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Stir it up

From oatmeal to risotto, there's a porridge for every meal of the day.

The other day, over nourishing bowls of oatmeal simmered with dried fruits and scattered with browned almonds, we wondered what life would be like if we ate porridge three times a day. There are periods when winter drags on, and a steady diet of mush would be a good antidote to blustery weather.

In some cultures, in fact, porridge is the main course for the midday and evening meals, if you count dishes like risotto, polenta, the Indian dals (made from peas and beans), and even hasty pudding. Hasty pudding has had many main ingredients over the years. In Victorian England, flour, oatmeal, or tapioca was mixed with milk to form that porridge.

Dal is one of the most interesting dishes in the porridge family, especially a dal made with yellow split peas, which collapse during cooking. Dals, which are always seasoned with curry spices, are thinner than cooked cereal but thicker than split pea soup (a close relative). Something with a contrasting taste and texture - toasted whole spices, for instance, or browned onions - is added just before serving. At the table, dals are spooned over rice and offered with a crisp Indian bread such as papadum.

Risottos are the luxurious members of the porridge clan. To make this magical dish, short-grain rice is stirred until it seems richer than real cream. Cambridge risotto queen Judith Barrett's technique demands almost no stirring, which makes the dish about as easy as fixing a bowl of oatmeal.

STEEL-CUT OATMEAL WITH ALMONDS, CRANBERRIES, AND APRICOTS

1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup steel-cut or other long-cooking oats
4 cups water
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried apricots, coarsely cut
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (for sprinkling)
1 cup heavy cream or whole milk (for serving)

Set the oven at 400 degrees. Place the almonds in a small baking dish and roast them in the hot oven for 10 minutes or until they are fragrant. Set them aside.

In a saucepan, combine the oats, water, and salt and bring them to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, apricots, and raisins. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the oats are creamy and tender. Add more water if the mixture seems too thick.

Ladle the oatmeal into bowls, sprinkle with almonds, and serve at once with brown sugar and cream or milk passed separately.

SERVES 4

DAL

You can make this dal with a list of spices that go into curry powder or use a commercial powder as a short cut, as we have here.

1 cup yellow split peas
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry powder
6 cups water or stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large onion, chopped

In a bowl, soak the peas in water to cover for 1 hour. Drain them in a strainer.

In a heavy-based saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook the onion and carrot, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the ginger, turmeric, and curry powder onto the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to mellow the spices.

Add the split peas, water or stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the dal for 45 minutes or until the split peas fall apart into a porridge.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onion over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until it is browned.

Taste the dal for seasoning, add more salt if you like, and sprinkle with the browned onions. Serve at once with steamed rice.

SERVES 4

ALMOST-NO-STIR RISOTTO WITH SQUASH

Cambridge author Judith Barrett's Risotto Risotti (Macmillan, 1996) is the definitive book on the subject. Barrett figured out this method of making almost-no-stir risotto, in which the cook simply watches the rice for the first 14 minutes (the traditional way is to stir it constantly for 20), then stirs vigorously at the end of cooking.

Squash:

3 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow squash, seeds removed and flesh finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, seeds removed and flesh finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the yellow squash and zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the squashes are tender. Add salt and pepper and set them aside.

Risotto:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth, heated until hot
4 ounces fontina cheese, rind removed and cheese diced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a heavy 4-quart saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon of the butter with the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until it begins to soften. Stir in the rice to coat the grains all over with the onion and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is almost completely absorbed by the rice. Add 2 cups of the broth, stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, exactly 7 minutes.

Without stirring, add the remaining 2 cups of broth and cook for exactly 7 minutes more.

Turn the heat to medium high, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, the squash mixture, the fontina and Parmesan cheeses, then the parsley. Add salt and pepper and serve at once.

SERVES 4

BARLEY AND MUSHROOMS WITH GREEN SAUCE

Barley:

2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 cup pearl barley
4 cups chicken stock or water
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion, carrot, and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes.

Stir in the barley and, when it is coated with the vegetables, pour in the stock or water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the barley for 40 minutes or until it is tender but still has some bite.

While the barley is cooking, prepare the green sauce.

Green sauce:

1/2 cup parsley leaves
20 large basil leaves
1 small clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Madeira

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the parsley, basil, and garlic. Work the mixture in on-off motions until it is finely chopped. With the machine running, add the oil through the feed tube and process just until the oil is incorporated. Transfer the green sauce to a bowl.

When the barley is cooked, stir in the Madeira. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of the green sauce. Add more green sauce if you like. Spoon the barley into bowls and pass the remaining sauce separately.

SERVES 4