HTCEB: Oatmeal

I'm not crazy about oatmeal, never have been. But, I'm systematic, and would I genuinely be cooking through a cookbook if I didn't try things I knew I wasn't crazy about? Maybe Mark Bittman's version would be better than the other 4 or 5 times I've tried the recipe, I thought. And it was better this time, not because the recipe was bad, but because I got better tasting oats this time.

I'm not saying everyone should invest in Whole Foods, or limit themselves to higher-cost goods out of snobbery. I grew up blue collar, and the holier-than-thou, "All MY food is organic free range non-GMO non-processed..." yada yada attitude really rubs me the wrong way. I grew up on canned, frozen, and less than great food, and I think a truly skilled chef should never look down on any ingredient. She should be able to take anything, whether it's quality is up to your standards or whether or not you like the way it tastes, and turn it into something delicious. Refusing to work with working class ingredients doesn't make you better, it makes you an out-of-touch asshole.

Having said all that, I was impressed with the taste of the oats I got from Whole Foods, compared to the ones I typically get from the grocery store (both are rolled, non-instant oats). I didn't realize the humble oat could have so much variance. There's absolutely no shame in humble ingredients and working with what you've got, but there's also no shame in working with the best you can afford (it becomes a problem when you refuse to even consider certain products, such as canned or frozen, because of an unwarranted, over-inflated ego).

I adjusted the recipe portion to be a bit smaller, enough for one bowl. I used about a quarter cup of oats, covered it with water (about a half cup), threw in a pinch of salt and let it boil.

Then I lowered the heat, stirred it often, and let the water absorb. Then I stirred in some butter (about a half a tablespoon), removed the pot from the heat, put a lid on it, and let the butter absorb.

A few minutes later, I stirred up the oatmeal, which was looking surprisingly tasty at this point. I added a splash of 2% milk, some cinnamon, and some candied walnuts and grapes that I had laying around. These add-ins surprised me; I thought the candied walnuts would be the real treat, but they turned slightly bitter over time, I'm guessing from the heat of the oatmeal. The grapes, however, were such a nice contrast with how bright and juicy they were. They did get a little weird from the warmth of the oats by the end of the meal, though.

This recipe is:
-Vegetarian
-Vegan (swap the milk and butter for nut milk/imitation butter or omit them completely)

This is the 3rd recipe I made from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: Basics.