Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats

[Bob Pr.]

SCO (steel cut oats) are sometimes called Irish or Scottish oats. They are not flaked, rolled oats like our(USA) more familiar Quaker oats product. Instead, they're cut pieces of oat grains maybe 1/8-1/4 the size of BB pellets or whole peppercorns.

The taste is somewhat nut-like, less bland than flaked, rolled oats and certainly with far more texture. When the SCO are cooked as I prefer, the pieces swell and are somewhat like grapes or cherry tomatos that burst when chewed releasing their flavor.

McCann's Steel Cut Oatmeal (from Ireland) is probably the best known but (following a NY Times article; praise on an Oprah show) their increased recent popularity has given rise to many other suppliers including Bob's Red Mill, Hodgson Mills, Arrowhead Mills, and others. Even Quaker oats now sells a SCO product. I prefer to buy mine in bulk from either a co-op store or Hy-Vee. In order of decreasing price, the most expensive is the McCann's, then Quakers, with the 3 mill products next, and with bulk products cheapest (maybe 1/5th that of the McCann's in its traditional 28 oz. can).

I've been eating SCO every morning for about 5 years since reading the article in the NYT. Compared with rolled flake oatmeal, SCO take a long time to cook and I've experimented with many different ways of dealling with that, e.g., cooking in advance and reheating small portions, overnight soaking, etc. Every variation, at least to my taste, results in very different taste experiences of texture, flavor, etc., some of which I liked, some disliked. The method used produces big differences in flavor, texture, etc.

The recipe on the McCann's tin calls for stirring in 1 cup of SCO into 4 cups of briskly boiling water. Stir well and when it thickens, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, cooking for 30 minutes. This would serve 4-5. Serve with fresh buttermilk, milk, or cream and brown sugar, honey or butter. For maximum flavor they warn against overcooking.

The variation I currently favor and use (for 1 serving) is to use a 4 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup into which I put:

10 oz. of water (1 1/8 cups)

2 oz. of SCO (Editied from the incorrect earlier version which said 4oz)

2 TBS. Craisins (sweetened dried cranberries)

2 dried prunes

3 dried apricots

Cover and microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes or until water is boiling.

Cover and cook on 20% power for about 12-13 minutes

Remove and stir into the mixture 2 oz. of rolled flaked oatmeat (not the quick cooking kind) (Editied from the incorrect earlier version which said 4oz)

Cover and microwave on 20% power for 12-13 minutes

Serve with skim milk.

(NOTE: some people skip the fruit and substitute 8 oz/1 cup of apple juice for the liquid; when dried fruits are added, they need more liquid to swell them; if not adding dried fruits, use less liquid)

Alternate Time Saving Method
When morning time is critical, separately cook beforehand enough dried fruit for several servings, refrigerate, and then add your desired amount at the time of adding the rolled oats in this method:

Likewise, cook enough SCO for several portions ahead of time, divide this into individual portions and refrigerate.

Then into a glass microwave safe measuring cup add the cooked SCO individual portion, the fruit desired, 2 oz of rolled flaked oats, 4-6 oz. of water. Bring to a boil (about 2' 30") then reduce heat, cover, and cook on 20% power for 5 minutes. Stir and serve.

Since eating SCO for breakfast, I often skip lunch entirely or have a bowl of low calorie soup.

[nwlabs]

They are yummy and delicious that is for sure. I love them with raisins and a walnuts. YUM!

[mombear]

Bob, was wondering if you've heard of or tried goetta. It is a Cincinnati tradition. I usually buy mine by the block or chub, but brave souls have tried to make it from scratch. Here's the recipe. It is usually served with breakfast.



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PREP TIME 5 Hrs
COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 6 Hrs 30 Min

SERVINGS (Help)
Servings
US METRIC


INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
3 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
5 cups steel cut oats
2 pounds ground beef
2 pounds ground pork sausage
2 large onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup cooking oil


DIRECTIONS
Bring water, salt, and pepper to boil in a slow cooker set to High. Stir in steel cut oats, cover, and cook 90 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix beef, pork, and onions. Stir into the oat mixture, and reduce heat to Low. Cover, and continue cooking 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the mixture to a medium baking pan, and cool until semi-solid. Turn out onto wax paper, and chill 1 hour in the refrigerator, or until firm.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cut the refrigerated mixture into thin slices. Cook slices one at a time in the heated oil until evenly brown.

[Bob Pr.]

Peggy, I've never heard of Goetta -- sounds interesting enough I'd enjoy having a taste. But usually I try to avoid fried foods except for a very seldom piece of fried bacon or a chicken breast.

BTW, I just got a Zojirushi induction rice cooker and am experimenting with different settings and amounts of my usual ingredients (e.g., more or less water may be needed). This cooker can't be interrupted in midstream to add extra ingredients so I may have to reduce or eliminate the flaked rolled oats. So far, I'm impressed by the deliciousness of the fruit in the SCO; also, the SCO seem a bit more nut-like in flavor. This particular Z. is capable of accepting the ingredients hours before it starts cooking and then ending at a pre-set serving time.

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ETA: I've used my Zojirushi NP-HBC 10 (5.5 cup/1 liter) induction rice cooker for 5 mornings now. I've also used it for cooking brown rice, and white rice, as well as a "Hunter's Chicken" casserole (brown rice, Classico tomato sauce, chicken serving, basil, garlic). The SCO turned out very well when set to this Z's "Quick Cooking" cycle -- about 25 minutes.

This takes 25 minutes to cook my breakfast recipe of SCO, rolled oats, dried fruit.

The Craisins, for whatever reason, seem to come out plumper and more flavorful than in my former 2 step microwave method given earlier. I don't like the texture of the combined SCO and rolled oats cooked this way QUITE as much as in the 2 step microwave process. But the great simplicity of it along with the added time savings so far outweighs the slight dimunition in texture that I'm hooked.

Many people will prefer the texture of the SCO by themselves without adding any rolled oats. I began adding rolled oats when I was precooking a larger amount of SCO and then placing individual portions in ramekins. When it came time to warm up the SCO, I dumped a ramekin's portion in the water, added a bit of rolled oats to the water and liked the combination. The rolled oats made almost a thick oat "gravy" through which "pearls" of SCO were distributed. So I've just continued the process.

I'm sure SCO can be cooked in many rice cookers, microwaves, pans on stove tops, etc. But since there are so many types of rice cookers and they have various cooking times and methods, every appliance, every method will take some experimenting and adjusting of ingredients to suit your taste preferences.

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In case you're wondering what you might like to ask Santa to bring, here's something to consider:

Zojirushi NP-HPC10 Owner Reviews/ratings:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product...owViewpoints=1


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24Nov08, ETA: I've been using my Z induction cooker for over a month now. Love it!!

I put all the ingredients (including water) in the night before and then start it cooking just as Puff and I leave for our usual 40-60 minute morning walk. It has many different programs/settings, not all of which I've tried but the one I currently favor is the "Porridge" setting. Very succulent pieces of oats.

The cooked SCO mixture exits from the non-stick pan leaving scarcely a trace.

A few mornings ago, I got some Danon Activa yogurt, blue berry flavor, and added that to my traditional cooked SCO/fruit mixture along with some milk. OH MY!! I'm afraid I'm instantly addicted.