Who would’ve thought that of all the recipes I’ve put out there so far – whether on this blog, in the Nibl newsletter, in the Seasons’ Eatings calendar/recipe book, in workshops or in the Otago Daily Times – the ones which would cause the biggest stir would be these ones?
They are recipes for porridge/oatmeal (including a bulk-mix option, to make life easier if you find this as addictive as I do). Admittedly it’s not your typical porridge, as it’s flavored with fruit, chocolate and coconut. I knew it was a risky business, presenting a recipe like this to all the wonderful folk with strong Scottish heritage who read the ODT – in fact I even added a little disclaimer. But this recipe has had people stopping me in the street. Emailing me. Even taking the time to troll me online (umm ok…I guess that had to happen at some stage?). Almost all positive feedback, by the way – but I’m just so amazed that these are the recipes which really get people talking!
While we’re on the subject of causing a stir, I’ll give you a handy dandy hint. If left unattended for even a couple of microseconds, this porridge sticks to the saucepan like nobody’s business. (Trust me, I might as well have a PhD in pot-burning – I’ve done this so many times). If this happens to you, don’t go throwing that pot in the rubbish. Don’t bury it in the garden or whatever outrageous solution you’ve heard of. Here’s what I do to save pots which look completely un-salvageable and so far it’s worked every time (huge thanks to my wonderful Gran for this one!):
Remove as much of the burnt stuff as possible. (Don’t bother using too much elbow grease though – let this trick work its magic!)
Allow the saucepan to cool and fill with at least 8cm warm water.
Add a generous shake of Lux flakes (the amount needed depends on the size of the saucepan) and stir well.
Place on element and bring the mixture to the boil. It should begin to froth up – if not, add an extra shake of Lux flakes.
Turn off heat, cover with a lid and leave to cool overnight. The Lux flake mixture will form a kind of jelly.
In the morning – hey presto! – most (if not all) of the burnt awfulness will lift off like magic with the ‘jelly’ mixture. Anything remaining should now wash off really easily.
There you go! Give it a whirl. It’s a cool trick – almost worth burning something just to try it.
You can check out the porridge recipes here, and tell me – are you brave enough to make porridge like this? Or are there some recipes that you just shouldn’t mess with?
Now that reminds me, I was reading an old Scottish cookbook the other night, and there was a recipe for porridge that finished with “Dinnae add sugar, it’s nay a puddin!”. Although I will confess that I regularly top with brown sugar and cream, I had never thought of adding cacoa and coconut. I will have to give it a try.
Do it Jenny, do it! If anyone is willing to give it a try, it would be you. And dinnae add sugar, at least til you’ve tasted it! Those Scots know a thing or two about porridge.
The best way to get that last bit of burnt food off the pot is to use sand soap. That soap our grandmothers used and Yes you can still buy it . I’ve found it at Heritage nz or Shamels essential foods. Absolutely amazing at getting anything burnt on, off .. and with ease!
That is great to know Toni!
I think we actually have some of that somewhere – I’m definitely going to give that a try next time (and there will, most definitely, be a next time).
Thanks so much for that info. That’s one of the things I love about this Nibl community – it’s a great forum for sharing handy hints. And who doesn’t want to make life easier?!