A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.
- Samuel JohnsonWhich is why England is known for its horses and Scotland for its men.
- James Boswell
Saturday evening at the Fresh & Expensive, cereal aisle, oatmeal section. The bottom shelf is a lonely place, lined with Scotch oats and Irish porridge. On a whim I grab the underdog: a plain bag of “coarse oatmeal” for £0.99.
I take the bag home and inspect its contents. The grain looks more like rice than oats, uniform in their non-uniformity.
They look like they need a good soak.
So I cover the oats with water and let them soak overnight. In the morning, the oats look soft and velvety. I throw in a good bit of salt and a few raisins, turn up the stove, heat the oats to a good boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for a few minutes, adding a bit of water until the oats are nice and stodgy. I pour the finished product into my favorite bowl, top with sliced banana, cinnamon, and soy milk, and dig in to joy.
The oatmeal is creamy, yet textured, like oat risotto. No pesky husks like the ones I often find in my jumbo oats, which I still love, but the underdog may have taken its place as my staple breakfast.
Wikipedia tells me the coarse oats are a Scottish thing. They may not impress Samuel Johnson, but they rock my Sunday morning.
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