Who says porridge has to be sweet? I have seen some amazing savoury porridge recipes in the past, and have finally gotten around to creating one of my own. That's right, I unleashed my inner Heston Blumenthal.
I personally think that mushrooms and herbs are ingredients that work really well in savoury porridge, and that a thicker, denser texture makes this dish feel decidedly savoury. I also topped mine with mackerel, although if you aren't a fish fan feel free to omit this. If you're a vegetarian or vegan then I believe this would be just as good without the mackerel, or amazing with some baked tofu on top. In fact, I may have to try that one myself...
Ingredients
- 30g porridge oats (the proper ones, not the ready prepared sachets. The added sugar and flavours in these will not work well with onion guys.)
- 130ml cold water
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 large chestnut mushrooms, chopped
- 1 small carrot, chopped
- Dried mixed Italian herbs, approx. 1/2tsp (this depends on personal taste)
- 3 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
- Mixed seasoning (mine contained black pepper, sea salt, white pepper, and oregano)
- 1 mackerel fillet ( I used canned, as it was a better portion size, and needed using up)
- OPTIONAL: 1/4 mashed avocado, or 2tbsp pumpkin puree (the 100% pumpkin stuff- I used Libby's)
Method
- In a microwavable dish cook the onion with the dried herbs until softened, about 1 minute.
- Add the mushrooms and carrot to the dish, and then the oats and the water.
- Microwave for a further 2-3 minutes. The oats should become very thick and dense in texture, and the vegetables you can see will appear tender.
- Remove from the microwave and top with the pumpkin or avocado (I went with pumpkin as, again, it needed using), and the mackerel fillet (you can warm these slightly in the microwave too, or eat them cold). Sprinkle with the chopped basil and mixed seasoning, and then dig in...
Labels: breakfast, easy recipe, fish, Food, lunch, mackerel, oatmeal, oats, pescetarian, porridge, savoury porridge
