karen2205: Me with proper sized mug of coffee (Default)
Karen ([personal profile] karen2205) wrote2005-07-04 11:06 am
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Food

I did a fair amount of cooking over the weekend - recipes for my own reference:



Chicken risotto - vegan marg in casserole dish, add in chopped onion, stir till the onion looks softish (while defrosting the chicken in the microwave). Add in the rice - add more marg when you decide that you want to cook all of the rice. Stir. Boil the kettle and make up the stock. Add the chicken, stir until the chicken is sealed. Then start adding the stock a little at a time. Go back and read the instructions again because it doesn't seem to be sticking together. Have faith in the method and keep adding more stock. It took closer to half an hour to get the right consistency than twenty minutes. You'll know when it's right.

Tuna + non cows' cheese pasta - boil pasta as usual. Make up dairy free cheese flavoured sauce. Don't do this in a microwave, follow the instructions and do it in a saucepan. Taste sauce and check it tastes acceptable before adding to the pasta. Add in tuna, stir, grate (goats'/sheep's) feta on top.

Meaty mixture with stuffing and mashed potatoes. Peel and boil potatoes. Add vegan marg and grated goats cheese and mash carefully. Leave to one side.
Make stuffing up according to instructions and leave to one side.
Chop garlic and onion and add to casserole dish. Chop up bacon and add it, followed by the mince. Then chop and add a yellow peper and a red pepper and some mange tout. Have the cunning idea to throw some lentils in. Make up a stock cube - the lentils will soak up lots of liquid and add it. Let it cook for a while, adding more liquid as necessary. (Should have added Worcestershire sauce + mustard but forgot).



Anyway, now for the important question - how do you make porridge?

I've tried all kinds of methods and can't seem to get my porridge the way it tastes at camp having been cooked over an open fire. Yesterday morning's attempt turned out so sticky I started to gag on it.

[identity profile] mstevens.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
I buy instant-porridge-just-add-milk-and-microwave. Forget which brand.

And often add a bit of honey.

[identity profile] simonb.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 10:39 am (UTC)(link)

The making of porridge is going to depend on how someone likes to eat their porridge. Personally I like to eat porridge which is fairly solid and is not that close to what most people would call porridge.



The usual ingredients for porridge I'd use are:



  • 55g rolled whole porridge oats (eg Jordan's Organic whole rolled oats)

  • 1 tbsp mixed spice

  • 20g sultanas

  • 300ml semi-skimmed milk



Mix the porridge oats and mixed spice in the bowl you're going to eat the porridge from. Mix in the sultanas - if you mix the porrdge oats and sultanas first you'll end up with quite a bit of mixed spice sticking to the sultanas. Mix in the milk. Put in the microwave on high for 4 minutes. Leave for at least 15 minutes to cool down and for the oats to absorb the milk. Eat.




Strangely enough I tend to get up, start the above cooking and only then go and get washed, dressed, etc so that I make best use of time in the mornings.

[identity profile] glissando.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 10:41 am (UTC)(link)
If you know the night before that you're going to want porridge, then soak the oats overnight in milk/water. This will soften the oats and make a really creamy and smooth porridge. In the morning, heat the oats and milk/water gently - don't try and cook it too fast, cos then it can get sticky. It helps if you stir with a wooden spoon as the oats are heated, because then you can keep an eye on the consistency. Microwaving never works as well, but if you're really pushed for time it's acceptable (I suppose).

[identity profile] arkady.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
I make porridge in the microwave. About 2oz (55g) porridge oats in a large jug, stir in half a pint of milk. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 3-4 min in a 650W microwave or 2-3 min in a 750-850W microwave, stir, leave to stand for a couple of minutes, then drizzle in a little cold milk until it's the desired consistency (and cool enough to eat without causing 3rd degree burns!); add desired flavouring. I like a teaspoon of black treacle in mine. Tip into a bowl, put the jug into soapy water to soak immediately (because otherwise the leftover porridge sets like concrete), enjoy!

[identity profile] rougeforever.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 11:15 am (UTC)(link)
50g porridge oats (I use Tesco Organic, but YMMV)
300ml soya milk

Put porridge and milk into (microwaveable) bowl.

Cook for 2 mins on high
Take out, stir
Cook for 2 mins on high
take out, stir.
Sit porridge for one minute.

I usually add chopped dates.

I love the Tesco porridge oats because they aren't milled (?) so fine, so you get a chewier porridge.

Mmmmmm. porridge.

[identity profile] iuil.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 11:52 am (UTC)(link)
I don't cook my porridge! I put about a cup of oats into the bowl, add a tablespoon of sugar and a sliced banana. I then add a cup of milk (soya or cows') and leave to soak for a few minutes before eating.

If it's cooked, it goes all horrible and slimy ;-).

[identity profile] beckyc.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 01:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Per person: half a mug of oats, one and a bit cups of water. Put in pan, and heat until boiling. Turn temperature down, and cook on a low heat for a few minutes, stirring lots.
ext_40378: (Default)

[identity profile] skibbley.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I do one cup of oats, one of water and one of soya milk. Bring to boil, stir and then put on very low heat to bubble until the required thickness. I like it with maple syrup if I want it sweet.

Another way I've had it is left overnight in a thick pan on a wood / coal burning stove on a boat.

Porridge

[identity profile] daweaver.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I go for a mish-mash of other people's recipes. The result can be slightly runnier than most people like it, and as it's cooked in the microwave, it's very sensitive to variations in power output.

Take two-thirds of a glass of oats, one-and-a-third glasses of water, and a pinch of salt.
Heat in the microwave on full power (800W) for about 2 minutes.
Stir in two tablespoons of semi-skimmed milk and a pinch of dried fruit.
Microwave on full power for 30 minutes.
Stir well, add a little more milk or water if required for consistency, and leave for about two minutes to cool and thicken.
Eat and enjoy.
Put the bowl in to soak at once, with a squirt of washing liquid.

[identity profile] pfy.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
It sounds like your attempt described above was too thick, making it hard to swallow. Try adding more liquid during cooking to keep it somewhat runny. Also, make sure you are using milk for your porridge, not water. A half-and-half mixture of milk and water is just about acceptable if you are short of milk, but if you do not have enough milk even for that, give up and have toast instead. Porridge made entirely with water is not food, and should be used only for hanging wallpaper.

There is much good advice in the other comments. In particular, I second the advice about soaking the oats overnight (especially since it only takes 30 seconds to put some oats in a bowl and pour milk on top). It can take a while to judge the quantities correctly for your desired consistency, but it is worth the effort of experimenting, as this method gives you porridge that you can nuke in two minutes in the microwave in the morning, instead of having to mess about for 20 minutes with a saucepan.

The One True Way of eating porridge is, of course, with a light sprinkling of salt, but heathens may wish to include dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, and such like in the mixture for soaking. If you like your porridge sweet, it's hard to beat a large blob of jam or golden syrup on top.