 2 tablespoons sugar (maple, brown, or white) or maple syrup
Combine the milk, water, and salt in a medium pot (a 2-quart pot should do it) and set over high heat. As soon as the liquid comes to a gentle simmer, add both kinds of oats and lower the heat to medium. Cook the oats at a steady simmer, stirring frequently and lowering the heat as necessary to maintain the simmer. After about 20 minutes at the simmer, the rolled oats will have turned a bit mushy, while the steel-cut oats will be just tender and pop when you bite them. Taste for seasoning — it should be on the salty side. Add sugar or syrup. Spoon the porridge into warm bowls and let it sit for a minute. Then carefully pour a little cold milk around the edges of each bowl, so it pools all the way round. Sprinkle a five-fingered pinch of sugar or drizzle the syrup in the center of each and let it melt, then serve right away.
Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars
Ashley
Ashley Covelli is a food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor based in Ossining, New York. She loves helping people become enthusiastic and adventurous in the kitchen so that they can build skills and confidence to cook for themselves and their loved ones. She can almost always be found with at least 3 different beverages within arm's reach.
