Oats, Date & Orange Breakfast Porridge

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Oats, Date & Orange Breakfast Porridge

Recently, here in South Africa – under our washed-out and sun-bleached blue Southern skies, summer’s glory gradually ebbed into the bustling brindle and tortoise shell of autumn; with the Linden trees gently swaying in fresh ginger yellows and the Plane trees silvered in rust-red and ochre. So too, as summer tilted into autumn, our menus started leaning into tweed, tartans and brogues: dishes that rise up to meet the growing morning nips and weakening afternoon suns slipping sooner and sooner to the refuge of wanning horizons.

Time then to dispense with the frivolity of light-hearted summer breakfasts and applying serious consideration to rib-sticking, long winded breakfasts: meals of stature that provide sustenance and energy for the long, remorseless stretch to lunch whilst the nip of autumn and approaching winter bays at our heels and saps the body’s energy.

Now, an autumn breakfast can be an elaborate affair requiring early rising and multitudinous pans, pots and labours, or we can resort to a basic, no nonsense approach that allows the cook to lie in just a wee little bit longer. Therefore the reason for Oats, Date and Orange Breakfast Porridge. The main participants may seem simple and humble, but the meek and the mild can also gallantly rise to the occasion; demonstrating true worth in the face of adversity and perdition.

Dates and oranges are old and dab hands at complementing each other. Orange – being the attention hog it is – takes the leading role in this production. Dried dates graciously provide the essential support that elevates our star performer to applause and great acclaim.

Dried dates have a flavour profile that makes the mundane mysterious and expectant of surprise. It’s rich and darkly caramelly flavour is rounded out with figgish and toffee-like notes and a distinctly earthy and pepperish undertone. In addition, a variety of pectins impart a chewy and soft texture to the dried fruit – ideal for livening up the somewhat limp nature of docile and sedentary oats porridge.

Look for the driest (within reason) and most wrinkled dates available – their deep fruity flavour and sweetness are very concentrated and will only contribute more good cheer and festivity to this event.

Little needs to be said of the orange and its distinctively aromatic and strong medley of flavours save that the flowery and spicy-bitter, pine-like undertones help balance the exceeding sweetness of the dates and raisins in the final dish.

Candied orange peel (or slices) in syrup is ideal for this purpose. Candying the fruit tempers the worst of the domineering citrus taste and moderately elevates the inherent bitterness of the peel so welcome here in moderating the sweetness of the dates. And dried dates may indeed become cloying in their sweetness depending on the variety of the date palm tree the fruit was harvested from.

Add the well diced orange right at the end of the cooking process just before serving. This keeps the citrus flavour intact in small, distinct packets and prevents the domineering orange taste from overwhelming and subjugating all the other flavour elements present.

The combination of dried ginger, nutmeg and fine black pepper adds that intangible, basso profundo element that binds the Whole together and harmonises the interactions between all the other participants of this dish. Now the pervasive, earthy spiciness of dried ginger is not everyone’s cup of tea: cut back (or increase) as your wrists – and heart – see fit, but do not simply discard it.

Now that we have established that dried dates are fun to work and play with, a small caveat needs to be added to the fray: dried dates should be quite severely sliced or chopped for this recipe. Add them right at the start and they will cook away, infusing their goodness and cheer throughout the final dish. However, just as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, so too does desired textures reside in the heart of the eater. In other words: slice and dice your dates as you see fit!

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OATS, DATE & ORANGE BREAKFAST PORRIDGE

– PRINT RECIPE –

Recipe yields:

2 Portions

Preparation time:

± 5 Minutes

Cooking time:

15 Minutes

Difficulty level:

Very Easy

Special Equipment Required:

1 x Small sauce pan, cast iron or heavy-bottomed stainless steel.

Ingredients:

Instant breakfast oats	80ml
Hot water	300ml
Brown sugar	30ml
Salt	± 2ml
Pitted dried dates, well chopped	6

Dried raisins	15ml
Yellow sultanas	15ml
Candied orange peel in syrup, drained & diced	10ml

Dried ground ginger	½ ml
Fine black pepper	¼ ml
Ground nutmeg	¼ ml

Method:

Heat the hot water until boiling. Add the rolled oats, sugar, salt, spices and chopped dates. Stir thoroughly. Turn the heat down to low to allow the porridge to simmer gently.
Simmer for 15 minutes – longer if a mushier end result is desired. Stir regularly.
Remove from the heat and stir in the raisins, sultanas, orange peel and. Stir thoroughly.
Allow to cool 8 – 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with a light grating of dark chocolate or toasted coconut shavings over the top of each bowl.

Comments:

The final texture of the dish is solely dependent on the cooking time of the oats. Commercial instant oats is already precooked to a fairly advanced stage, thus the “instant” nature of the basic product.
Overcooking instant oats is detrimental to the final texture of the porridge, reducing it to a gluey like consistency that catches easily on the bottom of the sauce pan only to char with gay abandon. Beware ...

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Pitted & Dried Dates:

Pitted and dried dates can appear slovenly and messy in a very organic and visceral manner. Do not despair, “for salvation comes from within” – to quote the old maxim. They are a joy to work with and are eager to please.

Most South Africans seem to have a distinct opinion about dates, particularly dried and pitted dates. I suspect this stems from recent history where Date Loaf – a perennial South African tea time favourite among the older generations – could either be a gustatory joy, or be an Abomination of the Tea Table when badly prepared (which seemed to be most of the time). This is a pity, as dates are indeed our friends. We simply need to bring a spot of understanding and respect to their application and proper use in the kitchen.

More on dried dates – and their use – will follow in future posts.

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