Winter Diet - Steel Cut Oatmeal
Scotch Oats – Heart Healthy Cholesterol Busting Food
Alton Brown, food scientist gives us tons of great recipes. He says Scotch oats are a great road to healthy bodies and good eats.
Those who follow the Food Network know Alton Brown, cook, film maker, personality and food scientist. Alton Brown used to be a video director and cinematographer but decided his love of cooking was being stifled. One has to admire him for going back to school to follow his muse. He entered the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, VT. His point of view was, cooking shows were, in general, less than fascinating, and he could do a whole lot better. And so he did.
This is his basic recipe for steel cut oatmeal, touted by diet-gurus and health experts as healthier than even old fashioned oats, and more likely to decrease your cholesterol. The fiber is the secret, says Alton – making for heart-healthy eating. And it's great for the calorie-conscious.
Here's Alton's recipe:
Steel Cut Oatmeal (Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Show: Good Eats Episode: Oat Cuisine )
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk (yogurt works, too)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
In a large saucepot, melt the butter and add the oats. Stir for 2 minutes to toast. Add the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer for 25 minutes, without stirring. Combine the milk and half of the buttermilk with the oatmeal. Stir gently to combine and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with remaining buttermilk, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Steel cut oats, also called Scotch oats or pinhead oats, are readily available in most grocery stores - in the cereal aisle. They come in a can about half the size of a regular oatmeal box. They have not been processed as much as old fashioned or quick oats, so they have more nutrition - and more taste - along with tons of fiber.
Other Oatmeal Flavor Enhancements
Once the pot of oats is done, it may be flavored with cinnamon, raisins, or a few walnuts. Not only a fine breakfast, it’s a great winter supper and helps make up for holiday splurging. Accompaniments include dried or frozen berries and other fruits, nuts, real cinnamon (not cassia generally sold in the US as cinnamon, but real Viet Nam or Ceylon). Hard to believe wihtout tasting, but this dish can go savory by the addition of finely chopped onions, celery and carrots, tossed in and gently simmered for a minute or two. Awesome with black pepper. Those who don't care for buttermilk, by the way, can add a little plain yogurt...or even flavored yogurt.
This dish makes some people feel better than they have in years - remembering when their grandmas used to pamper them of a cold winter morning.
