I've gotten into a healthy habit this winter. At least twice a week I've been having oatmeal for breakfast, and I must say I'm enjoying it. As I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, how many variations on oat meal are there?
As you might suspect, about as many trees as you've got in the forest! After all, oatmeal is one of the easiest dishes to doctor up and the possibilities are endless. And it’s a good idea to start you day with oatmeal. It is a nutrition mother-lode, bursting with all kinds of healthy things, and it has a positive impact on heart health.
Let's start by talking about the basic types of oatmeal. What are the differences?
As it happens, a lot of it comes down to how much time you want to invest. Instant oatmeal is just that. It usually comes with little flavoring packets but it's not terribly high on the quality scale. Quick cooking rolled oats are a little better, and these are easy to find. Traditional rolled oats, like the classic Quaker Oats, are very good, but they take a little longer. And then the king of Oat World is the steel cut oats. These oats are lightly processed and cut into little bits. They retain a tremendous amount of nutrients, and are very chewy and satisfying, but they take about 20 minutes or so to cook. However, they may be perfect for a more laid back lifestyle.
In terms of what we cook our oats in, we can choose between water and milk, depending on the richness you want. Simply bring your liquid to a boil and then add your oats. And you want about a 2 to 1 ratio of liquid to oats. Also, you can add cream or yogurt to the finished oats for extra creaminess.
In terms of all the extras, we have the sweeteners; honey, maple syrup and the various sugars; we have fruit of all kinds; and then nuts or coconut for texture. One of our favorites is chopped up Fuji apples with walnuts.
But beyond that is where you can get creative. Once you've got your basic oatmeal finished you can add more to the matrix very easily. Think about things like pumpkin purée, mashed up bananas, or grated carrots. You can even go savory by adjusting your seasoning (less sweet, more herbs and spices) and adding chopped up vegetables. I think butter sautéed diced zucchini would be fantastic. Going very savory, you could eliminate the sweets entirely and go with, say, shredded cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, and bits of sausage. What makes it work is the simple flavor of the oatmeal which is a perfect canvas for all sorts of other flavors.
Several recipes that use different types of grain and seeds. You can add things like flax seed, chia, quinoa, or wild rice to the mix right at the top so they have enough time to thoroughly cook. For that reason, I'd work with the slower cooking steel cut oats. At any rate, you'll get a boost in the flavor profile and a definite boost in texture.
If we were feeling decadent, we could push oatmeal in the direction of fancy desserts.
For example, chocolate. Now you can keep it fairly simple with cocoa powder which will give you color and flavor, but not a lot of sweetness. Or you can straight-up add chocolate syrup. Or you can go whole-hog and add chocolate pudding to the mix. We would also go with banana slices and pecans to add some pizzazz. But you get the picture. Not exactly breakfast any more, but definitely a fun dessert, especially for the kids.
