Tags
blueberries, breakfast, Irish, oatmeal, oats, Steel cut oats
Steel cut oats, also known as Irish oats, have become our new breakfast of choice (that is, once Chicken Biscuits (for me) and Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits (for Patrick) were taken out of contention).
If you haven’t tried steel cut oats, they have a rich, nutty texture and are very healthy – high in fiber and protein. Don’t they just look healthy?
The steel cut oats take a bit longer to cook than rolled oats (around 30 minutes) but, like most grains, reheat well. So, you can cook enough for few days and warm them in the microwave as desired. While there are quite a few recipes on the internet, my suggestion would be to serve them as you would normally serve any oatmeal. (I suspect that there are a few readers who are thinking, “I wouldn’t serve them at all” and a few others who are thinking “I certainly wouldn’t reheat cold oatmeal”).
The key to remember in cooking steel cut oats is to use a ratio of 4:1 (liquid to oats). For a big batch of oatmeal, I bring 8 cups of water to boil and add 2 cups of oats (tempting to make that into a math problem…). Reduce the heat, and let simmer until the water is absorbed and the oats are at a pleasant texture…A pretty simple recipe – one that is in my skill set.
I prefer my oatmeal plain – just cooked in water. Patrick tops his with fresh fruit (we seem to have an abundance of blueberries!) and a splash of milk (possibly a dash of sugar too). Here are some sites with fancier versions: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/steel-cut-oats-recipe/ and http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/health/nutrition/08recipehealth.html