Sweet Porridge and the Brothers Grimm

As I was thinking about my impending trip to Scotland, I find myself thinking of making a belly-warming bowl of old-fashioned porridge for breakfast.  To put you all in the mood, I came across this classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. 

Sweet Porridge

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

There was a poor but pious little girl who lived alone with her mother, and they no longer had anything to eat. So the child went into the forest, and there an old woman met her. She knew of the girl's sorrow, and presented her with a little pot, which when she said, "Little pot, cook," would cook good, sweet millet porridge, and when she said, " Little pot, stop," it stopped cooking.

The girl took the pot home to her mother, and now they were freed from their poverty and hunger, and ate sweet porridge as often as they chose. One time when the girl had gone out, her mother said, "Little pot, cook." And it did cook, and she ate until she was full, and then she wanted the pot to stop cooking, but did not know the word. So it went on cooking and the porridge rose over the edge, and still it cooked on until the kitchen and whole house were full, and then the next house, and then the whole street, just as if it wanted to satisfy the hunger of the whole world. It was terrible, and no one knew how to stop it. At last when only one single house remained, the child came home and just said, "Little pot, stop," and it stopped cooking, and anyone who wished to return to the town had to eat his way back. **

So, care to make some porridge of your own?  Ancient Scots would use a spurtle, which is the antiquated take on a wooden spoon.  Long, cylindrical and often decoratively carved, with a slightly pointed end, the wooden spurtle would help cooks stir the oats to keep them smooth.

Here's the perfect classic recipe, which has changed precious little for centuries:

Sweet Porridge
 Ingredients:
250 ml water or milk
50 grams oats (Scots and Irish use steel-cut or pinhead oats)
pinch of salt
cinnamon to taste

1.  In medium saucepan, combine ingredients and bring to a boil.
2.  Simmer for approximately five minutes until oats are tender.

Now, to dress up the basic porridge, consider stirring in 1/2 a chopped apple, sliced almonds, sliced banana, moistened sultanas or dried cranberries.  To add a hint of sweetness, stir in a spoon full of light brown sugar, add a drizzle of maple syrup, or glaze in Scottish honey.  A hearty way to start the day!


**Originally published in 1815 as volume 2, no. 17.  Translation of the Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales  no. 103 by  Margaret Hunt in 1884 (corrected by D.L. Asliman in 2000).

My Scottish Inspiration: Chef Nick Nairn

Scotland is the home of incredibly fresh seafood and smoked fish, but we don't often think of it as a resource for fantastic sauces.  Nick Nairn, most recently known for his stint as one of BBC's top celebrity chefs on Ready Steady Cook, has come a long way from his roots as a food lover and self-taught chef.  His sauces are superb.

His recipe for Nage Butter Sauce is going into my permanent file - it's that delicious! (For an abbreviated version of the recipe, keep reading!) If you're familiar with the subtle tangy flavor of the French beurre blanc, you'll appreciate Nairn's Nage Butter Sauce.  With a marinated vegetable stock base, the velvety smoothness of this emulsified sauce is achieved by the addition of a generous amount of cold butter and just a hint of lemon juice.  But if you're watching your waistline - forget it!  Move onto clear broth and miss out on this decadent touch to any pasta, fish or vegetable dish.

Inspired by Nick's Wild Harvest recipe for Lasagne of Wild Mushrooms with Baby Asparagus and Chervil Sauce, I came up with my variation on this main course.  Instead of a chervil sauce, I added sweet red peppers and sliced courgette to the fresh lasagne, and seasoned the sauce with a hint of sea salt with pink peppercorns and herbs de provence. To complement the flavors of the vegetables, ladle a generous portion of Nage Butter Sauce on top and enjoy.  I baked it until the pasta warmed through and added a bit of shaved grana padana cheese. Wow!


Nick Nairn's Nage Butter Sauce (from Wild Harvest with Nick Nairn)
This sauce is best emulsified with an immersion blender - I had to settle for excellent flavor but less than perfect texture with only a whisk at my disposal in my tiny kitchen!

*1 pint vegetable stock
7 ounces unsalted butter, diced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch of salt
Crushed peppercorns

• Heat vegetable stock in saucepan, bring to boil and reduce to 1/5 of original volume.  Remaining stock will be thickened and slightly syrupy.
• Incorporate butter into sauce and melt.  Use hand blender, drinks blender or whisk to thoroughly combine.  As Nick says, "give it a good old thrash about until all of the butter is melted and the texture is light and frothy."
• When the texture is right, add the lemon and seasonings, and keep warm until ready to use.  Do not let boil again or sauce can separate.

*Nick's homemade Nage stock is derived from onion, leek, celery, fennel, carrots, garlic, peppercorns, white wine,coriander and seasonings.  If you don't have time to make fresh stock from scratch, you can substitute prepared seasoned vegetable stock.

At the Nick Nairn Cook School near the Port of Menteith in Stirling, they stress cooking with exceptionally fresh Scottish produce, eggs and top quality seasonal ingredients. I'm going to try to visit the school next week and take some great pictures when I stay at Broomhall Castle by Stirling, but until then, I'll enjoy the recipes in Nairn's collectible books and on his website.

Nick Nairn Cook School
Port of Menteith
Stirling
FK8 3JZ
Scotland