Sticky Date Porridge

Published with permissions from Homecooked: Seasonal Recipes for Everyday by Lucy Corry, The Kitchenmaid wins the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Lifestyle Book 2022, published by Penguin Random House

Porridge

While the very best winter breakfast is chocolate pudding, porridge is a slightly more respectable choice.

Someone I know reckons that having a bowl of porridge for breakfast makes her ‘eat like a Labrador’ for the rest of the day. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, but if you find that ordinary porridge leaves you a bit peckish by morning tea time, making a more exciting version can help.

SERVES 1 | PREP TIME: 3min | COOK TIME: 8min

This is probably not what doctors are thinking of when they tell you to eat porridge for breakfast — but it will fill and cheer you up in equal quantities.

• 1 generous tsp butter
• 1 generous tsp soft brown sugar
• 1⁄4 tsp ground ginger
• 1⁄4 tsp teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1⁄4 cup finely chopped dates, plus a few extra for
• garnishing
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup water (or milk, for a creamier porridge) cream, to serve (optional)

1. Melt the butter in a small pot set over a medium heat. Add the brown sugar, spices, salt and dates. Cook for a couple of minutes, then tip in the oats. Stir to coat, then pour in the water/milk. Cook, stirring often, until the porridge is thick and ‘ploppy’ (about 5 minutes). Add a little more water or milk if the mixture seems too thick.

2. Pour into a bowl and top with a splash of cream if you wish and a few extra dates. Eat immediately.