Porridge is rubbish, isn’t it? On day one, it’s like, ‘Ooh porridge, haven’t seen you in a year, what a novelty.’ On day two, the prospect of eating porridge is a bit ‘meh’ and by day three, you’ve chucked your oats in the bin and run off to Pret for a bacon sandwich.
The trouble is, that porridge is actually really good for you. It keeps you filled up for a really long time (at least the whole morning, anyways) and porridge oats are a great source of vitamins. Eating it also helps your diet stay rich in wholegrains, which are believed to lower the risk of heart disease.
‘BUT IT’S SO BORING,’ I hear you say. And yes, by themselves, porridge oats are about as exciting as a Sunday afternoon marathon of* Cash In The Attic –* but WITH stuff, porridge can be pretty darn magical.
Enter Donal Skehan, the adorable Irish cook who you probably know from his adorable Irish grin. Donal was kind enough to give us his current favourite way of doing porridge – a la pomme (that’s not what he calls it, we just made that up to sound continental).
‘I go through love/hate phases with porridge. I love it at the moment, but you have to make it interesting and putting things in it makes it interesting,’ he explains when we ask him.
‘I like to put cinammon or toasted seasme seeds in mine,’ he continues. ‘It’s a really, really good meal that keeps you going for longer. It’ll keep you moving until about 12 and you won’t get hungry until then.’
Anyways, here’s Donal’s suggestion of a porridge to make this winter that’s definitely not boring.
Apple, cinammon and pecan porridge
Serves 1–2
75g porridge oats
350ml milk, or water if you prefer,
Plus extra to serve (optional)
Pinch of salt
1 eating apple
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp honey, plus a drizzle to serve
Small handful of toasted pecans, roughly chopped
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Put the porridge and milk in a pan. Place over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add a pinch of salt and stir continuously until you have a thick, creamy mixture – this will take roughly 8 minutes.
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Grate the apple (including the skin) and stir half of it into the cooked porridge, then add the cinnamon and honey and mix well.
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Pour the porridge into a bowl then top it with the rest of the grated apple, some more cinnamon and honey. Scatter the toasted pecans over the top. It’s a nice little addition to add some cold milk over the top if you like.
Donal Skehan's new cookbook Fresh is out now on Hodder & Stoughton.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.